End of dictatorship? Windows 11 might respect your favorite browser

Microsoft has long ignored the default browser setting when it comes to searching from **Windows 11**. When you enter a query into the search bar on the taskbar, the system redirects you to **Edge with Bing results** – regardless of whether you have Chrome, Firefox, or another browser set as default. However, new indications in the test version of Edge Canary suggest that this might change.

Flags in Edge Canary reveal plans

Windows Latest discovered several new switches (flags) in **Edge Canary** – an experimental version of the browser – that indicate support for browsers and search engines other than Edge and Bing. These are the items:

• msEdgeSearchboxHandlerSendsFaviconData
• msExplicitLaunchNonBingDSE
• msExplicitLaunchNonBingDSEAndNonEdgeDB
• msExplicitLaunchNonEdgeDB
• msSettingsMatchWordStart
• msWSBLaunchNonBingDSE
• msWSBLaunchNonBingDSEAndNonEdgeDB
• msWSBLaunchNonEdgeDB

The names are quite telling. **WSB** probably stands for **Windows Search Bar**, i.e., the search field. **DSE** then refers to **Default Search Engine**. And **Non-Edge-DB**? That should be a **different default browser** than Edge – for example, Chrome or Firefox.

How it works today: Edge and Bing

Currently, Windows Search works like this: you enter a query, the system processes it and opens the results **in Microsoft Edge with Bing**. This applies even if you have Chrome set as your default browser and Google as your default search engine in Edge. The system simply ignores both.

Microsoft defends this approach by stating that **many Windows Search features are built on Edge**. Therefore, changing the browser’s behavior also affects search behavior. However, users do not find this a sufficient explanation – rather, it seems like an attempt to push their own services.

Three future scenarios

The new flags suggest three different variants of Windows Search behavior:

1. Respecting the default search engine (msWSBLaunchNonBingDSE)
The system will use your preferred search engine – such as Google or DuckDuckGo – but will still open the results in Edge. So, if you have Chrome as your default browser, Windows Search will ignore it and still open Edge. At least it won’t be Bing anymore.

2. Respecting the default browser (msWSBLaunchNonEdgeDB)
The opposite scenario: the system opens your default browser (e.g., Chrome), but still sends you to Bing. So you have Chrome, but with Bing. A half-victory.

3. Respecting both (msWSBLaunchNonBingDSEAndNonEdgeDB)
The ideal variant: Windows Search respects **both your default browser and your default search engine**. If you have Chrome and Google, the system will open Google in Chrome. Exactly as it should have worked from the beginning.

Further improvements: favicons and search in settings

Among the flags, **msEdgeSearchboxHandlerSendsFaviconData** also appeared, which should improve the display of **favicons** – small website icons in search results. The system should pass more accurate data so you can better recognize the correct result.

Microsoft is also working on improving search in Edge settings. The browser should now **search for matches from the beginning of the word**, which should yield more relevant results when looking for specific features or switches.

When will we get it? Maybe never

Here comes the reality: the flags were discovered in **Edge Canary**, which is an experimental branch of the browser intended for testing. Many features from Canary builds never make it to the stable version. Microsoft can decide at any time not to implement this change.

It is also unclear whether the feature would apply to all users or only the **European Union region**. Microsoft has previously implemented some changes regarding browser selection only in the EU due to regulatory pressures.

User **Leopeva64** on network X (formerly Twitter) discovered the flags on September 18, but since then, no official information has come from Microsoft. The company remains silent, and it’s unclear whether this is a deliberate policy change or just a technical experiment.

Would you appreciate Chrome directly in the Windows 11 taskbar?

Source: Windows Latest, Notebookcheck