As Microsoft continues to expand the functionality of Cortana on Windows 10, the company has turned its attention to shutting down certain types of hacks that could impact with the way the digital assistant is intended to work.
Specifically, Microsoft says Cortana searches will now only open in Microsoft Edge. This is to prevent certain hacks that allowed users to change Cortana's default search engine by using other browsers — potentially hindering the company's intended search experience. Microsoft explains:
Unfortunately, as Windows 10 has grown in adoption and usage, we have seen some software programs circumvent the design of Windows 10 and redirect you to search providers that were not designed to work with Cortana. The result is a compromised experience that is less reliable and predictable. The continuity of these types of task completion scenarios is disrupted if Cortana can't depend on Bing as the search provider and Microsoft Edge as the browser. The only way we can confidently deliver this personalized, end-to-end search experience is through the integration of Cortana, Microsoft Edge and Bing – all designed to do more for you.
As Microsoft points out, this only applies to Cortana searches. You can still set your own default search engine and browser of choice in Windows 10. Cortana, however, will now default to Microsoft Edge and Bing for a unified experience.
