Setting a default web browser was never a big issue until Windows 10 introduced Microsoft’s Edge browser. Microsoft made it more challenging on Windows 10 to switch default programs, including the default browser.
Users who wish to set any other browser apart from Microsoft Edge as the default system browser on Windows 10 must do it manually. Microsoft claims this is for security reasons, but it also significantly promotes its Edge browser.
If a Chrome user wants to set the browser as the default on Windows 10, they need to navigate to the option in the Settings. By clicking, they can access the Default apps section of the Settings app. From there, they should locate the Web Browser entry, click on it, and choose Chrome as the new default browser. All browsers except Microsoft Edge can be set as the default by following these steps.
Setting Edge as the default system browser requires a simple click on the “make default” button in the Settings menu.
The upcoming Windows 11 operating system from Microsoft makes this task even more challenging, as common application types have been removed from the settings. While all browsers, excluding Edge, can still access the default apps Settings page in Windows 11, users can no longer quickly set a new default browser by clicking on Web browser. This option has been removed.
Now, users must select the browser, such as Brave, and manually set it as the default for each supported file type and link type. This results in additional work for the user, unless Edge is the preferred default browser, as setting it requires just a click in the browser’s settings.
Microsoft says it aimed to provide users with more detailed control, but it hasn’t explained why it removed the option for setting a program as the default for all supported file types and link types.
Mozilla Offers a Solution
It is evident that browser developers, except for Microsoft, are not pleased with the modifications introduced in Windows 10 and Windows 11. Microsoft is favoring its Edge browser over its competitors.
Users who install Firefox 91 on Windows 11 and designate it as the default system browser will notice that they do not encounter the same challenges. Firefox is set as the system browser just as quickly as Edge in that version.
Mozilla has replicated the functionality Microsoft exclusively reserved for its Edge browser, allowing Firefox users to set the browser as the default as effortlessly as Edge users can.
Other browser developers may follow suit to ensure their users have the same ease in setting the default browser.
It’s only a matter of time before Microsoft potentially makes adjustments to the operating system to complicate things again.
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