Users can uninstall Microsoft Store and still update their already installed apps, Microsoft said.
Microsoft is making a new set of changes to its Windows operating system (OS) and its app store in the EU to comply with the region’s Digital Markets Act (DMA).
Now, users will no longer be repeatedly prompted to set Edge as their default browser, plus, they can uninstall Microsoft Store.
Microsoft’s Windows was designated as an OS gatekeeper by the European Commission back in 2023.
Since then, the company says it has been working with the region’s authorities and testing DMA-compliant features with industrial partners and customers.
In 2024, the company made changes which allowed EU users to uninstall Edge and Bing, enable third-party web applications on the Windows search taskbar and third-party news feeds in widgets.
In addition, it also stopped automatically signing users in to some Microsoft services.
The fresh set of changes announced yesterday (2 June), build on the previous ones. Now, Microsoft will automatically enable third-party search providers on the Windows search taskbar and pin default browsers to the taskbar.
Users can also – for the first time – uninstall Microsoft Store, and their installed apps will still continue to get updates, the tech giant said. This change will be available later this year on Windows 10 and 11 devices in the EU.
Moreover, starting early this month, Bing will open web content with the user’s preferred default browser and once Microsoft Edge is uninstalled, other apps will no longer prompt users to reinstall it in the EU, the company announced.
Just weeks earlier, Apple and Meta became the firsts to be hit with a massive fine for breaching the DMA.
The EU was concerned that Apple’s rules around its web browser, App Store and default settings might be preventing customers from exercising their choice of services.
However, the Commission closed a separate investigation into Apple after the company changed its browser choice screen, allowing EU users to select their own preferred default browsers on iPhones.
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