Windows is usually versatile about tweaks to its system—and superior customers have lengthy taken benefit of registry tweaks to make the OS behave. But lately, Microsoft has quietly barred entry to at least one setting in Windows 10 and Windows 11, making a change of your default browser solely attainable by way of the Windows settings app.

As reported by Bleeping Computer, a brand new driver launched throughout Microsoft’s February updates now locks down the registry, stopping any modifications carried out outdoors Windows settings. It was initially noticed by Christoph Kolbicz, an IT advisor and creator of two applications that allowed customers to change file associations and the default browser in Windows.

Windows presently depends on a specific form of hash (that’s, a conversion of textual content and even different information right into a fixed-length mixture of numbers and letters) to designate a program as a default app. Before the addition of this new driver, third-party apps might reverse-engineer the method of making the hash to then swap in their very own choice. Now they’re blocked from doing so—which customers can reproduce themselves by trying to manually edit the registry, as Bleeping Computer did. When trying to vary the worth of the hash by way of the Registry Editor, an error message of “Cannot edit Hash: Error writing the value’s new contents” seems.

PCWorld

PCWorld

PCWorld

While this up to date method to switching your default browser could appear draconian, it’s largely excellent news from a safety perspective. Malicious apps could have a tougher time making an attempt to change the default browser behind your again—which means they’ll’t substitute a phony browser on your regular one, with a purpose to probably monitor and/or seize the main points of your shopping periods (together with any types you fill out). You’ll nonetheless must observe secure on-line conduct and have antivirus software in your PC, nevertheless it’s one much less potential assault vector.

Changing your default browser in Windows settings stays attainable; simply head to the default app settings throughout the app. If that’s nonetheless inconvenient (or philosophically vexing), decided customers have since found a workaround this limitation—you’ll be able to first disable the driving force locking all the things down, then disabling a scheduled job that mechanically re-enables it. But the overwhelming majority of Windows customers shouldn’t want go to such lengths.

As for the rationale behind this replace, Kolbicz speculates that it might relate to European rules meant to ensure truthful competitors between software program corporations. However, the driving force additionally seems on Windows computer systems within the United States, which aren’t certain by such phrases—and the brand new driver doesn’t appear to be imposing the lock down uniformly but. Bleeping Computer’s checks point out that not less than some Windows 11 PCs nonetheless permit registry modifications to the default browser setting.