Microsoft May Finally Let Windows Search Results Open in Your Default Browser

Microsoft may finally let Windows search results open in your default browser rather than being forced to use Microsoft Edge, a change that could come from experimental flags found in the Edge Canary build. According to Windows Latest, these flags hint at the possibility of lifting the current browser lock‑in and letting users open search results with their chosen default search engine.

The flags listed include names such as msEdgeSearchboxHandlerSendsFaviconData and msExplicitLaunchNonBingDSE among others, which appear to indicate a shift away from Edge and Bing for Windows search panel queries. If implemented, a user who has Chrome as their default browser and Google as the default engine could see Windows search results open directly in Chrome using Google Search.

For now, it remains unclear what Microsoft’s ultimate aim is with these options; they may be early testing or may eventually be integrated into Edge’s settings to allow manual disabling of the bundling. September 29, 2025.