Yesterday Microsoft announced its Windows 10 S operating system. And it is even more limited than expected. If you own a laptop with the OS installed, you cannot switch your browser to say Chrome, neither can you change the default search engine within the Edge browser as it will always keep defaulting towards Bing.

The information has now been confirmed with Microsoft who releases a Q&A list on their website this morning. You will be able to download another browser in the Windows Store, but even then Microsoft Edge will force itself to remain the default browser the second you open a web-page. The same goes for the Microsoft search engine Bing: "the default search engine in Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer can not be changed". Users can still visit Google in Edge, but when you enter search terms in the browser bar, Microsoft Bing automatically opens, and this cannot be altered,

Earlier in 2012 Microsoft was charged by the European Commission because Internet Explorer was offered as a standard browser in Windows. According to the Commission, users always should have the ability to choose which browser they want to install for default, this to prevent unfair competition. Breaking that rule at the time resulted in a fine of half a billion euros for Microsoft.