Windows default-app handling: force all links (including url:microsoft-edge) to open in default browser, without breaking Edge itself

[fkrushka]

Description of the new feature / enhancement

I want to achieve a specific and reasonable behavior on Windows regarding default browser handling.

What I want:

• All links and system URLs (including url:microsoft-edge: and search links) should:

  • Be intercepted
  • Open in my default browser

• At the same time:

  • Microsoft Edge itself should still launch normally when I explicitly start it
  • Edge should remain usable as a secondary browser
  • I just don’t want links and system searches to open in Edge

Scenario when this would be used?

The option that suits me best is running the application as a service (so it doesn’t stay resident in memory, but replaces Edge at the system level), and when Edge itself is launched, it should simply start Edge normally.

Supporting information

No response

[elisimpson]

I would also be interested it this. I was surprised today when I tried to launch Edge directly from the Start Menu shortcut and it redirected to Firefox. I thought all links would be intercepted but I'd still be able to run Edge directly.

It's rare that I need to test something in Edge but it comes up once in a while and it would be nice if launching it from a shortcut still worked.

[beren12]

You can make a shortcut to the actual edge exe and it'll open.

[elisimpson]

The shortcut I have is going to C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\Edge\Application\msedge.exe and it doesn't open, it opens Firefox. Even double-clicking the exe directly opens Firefox

[fkrushka]

You can make a shortcut to the actual edge exe and it'll open.

Have you even tried to read the original post and the problem?