Mozilla Flags Copilot as New Front in Browser Battle in New Report, Says Indian Users Face AI-Driven Browser Lock-In

As AI becomes deeply embedded in desktop operating systems, Mozilla has warned that Microsoft’s AI assistant Copilot is creating a new avenue for browser lock-in, with Indian users among those affected by design choices that prioritise Microsoft’s Edge browser over user preferences.

In its latest report, Over The Edge 2.0, Mozilla argues that Microsoft’s browser strategy has evolved beyond Windows and Edge into the AI era, where Copilot increasingly steers users toward Microsoft’s ecosystem regardless of their chosen default browser.

According to the report, Copilot forces web links to open in an Edge-rendered side panel, even if users have selected another browser such as Firefox or Chrome as their default. Mozilla says this undermines user choice at a time when AI assistants are becoming the primary interface for accessing online information.

The report positions AI-powered assistants as the next battleground for digital competition, warning that browser defaults will increasingly determine how users access AI services and the web.

“Browser defaults increasingly shape how people access information, interact with the web, and encounter emerging AI services. If AI-driven self-preferencing goes unchecked, choices made today could shape the digital landscape for the next decade,” the report states.

Mozilla’s findings come as India explores new digital competition regulations for large technology platforms. The report argues that Microsoft’s behaviour in Europe demonstrates that the company can offer a fairer browser choice experience when required by regulation.

The study compares Windows 10 and Windows 11 experiences across India, the US, the UK and Germany. It found that European users benefit from changes introduced under the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), while users in India continue to experience design patterns that favour Microsoft’s browser.

Beyond Copilot, Mozilla claims that Windows Search and Widgets continue opening links in Edge instead of users’ chosen default browser, Edge still promotes itself on Chrome’s download page, and Windows Backup does not consistently preserve browser preferences during upgrades.

For India, Mozilla says the issue carries additional weight. The country remains one of Microsoft’s largest Windows markets, with 43% of Windows users still running Windows 10 as of the first quarter of 2026, making browser preference retention during migration especially significant.

Kush Amlani, Global Competition and Regulatory Lead at Mozilla, said Microsoft’s conduct differs depending on regulatory oversight.

“Microsoft has shown that it can respect user choice. When regulators are watching, they make some changes. We would ask them to do it globally, rather than relying on competition regulation to force their hand,” Amlani states.

Mozilla argues that as AI assistants become the default gateway to search, productivity and web services, ensuring users can freely choose their preferred browser is no longer just a browser issue but an AI competition issue.

The company is urging Microsoft to extend the browser choice mechanisms already implemented in Europe to all markets, including India, rather than limiting them to jurisdictions where regulation mandates such changes.