Microsoft has released a standalone Windows 11 application that installs a Bing browser extension in Chrome, Firefox, and Brave, then nudges you to make Bing your default search engine. The tool, officially named Microsoft Recommended Search Settings, is distributed as a 22.2 MB installer called MicrosoftSettings.exe and sits on Microsoft’s download servers rather than rolling out through Windows Update or the Microsoft Store.
According to Windows Insider tester Xeno Panther, who published a test report on August 22, 2026, the installer’s setup screen ships with the “switch to Bing” option pre-toggled to Yes. Microsoft calls the tool optional and says explicit consent is required at multiple stages, but researchers say its design mirrors browser-hijacking patterns.
How the Microsoft Recommended Search Settings tool works
Once you accept the pre-toggled setting, the Microsoft Bing Homepage and Search extension—published by Microsoft itself—installs into whichever browser the installer detects. The setup flow then opens a Microsoft Rewards offer page to encourage you to stay.
Edge is deliberately left out of the rollout, since it already runs Bing as its default search engine.
The extension itself carries a four-star rating from roughly 110 reviews and lists about 5 million users. When installing through Chrome or Brave, the stores flag the extension’s permissions: it can read and modify data on all your websites, push notifications, and take control of your home page, start page, and search settings.
Perhaps the most striking detail is what happens when you try to walk back. If you agree to the change and then attempt to switch back to Google via Chrome’s own prompt, the Bing extension surfaces a message asking you to keep it. That message warns that reverting will turn off the Bing wallpapers and search.
Researchers comparing the installer’s sequence—an unrequested extension tied to a default-search change, followed by a redirect to a rewards page—say it matches the signature behavior of browser-hijacking programs. The app does carry Microsoft’s own code-signing certificate and does demand click-through consent screens, which separates it from the shicier adware that shares its pattern.
How to remove the Bing extension and restore your search settings
If you already installed the extension, you can undo the change in a few steps.
- In Chrome, Firefox, or Brave, go to the extension management page and uninstall the Microsoft Bing Homepage & Search extension.
- Set your preferred search engine again in the browser’s settings.
- IT administrators managing Windows 11 fleets should check whether MicrosoftSettings.exe has appeared in the environment, and confirm that your existing group policies still block the installation of unauthorized browser extensions.
For IT admins, the practical step is different. In practice, this means the tool lands on individual machines rather than pushing through your management layer—so if your GPO restrictions are intact, the installer may simply stall. Verify that MicrosoftSettings.exe hasn’t landed on managed machines, and test that your extension-installation restrictions still hold.
The broader context: Microsoft’s Bing push and Windows 10 sunset
This tool continues a long-standing pattern of Windows-level prompts encouraging Bing and Edge. Back in 2021, Microsoft made it harder for users to open links in browsers other than Edge, and this installer fits the same playbook.
It also arrives during a period when Microsoft is trimming updates for Windows 10. Microsoft 365 feature updates for the older OS will stop after version 2608, and OneDrive’s desktop client will keep receiving new features only on Windows 10 version 22H2.
Microsoft has already faced pressure from EU regulators over bundling its own services with mandatory upgrades—especially under the Digital Markets Act, where it structured free Windows 10 security updates for the region. In that case, the company ultimately delivered the updates without making Microsoft Rewards enrollment a requirement.
What this means for you
For most home users, the takeaway is straightforward: the tool is opt-in. Microsoft says anyone who declines will see no changes to their settings, and because it distributes from download servers rather than Windows Update, it won’t silently roll out across a fleet.
But the friction is real. If you’re a Chrome or Brave user, you’ll likely encounter the pre-toggled screen and the extension’s gentle persuasion when you try to go back to Google. Whether that crosses the line from “gentle nudge” to “soft hijack” is exactly the debate researchers are raising.
The numbers behind the push matter too. According to StatCounter’s July 2026 data, Bing holds about 4.5% of the global search-engine market versus Google’s roughly 91%. Bing has leaned on OpenAI’s GPT-4-powered features since 2023 to close the gap, and tools like Recommended Search Settings are part of that competitive strategy.
How to get it (and how to avoid it)
The tool isn’t yet pushed automatically, so the onus is on you. If you want to keep Bing installed, simply leave the pre-toggled setting as Yes. If you want to avoid it, close the installer before accepting, or remove the extension and reset your search engine afterward using the steps above.
IT admins should treat this as a monitoring item: verify that MicrosoftSettings.exe hasn’t landed on managed machines, and test that your extension-installation restrictions still hold.
Source: Windows News: Updates, Security Patches, Microsoft OS Changes – gHacks
Build details:
- 26H2
Over to you: If you’ve seen the MicrosoftSettings.exe installer, would you leave the pre-toggled Bing option as Yes, or close it out before it changes anything?
