Changing the default browser controls where Windows opens web links from apps, notifications, and system prompts. Keeping the default consistent prevents links from jumping between browsers and helps ensure the right profiles, extensions, and security settings apply every time a URL is opened.
Windows decides which browser to launch through Default apps associations that map web protocols (HTTP and HTTPS) and HTML file types (.htm and .html) to a specific application. When a link is activated, the operating system resolves the protocol or file type handler and starts the registered browser.
Some Windows 11 builds provide a single Set default button on the chosen browser’s default-apps page, while older builds may require setting protocol and file-type handlers individually. Managed devices can block changes through Group Policy or MDM, and some Microsoft components may still open Microsoft Edge regardless of the selected default.
Steps to change the default browser in Windows:
- Open Settings from the Start menu.
Use Win+I to open Settings directly.
- Select Apps in Settings.
- Select Default apps.
- Type the preferred browser name into the Search apps box.
- Select the preferred browser from the results list.
- Select Set default.
Some builds label this action as Make default.
- Select Switch anyway when a “Before you switch” confirmation prompt appears.
Selecting the suggested browser in this prompt keeps the existing default unchanged.
- Open any web link to confirm it launches in the preferred browser.
In Windows 10, the default browser selector typically appears as Web browser under Settings → Apps → Default apps, with a simple browser picker. In Windows 11, default browser selection is made from the chosen browser entry under Settings → Apps → Default apps, and some builds expose individual protocol and file-type mappings (HTTP, HTTPS, .htm, .html) that may need to be set one by one.
Use the same Default apps page to assign handlers for file types and protocols such as PDF, MAILTO, or media extensions.
Mohd Shakir Zakaria is a cloud architect with deep roots in software development and open-source advocacy. Certified in AWS, Red Hat, VMware, ITIL, and Linux, he specializes in designing and managing robust cloud and on-premises infrastructures.
