Windows 11 now has an app whose entire job is to push Bing

Microsoft has introduced a standalone app called Microsoft Recommended Search Settings, designed to push Bing as the default search engine across various web browsers. The roughly 22.2MB installer recommends setting Bing as the search engine, with the option already pre-checked. Upon acceptance, the app installs Microsoft's Bing extension, which can read and modify data on websites, display notifications, and alter browser settings.

Chrome warns that the extension has extensive permissions, including the ability to change browser settings and display notifications. If a user accepts the extension, Bing becomes the default search engine, and the new-tab experience features Microsoft's MSN feed. Chrome even offers to revert the search engine to Google, prompting Microsoft to warn that doing so would disable the Bing extension and prevent access to Bing Search and wallpapers.

The irony is that Microsoft is trying to declutter Windows Search while simultaneously pushing Bing through this dedicated app. While there's nothing inherently wrong with Microsoft promoting Bing, building a separate app to push its search engine into browsers that users have already configured may seem excessive for a problem that doesn't seem urgent.