Technology @lemmy.world dezmd @lemmy.world 1y ago

Microsoft to Force Web Links Shared in Teams to Open with Microsoft Edge

Just got this right before midnight in my MS Admin app alerts. If you dont configure the policy, in September it defaults to opening web links in Edge regardless of OS default browser setting.

I woke up this morning to One Drive doing its usual thing being HOT GARBAGE, now I'm going to bed with Teams becoming HOT GARBAGE.

Full Excerpt:

Web links from Microsoft Teams chats to open in Microsoft Edge; Teams chat will open side-by-side with link

MC669480

Plan for change

Published date: August 21, 2023

Affected services

Microsoft Teams

Tag

MAJOR UPDATEADMIN IMPACTNEW FEATUREUSER IMPACT

The Microsoft Teams desktop app for Windows will open web links from Teams chats in Microsoft Edge to enable a new web and chat side-by-side experience.

By opening web links in Edge, users will be able to see those links side-by-side with their Teams chats—web links will open as new browser tabs and the Teams chats will open next to them in the Edge sidebar. This new, single-view Teams experience in Edge is designed to minimize switching between windows and to help users stay in the flow of work while referencing web links.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 126334.

This change to use Edge to open web links from Teams chats follows a similar, previously announced change in the Outlook for Windows app. Customers impacted by this change in Outlook were notified via MC541626, MC545904, or MC548092.

Admin controls are available as detailed below.

Read more about how we’re optimizing the experience between Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Edge:

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/blog/2023/02/16/discover-new-ways-to-multitask-with-microsoft-365-and-edge/

What's New in Teams | Microsoft Inspire 2023 Notes:

This change does not affect a device’s default browser setting in Windows.

This only affects commercial users signed into Teams with Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) accounts.

The policy described in the following section configures which browser is used to open web links for both Teams (chat) and the Outlook for Windows app (email), or, if you did not receive an Outlook for Windows app Message center notification, this policy will only apply to Teams (chat).

When will this affect your organization:

Timing:

Microsoft Teams desktop app for Windows: This change will start rolling out late September.

Outlook for Windows: Roll out in progress. If this change affects your users, you will have received either MC541626, MC545904, or MC548092, and can refer to them for specific timing.

Note: Depending on your Outlook for Windows update channel, you may experience the change in Teams first. Action:

Use the Choose which browser opens web links policy to configure which browser will be used to open web links and to set whether users will be able to make changes to which browser opens web links in both the Teams desktop app for Windows (chat) and the Outlook for Windows app (email).

If you did not receive a message center notification for the Outlook for Windows app (email), then the setting only applies to Teams (chat).

If you did receive a message center notification for the Outlook for Windows app (email), then the setting applies to both Teams (chat) and Outlook for Windows app (email). You will not be able to manage each app individually using this policy. If you’ve previously configured this policy for the Outlook for Windows app and wish to maintain that configuration, no action is required.

Note: There are no Microsoft 365 subscription restrictions in using this policy to configure which browser opens web links in Teams.

Use of the policy to manage the change in the Outlook for Windows app depends on your Microsoft 365 subscription. If you received the Outlook for Windows app Message center notification, please refer to MC541626, MC545904, or MC548092 for details on whether configuring this policy will apply.

If you have not configured the policy, or wish to change it, find the details below. How this will affect your organization:

Links from Teams chats will open based on the browser configuration in the Choose which browser opens web links policy. If no configuration is selected using the Choose which browser opens web links policy, web links from Teams chats will open in Microsoft Edge.

Only links set to open via a web browser are affected. Links that are set to open in a client app or within Teams itself will continue to do so. User experiences will vary by policy configuration; please see the next section.

You can manage this experience at any time. What you need to do to prepare:

If you’ve previously configured this policy for the Outlook for Windows app and wish to maintain that configuration, no action is required.

Use the Choose which browser opens web links policy to configure which default browser will be used to open web links and to set whether users will be able to manage which browser opens web links in both Teams (chat) and the Outlook for Windows app (email). You will not be able to manage each app individually using this policy.

The Choose which browser opens web links policy is available using the Cloud Policy service for Microsoft 365 (formerly the Office Cloud Policy Service) or as part of the Administrative Templates for Microsoft 365 Apps.

Enabled: Configures which browser opens web links from the Teams desktop app for Windows (chat) and the Outlook for Windows app (email):

Microsoft Edge

Web links will open side-by-side with users’ chat or email in Edge.

Default browser

Users will not be able to change this from the respective apps’ settings menus.

Disabled/Unconfigured: Web links from the Teams desktop app for Windows (chat) and the Outlook for Windows app (email) will open in Microsoft Edge.

Web links will open side-by-side with users’ chat or email in Edge.

Users can manage the browser change: Via the in-product notifications explaining the side-by-side experience.

At any time via the Teams settings menu: Settings > Files and links > Link open preferences

Note: If you want to manage this change for your entire organization so that Teams only opens web links using the device’s system default browser, you will need to configure the policy to Enabled and select Default browser.

Additional Information

Read more about how we’re optimizing the experience between Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Edge with this feature in our blog: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/blog/2023/02/16/discover-new-ways-to-multitask-with-microsoft-365-and-edge/

We always value feedback and questions from our customers. Please feel free to submit either feedback or questions via Message Center.

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195 comments

A browser so good they have to force their captive audience to use it.
Microsoft got screwed by antitrust officials for only putting it's browsers in new windows installs 20 years ago. Antitrust enforcement is a fucking joke in this country now.
This shit makes me want to quit IT. Technology is no longer helping humans. Technology is controlled by capitalist cunts.
At my org, edge for all outlook links rolled out last week. Not only does it not let you use your default browser, half of the screen is taken up with a popup asking to make edge your default every time!
MS definitely didn’t get in trouble for this in the past and this time it’s going to work out
I use Teams on my Mac and never seen such a poorly developed App. Everything made by Microsoft feels like trash. Fuck them.
Fucking Microsoft, they could right now be the beacon of the Internet right now, had they chosen Firefox as the base of their browser.

I'd actually be using it, as a counter to Chrome.

But no, of course they had to go with chromium and just become another dicksucker.
how much more IT guys want to be abused before switching to linux in companies, it's not like they use something windows exclusive, only if it's the insecurities
For the last X number of years, I've listened to people proclaim how Microsoft has changed, they're not the '90s Microsoft anymore. They make things open source! They're putting Linux in Windows now instead of trying to murder Linux! They're not doing Internet Explorer things anymore! You old Slashdot readers are stuck in the past!

'90s Microsoft sends their regards.
So glad I don't have to use Windows at work
will open web links from Teams chats in Microsoft Edge to enable a new web and chat side-by-side experience.

I am so sick and tired of this fluffy language every tech company uses these days. "New experience" this, "New experience" that, the only new experience I want is the experience of kicking a shoe up Nadella's ass.
Fuck Teams. It's the shittiest experience out of all the options. Discord is better, that's how bad it is.
Curious but what if I remove Edge from the machine?
Was this message helpful? 👍👎
I used Edge during beta and upon release. It's a decent browser. But Microsoft started adding their bloat to it and now just throws it in my face every chance they get. I no longer use Edge as a result.
Got affected by this, and the Edge literally showed a notification bar on how to disable this (as a user). So, slightly annoying but not too big of an issue as users can opt out right away.
me: panik me 5s later realizing I'm on Linux: kalm
I would be so frustrated working for a company like Microsoft when forced to write software “features” like this.

The business of M$ just fucking sucks
Good luck trying to open it on Edge when it's blocked from installing via policy
But why is this the same people that brought us the windows terminal, azure, vscode and improvements to python? 🤦🏻‍♂️
Such low, sad tactics. I've just converted an old MacBook to Linux. It'll be good to not have to deal with these shenanigans.
Deja vu anyone?
"I can't do X in blackboard"

"Are you using edge?"

"Yes"

"Install Firefox and use that, it will fix the problem"

Edge just doesn't work well with some sites; those of us without admin powers are going to have a very rough time trying to work around this.
Just gonna drop this here https://github.com/rcmaehl/MSEdgeRedirect
Litigation in 3... 2... 1...
That's what happens to people using Windows and other Microsoft products.
Sadly my workplace recently standardised on Edge with most users being barred from using anything else. So this is just gonna be seen as cool innovation there, most likely. Probably the same in any MS-based business.
Should never have switched off slack
MS being MS. The way they have been advertising Edge and pushing users to use edge have been crazy. They literally made it impossible to change default browsers in Windows 11 for a while and made it default when start/search is used to open links. They will keep re-installing Edge even if you remove it.

I'm still grateful that my W10 LTSC has been rocking solid for 2 years now. Less crapware.
I also hate how every time I accidentally open Edge it shits a search bar onto my desktop
Thanks for the heads up. Just disabled it across our whole organisation :D (assuming Microsoft honours the policy)
Lol. I would have to install edge.
what a cool software product to use at work
The experience is the shittiest.
Has Microsoft publicly commented on Google's WEI?
I, for one, welcome this. I have edge for everything work-logging related and Firefox for other sfw stuff (search for info for my work and occasional yt/reddit).

This will make it a bit easier, but I guess I'm a special case.

Edit: just to be clear, I'm not happy it's mandated, but it just happens to do something I will use in my windows work machine. I don't use teams, edge or windows 11 otherwise
My goodness this is dumb. I thought that while Apple was not above stuff like this, at least MS doesn’t stoop to this level. I guess was wrong.
At this point any person or company using Microsoft products deserves a boot the the back of the head.

..So everybody
If yiu willingly use Teams you deserve this.
Outlook defaults to it as well I believe, but you can change it to open with the default browser in your apps settings.
Any reason to not being using edge? Better performance than the other two, with more features
Oh what a surprise! You know what's funny, is one time i compiled an app with pyinstaller but used the encrypted flag and some ip address from WA and microsoft were loading my executable all the time.... Not just visiting the download site, but running the actual EXE in some kind of automatic way I assume.

195 comments