Although on Windows 11, you can specify your default browser to Chrome, Firefox, or any other browser, Microsoft Edge will continue to be the default experience for certain features, such as Widgets and Search.
If you prefer to have your browser of choice open links by default instead of Microsoft Edge, or you prefer another search engine (such as Google, DuckDuckGo, etc.) to show results instead of Bing, you will need to use a third-party tool like MSEdgeRedirect.
MSEdgeRedirect is a free tool available through GitHub that catches and filters the command arguments of Microsoft Edge and passes them to your default browser instead of the default behavior.
This guide will walk you through the steps to force features like Widgets and Search results to Chrome or Firefox instead of Edge on Windows 11.
Redirect Search and Widgets links to default browser and engine
To redirect Widgets and Search results to your default browser and Google search instead of Edge on Windows 11.
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Open MSEdgeRedirect GitHub page.
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Click the MSEdgeRedirect.exe download link under the “Assets” section.
Quick note: If the browser marks the file as suspicious, you will need to specify to keep the file. -
Double-click the file to launch the installer.
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Check the “I accept the license” option.
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Click the Next button.
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Select the “Active Mode” option. (The installer may restart because it needs to run with administrative privileges.)
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Click the Next button.
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Under the “Active Mode Options” section, check the version of Microsoft Edge to redirect.
Quick tip: If you use the built-in version of the browser, select the “Edge Stable” version. -
Under the “Additional Redirections” section, check the options to make Chrome or Firefox the default for Bing Search and Images and any other feature you want to redirect to Google and your default browser.
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Click the Update button.
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Click the Finish button.
Once you complete the steps, the application will be able to redirect web links from Search and Widgets to your default browser using Google as the search engine.
You can also the application under the “All apps” page in the Start menu. Also, since this is a workaround, the experience may not work perfectly. For example, clicking an article from the Widgets feed may open the link as a web result in your preferred search engine or the search engine may show a redirect notice.
Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 15 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 21 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me. Email him at [email protected].