I like Home windows 11 so much lower than I appreciated Home windows 10—and that was earlier than it began promoting to me incessantly and filling up each nook and cranny of the expertise with “AI” I neither needed nor requested for. However one of many oldest annoyances is that it nonetheless calls for I take advantage of Microsoft’s Edge browser and Bing seek for all the things, together with the searches made within the in any other case very helpful Begin menu search.
I’ve beforehand tried numerous treatments for this thorn within the aspect of my PC expertise, however Microsoft has patched and up to date Home windows typically sufficient that they’ve all stopped working. I ultimately gave up and resolved to go away the Begin menu hobbled by Microsoft’s over-eager branding, though I’d a lot slightly use the instruments I selected for myself (Vivaldi as my browser and DuckDuckGo as my search engine).
Such issues are despatched to attempt us. By Microsoft, particularly. Which shouldn’t be poking its nostril into how particular person customers wish to use the working programs we’ve paid for. I’m not bitter, no, why do you ask?
However a current Home windows laptop computer buy—this one, actually, sure, generally we bounce on our personal deal posts, too!—introduced these annoyances entrance and middle as soon as extra. I stared on the Home windows 11 setup course of for 40 minutes, prodded at every step to pay Microsoft more cash for 365 or Copilot or OneDrive, so I made a decision it was as soon as once more time to see if I may wrestle the Begin menu away from Redmond’s panopticonic clutches.
A bit Googling DuckDuckGoing led me to MSEdgeRedirect, which does what it says on the tin. This little device redirects internet searches from the Home windows 11 Begin search bar to any browser you need, utilizing all the key serps. You recognize, the best way it ought to’ve labored from the beginning.
It is a neat little bundle, requiring solely a regular set up, with none constantly-running-in-the-background applications. Along with redirecting the online portion of the search to your true default browser, it may additionally deal with many of the widgets that seem within the taskbar. Climate, information, photographs—if you happen to use any of them, you may redirect them to your most well-liked browser and an alternate service (resembling Accuweather).
MSEdgeRedirect nonetheless works as of July 2025, on my home-built desktop PC and my Snapdragon laptop computer. I can’t assure that it’ll keep working for any given period of time. It’s a freebie on GitHub, and Microsoft has up to date Home windows to bork these sorts of instruments earlier than, which I contemplate to be a self-serving betrayal of shoppers like me. Prospects that Microsoft would possibly wish to be rather less cavalier about pissing off as of late.
However for the second, it really works. I hope it makes Home windows 11 rather less annoying for you, too, particularly if you happen to’ve lately been compelled to hop onto a brand new machine or working system.
