Earlier this month, Microsoft released new preview updates with changes to make its operating systems compliant with European Union regulations. Those changes include the ability to uninstall Edge, decouple the OS from Bing, turn on third-party news feeds in Widgets, and more. Sadly, only EU citizens can enjoy those changes without messing with their PCs" software intestines. Other people must tweak Windows Registry to spoof their location, which can lead to unnecessary complications.
Luckily, there is a much simpler method that does not require editing the registry or faking your location. As it turned out (via Deskmodder), Windows manages new region policies using a JSON file inside the system32 folder. Modifying that file allows force-enabling specific features in unsupported regions. Here is how to do it.
- Ensure you are on Windows 10 build 19045.3757 or Windows 11 build 22621/31.2787 or higher. As of November 22, 2023, those updates are only available to Windows Insiders in the Release Preview Channel, but you can expect them soon in the Stable Channel.
- Download ViVeTool from GitHub. You need this app to enable a hidden feature currently rolling out to Insiders. Extract the app in any folder you like.
- Open Command Prompt as Administrator and navigate to the ViVeTool folder using the CD command. Here is an example: CD C:\vive.
- Type vivetool /enable /id:44353396 and press Enter.
- Restart your computer.
- Open File Explorer and go to C:\Windows\system32. Find the IntegratedServicesRegionPolicySet file, right-click it, and select Properties.
- You need to take ownership of the file: go to the Security tab and click Advanced.
- Click Change next to Owner.
- Type Administrators in the "Enter the object name to select" box, then click Check names.
- Save the changes and return to the Properties window.
- Click Edit, select Administrators, and place a checkmark next to Full Control under Allow.
- Save the changes, then copy the file to another folder as a backup.
- Open Notepad as Administrator: press Win + R, type notepad, and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter.
- Find the setting you want to enable. The option to uninstall Edge is first in the list.
- Change defaultState from disabled to enabled (or vice versa).
- Press Win + R and type regedit.
- Go to Computer\HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\International\Geo and check the Name value date. You need to add that value to the list of supported countries in the JSON file.
- Return to Notepad and add your country name to the list of supported regions as specified in Registry Editor.
- Save the changes and restart your computer.
You can now uninstall Edge or apply other EU-exclusive changes, even if you live in the United States or another country. Tip: repair Edge in the Control Panel if you see the uninstall button in the context menu, but the same button is grayed out in the Settings app. After that, Windows should let you delete the browser. In addition, the change should persist when installing updates or running "health-restoring" commands (DISM).