Microsoft tests opening Mail links with Edge in new Redstone 5 build

Microsoft is testing a feature in the new Redstone 5 build where links in emails from the Mail app always open in Edge. The new build, numbered 17623, also introduces other innovations, such as the image heif format.

Microsoft writes in the announcement that the change for Insiders in the so-called Skip Ahead ring should ensure that users have “the best and most secure experience” with the Edge browser. The wording of the change points out that the feature overrides the Windows 10 default browser setting and all links in the Mail app will open with Edge by default when the user clicks on them.

Because this is a test build and Microsoft asks for feedback, it is not inconceivable that the function will eventually change. In the past, Microsoft has attempted to move users toward the Edge browser before.

The Redstone 5 build is an Insider build for the Windows version to follow the upcoming feature update, known as Redstone 4 or the Spring Creators Update. In the current build, Microsoft introduces several innovations, such as the heif image format, which stands for high efficiency image file format. This uses, for example, the hevc codec.

Another addition concerns the option for safely removing an external GPU, which is connected via Thunderbolt 3. The function makes it clear which applications are still using the GPU and works just like removing a USB device. The privacy menu recently added in Redstone 4 is also reflected in this release.