Opera Sues Microsoft in Brazil, Alleges Anti-Competitive Bundling of Edge with Windows
Ddos 
Norwegian browser developer Opera—now a subsidiary of China’s Kunlun Tech—has recently filed a formal complaint with Brazil’s antitrust authority, CADE, accusing Microsoft of fostering an anti-competitive environment by bundling Microsoft Edge with the Windows operating system.
Opera and Microsoft have long been rivals in the browser arena. As early as 2007, Opera lodged a complaint with the European Commission, challenging Microsoft’s bundling of Internet Explorer with Windows, which ultimately led to a €561 million fine imposed on Microsoft by EU regulators.
In July 2024, Opera took legal action against the European Commission itself, alleging that the Commission had failed to designate Microsoft Edge as a “gatekeeper” under the Digital Markets Act (DMA)—a classification that would have subjected Edge to a series of regulatory obligations aimed at ensuring fair digital competition.
In the latest grievance submitted to Brazil’s CADE, Opera contends that Microsoft’s practice of preinstalling Microsoft Edge as the default browser across Windows devices creates an uneven playing field, preventing competitors from engaging users through product innovation. Rather than earning market share via superior features or user experience, Edge gains a systemic advantage through its baked-in presence.
Opera further accuses Microsoft of actively obstructing fair browser competition on the Windows platform. Unlike Edge, browsers like Opera are excluded from preinstallation privileges. Moreover, Microsoft allegedly attempts to discourage users from downloading alternative browsers—such as displaying warning messages when users try to install Google Chrome via Edge—and has made it intentionally cumbersome to change the default browser, except for Edge itself, which remains easily set as default with a single click.
As for why the complaint was filed in Brazil, Opera holds a notable market share in the country. In the Brazilian browser market, Google Chrome dominates with 75%, followed by Microsoft Edge at 11.52%, and Opera in third place with 6.78%—a comparatively strong presence relative to its global standings.
At the time of writing, neither Microsoft nor the Brazilian antitrust authorities have issued public statements in response to Opera’s filing.
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