Windows 11 Start Menu Could Soon Respect Your Browser Choice
New evidence suggests Microsoft might finally address one of Windows 11’s most persistent frustrations: the Start menu’s insistence on using Bing and Edge for web searches regardless of your default browser settings.
Recently discovered Edge flags indicate that Microsoft is testing functionality that would allow Start menu searches to use your preferred browser and search engine instead of forcing Edge and Bing. Flags like msWSBLaunchNonBingDSE and msWSBLaunchNonBingDSEAndNonEdgeDB suggest searches could launch with non-Bing search engines and non-Edge browsers.
What the New Flags Actually Mean
According to Windows Latest, who first spotted these flags, the terminology breaks down as follows:
- DB likely stands for “default browser”
- WSB probably refers to “Windows Search Bar”
- DSE appears to mean “default search engine”
When you decode the flags, names like msExplicitLaunchNonBingDSEAndNonEdgeDB suggest scenarios where searches launch without Bing as the default search engine and without Edge as the default browser.
Real-World Testing Shows Promise
Windows Latest didn’t just discover these flags – they enabled them and confirmed they actually work. Their coverage indicates that when activated, these flags allow Start menu searches to properly respect your default browser and search engine preferences.
For many Windows users, this change can’t come soon enough. The current behavior means that even if you’ve set Google Chrome as your default browser with Google Search, typing a web query into the Start menu still forces you into Edge with Bing results.
Why This Matters for Windows Users
This potential fix addresses what many consider one of Windows 11’s most annoying limitations. Users have long complained about being forced into Microsoft’s ecosystem when they’ve explicitly chosen alternatives. The change would represent a significant shift in Microsoft’s approach, potentially giving users genuine choice rather than artificial defaults.
If these flags make it into a public release, it could mark the end of accidental Edge launches when you mistype an application name in the Start menu. For now, Windows users will have to wait and see if Microsoft follows through with making these options officially available.
