Windows 10: Edge Deflector, the tool that redirects Edge requests to your favorite browser, works on...

Edge Deflector, a handy tool for Microsoft Windows devices to redirect requests that open in Microsoft Edge to other web browsers installed on the system, supports Microsoft's upcoming operating system Windows 11 as well.

When Microsoft launched Windows 10 back in 2015, it became clear immediately that the company wanted to push its Microsoft Edge web browser by linking some functionality with it. Users who opened web search results in Search noticed that these would always open in Microsoft Edge, regardless of whether the browser was the default system browser or not. Similarly, News and Interests links, a new feature introduced years later, would open in Microsoft Edge.

We reviewed Edge Deflector back in 2017 for the first time. The program registers itself as the handler of the Edge-specific microsoft-edge protocol on Windows so that it becomes the default program to handle the links.

It parses the links, rewrites them, and passes them on to Windows again which in turn opens the link using the default web browser on the system.
​

Edge Deflector received several updates throughout the years. Our last review dates back to 2021 when EdgeDeflector 1.2 was released.

Microsoft plans to release its new operating system Windows 11 on October 5, 2021. Not everyone device will be upgraded immediately or at all, but millions of devices will run the operating system by the end of October.



Windows 11 makes it harder to change default applications. Microsoft removed the option to set defaults for popular application types such as the web browser, email program or video player. Users are left with changing file type associations individually, a process that is repetitive, especially for programs that support dozens or hundreds of file extensions.

Setup of Edge Deflector on Windows 11 is slightly more complex than on Windows 10 because of the change. Once installed, the following steps are necessary to make the program redirect Edge-specific requests to another web browser that is installed on the system:

1. Open the Settings application, either with the shortcut Windows-I, or by going to Start and selecting Settings.
2. Go to Apps > Default Apps.
3. Type Microsoft-Edge in the search field at the top.
4. Select the Microsoft Edge default app that is displayed and replace it with Edge Deflector.

Edge Deflector is now the program that handles URLs that use the Windows-specific microsoft-edge protocol. The program is a proxy of sorts, as it redirects requests to the browser that you select, provided that more than one browser is installed on the device.

You may download the latest Edge Deflector version on the project's GitHub repository.

Closing Words


EdgeDeflector continues to be a useful program for Windows users who don't want specific links to be opened in Microsoft Edge.

Now You: how do you handle Edge-specific links in Windows?

Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Edge Deflector, the tool that redirects Edge requests to your favorite browser, works on Windows 11 as well appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

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I am not able to open favorites folder or sub folders under it in EDGE browser

Hi Rodney,

We are sorry for the inconvenience caused to you.

Kindly follow the below steps to navigate the Microsoft EDGE browser’s favorites folder location.

• 
  Open Windows File Explorer and navigate to the following path: (Press
  Windows + E keys on the keyboard to open File Explorer)
  
  C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe\AC\MicrosoftEdge\User\Default
  
  Note: username represent the user account name which you have currently signed in to the Windows 10.
  
• 
  Here you will be able to locate the EDGE browser’s Favorites folder location.
  
• 
  Check whether you are able to locate the favorites which you have created in EDGE browser.
  

Note: To back up your favorites in Edge browser, simply copy-paste this Favorites folder to a safe location. To restore favorites, copy and paste your Favorites folder back in the location suggested under
the step 1.

I hope the above information helps you to locate the EDGE browser’s favorites folder location.

Thank you.

 

Favorites How do I find my favorites in Edge

While browsing another thread, I found the answer to my previous question. Including it here in case others are searching for the location where favorites are stored.

Kindly, follow the below steps to navigate the Microsoft EDGE browser’s favorites folder location.

• Open Windows File Explorer and navigate to the following path:

(Press Windows + E keys on the keyboard to open File Explorer).

C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe\AC\MicrosoftEdge\User\Default


Note: username represent the user account name which you have currently signed in to the Windows 10.

• Here you will be able to locate the EDGE browser’s Favorites folder location.
  
• Check whether you are able to locate the favorites which you have created in EDGE browser.
  

Note: To back up your favorites in Edge browser, simply copy-paste this Favorites folder to a safe location. To restore favorites, copy and paste your Favorites folder back in the location suggested.

 

Favorites disappeared in edge

Hi Sue,

Thank you for posting your query in Microsoft Community.

I would like to inform you that all your favorites saved in Microsoft Edge web browser are located in the file path-

%LocalAppData%\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.Spartan_cw5n1h2txyewy\AC\Spartan\User\Default\Favorites

If you have saved the same web browsers in Internet Explorer you can import them to Edge by following the steps below:

• 
  Go to "More Actions" by selecting the
  "(...)" in the upper right corner of the Edge window.
  
• 
  Select "Settings"
  
• 
  Turn on (select) the "Show the favorites bar"
  
• 
  "Import favorites from another browser" will appear. Select it.
  
• 
  Choose the browser from which you want to import your favorites.
  
• 
  Select "Import".
  

Hope this helps