Microsoft develops new Windows under DMA, or in other words updates its operating systems with the changes required by the EU Digital Markets Act (DMA).

You already know that the new European antitrust rule wants to prevent big tech companies continue to abuse their dominant position in their own favor, with changes that should stimulate competition and the arrival of alternatives from smaller companies that have to work on the platforms of large companies in every industry and not always under the best conditions.

New Windows under DMA

Microsoft, like Apple, Google, Meta or Amazon, was included in the group “doorman” and will have to act on new policies and customization of software and services. The most important, as it will affect a larger number of users, are the changes that need to be made to their operating systems.

Microsoft says it’s been working on these for a while, and in fact has already implemented some as of March 6 to comply with the standard. But there is work to be done and the new Windows under DMA (both Windows 10 and Windows 11) should be available in April. Chris Nelson, Head of DMA at Microsoft, he described them in detail in a post on the official blog. Nelson divides the changes between design itself and data management.

The most remarkable ones were already known and are from mandatory application in European Economic Area:

• Option to uninstall the Edge web browser.
• Option to uninstall Bing search engine.
• Easier to uninstall OneDrive and other installed apps.
• Unlock Windows taskbar and widget panel for web applications and third-party news sources.
• Logging into Windows with a Microsoft account does not automatically log you into other MS services.
• Third-party application data collected on a Windows PC may not be used for any competitive purpose against application providers.
• Microsoft must explicitly inform users about combining data from Windows and other services.

There are other points to keep in mind, such as the ability to uninstall other apps, and there are questionable issues (such as Microsoft ID accounts) that will (for now) be left out. Although this is a step forward, organizations and competitors are questioning the way major technology companies are applying DMA (with Apple being the main target) and All of this surely needs revision in the future, which will be in accordance with the letter and spirit of the standard.