Microsoft recently released the update KB4576754 for Windows 10 which replaces the old Edge browser with the new Chromium based version. The official motivation for this update, says Microsoft, is to solve security and compatibility problems by killing the old version now obsolete.
While this is something fair and understandable, what many have disliked is the fact that the KB4576754 is a mandatory update. The user, that is, cannot choose to stay with the old version of Edge: he must necessarily switch to the new one, similar to Chrome. Many did not like the forcing and many users are complaining about it on the forums, on Reddit and on social networks. The KB4576754 update specifically targets Windows 10 versions 1809, 1903, 1909, and 2004, while the KB4576753 is the equivalent for Windows 10 version 1803 (the first major update of 2018).
Mandatory edge: what changes
As already mentioned, the KB4576754 update is one of the mandatory ones. This means that it downloads and installs independently via Windows Update. At some point the user receives the notification that it is necessary to restart the computer to complete the updates and, on the next start, he finds himself with the new Edge positioned in the Start menu bar and with a shortcut on the desktop pointing to the Microsoft browser .
The old version is deleted and if the user tries to open a copy of the old Edge, moreover, Windows 10 notices it and launches the new version in its place. If the user has never downloaded the new Edge, however, he will find it on the computer immediately after the update. In short, there is no escape: Within a few months, all computers with Windows 10 will have a copy of Edge installed. Even if the user has never requested it.
How to say no to Edge
There is no way that works to avoid, without risk, that Microsoft gives us a copy of its browser: the update is mandatory and even if we uninstall it, Windows Update will bring it back to us shortly and reinstall it by itself in the next cumulative update.
The only thing you can do is pause updates via Windows Update, but it is highly discouraged: other updates, which are really useful and important for security, would also be blocked. The best choice, therefore, is probably to keep this browser parked on the hard disk even if we don't use it. Or start using it, discovering pros and cons of Edge.
Windows 10 updates and Edge becomes mandatory
