• Opera files a complaint in Brazil, saying Microsoft uses design tricks to steer users to Edge.
• Also claims tactics make switching to other browsers harder.

Opera has filed a competition complaint in Brazil, accusing Microsoft of using design tricks and system defaults in Windows to push people toward its own browser, Microsoft Edge.

As reported by The Verge, the complaint was filed with Brazil’s competition authority and argues Microsoft is making it harder for users to choose alternative browsers like Opera. “Microsoft thwarts browser competition on Windows at every turn,” said Aaron McParlan, general counsel at Opera. “First, browsers like Opera are locked out of important preinstallation opportunities. And then Microsoft frustrates users’ ability to download and use alternative browsers.”

Opera says Microsoft bypasses users’ default browser settings by opening certain links – like PDFs, emails, or search results – in Edge, even when users have picked another browser as their default. The company also points to popups and messages that appear when people try to download another browser through Edge, describing them as aggressive and misleading.

Opera chose to file in Brazil because it’s one of the company’s biggest markets. According to McParlan, “Opera is already a major success in Brazil: it is the third most popular browser in Brazil and has millions of loyal users […] who actively choose it, despite Microsoft’s tactics.” He added that the practices cited in the complaint are not unique to Brazil but used globally.

If the case succeeds, Opera wants Microsoft to stop blocking or interfering with browser downloads, allow PC makers to preload other browsers by default, and stop using what it calls “dark patterns” to push Edge. The company also highlighted a separate issue: Microsoft’s requirement for PC manufacturers to ship “S mode” devices to receive rebates on Windows licences. Opera argues this creates more barriers for alternative browsers.

The complaint follows earlier efforts by Opera to challenge Microsoft’s behaviour. Last year, the company tried and failed to get Edge labelled as a “gatekeeper” under the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), which would have triggered stricter rules. While Microsoft avoided that designation, it still had to make changes to how it promotes Edge in Europe. That included toning down prompts that encouraged users to switch browsers.

“We believe that Microsoft’s conduct, including the changes that it has announced in Europe, are insufficient to attain effective compliance with the DMA,” McParlan said. Opera has appealed the EU’s decision to exclude Edge from the gatekeeper list and says this is part of its broader push for more open competition worldwide.

Microsoft has used various tactics in the past to promote Edge. Earlier this year, it showed Bing users a spoofed version of Google’s search page – complete with a lookalike search bar, Doodle-style image, and layout mimicking Google. The company took it down after it got negative attention.

Opera also has history with this kind of fight. It filed a complaint against Microsoft in 2007 that led to the creation of the browser ballot screen in Windows, giving users the choice to install different browsers. Microsoft was later fined $730 million in 2013 for failing to include that screen in a Windows 7 update.

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