Although Windows is at its core an operating system, the truth is that It’s actually its suite plus a wide selection of apps which are installed on the system by default during the installation of the operating system. This has already gotten Microsoft into sticky situations with some controllers in the past, and of course it’s not something that appeals to many users who would rather do without them and have more control over default apps to perform certain actions.

Until now, The only solution for these users was to use unofficial builds, designed by third parties and which eliminate many of these elements. For example, a few weeks ago we told you about tiny11 Core, a truly minimalist version of Windows 11, and if you use the MuyComputer search engine with the word “Tiny” you will find many other similar compilations, which, yes, because they are not official, do not have native Windows support.

However, This is something that the Digital Markets Act will also have a big impact on. As you may remember, the products and services affected by it were published last September, corresponding to six so-called companies porterand in the section of operating systems reflected in the said list, Android, iOS and Windows were included, so all three will be forced to accept a series of changes that must be completed by March 2024 at the latest.

So far we’ve already seen some moves related to instant messaging services and, in Apple’s case, web browsers, but now we have another case, this one in relation to operating systems. And as we can read on his blog, Microsoft is already preparing for Windows to allow you to uninstall default apps. Some of them can be removed globally, but others can only be uninstalled on systems used in the common European area. The complete list is as follows:

• Microsoft Bing Web Search (Europe only)
• Camera
• Cortana
• Photos
• Microsoft Edge (Europe only)

As you can see, Microsoft’s two big movers in Windows, a web browser and search function integrated into the operating system and based on Bingcan be completely uninstalled if the user wishes.

On the other hand, Windows users in the common European area They will also be able to disable the feed displayed in the widget panelwhich will probably make this element of the operating system much more useful to users, since they will be able to use it exclusively to quickly access the elements that they choose to add to it.