We will explain how to change the default browser in Windows 11 , because many users do not get used to the Microsoft Edge that comes by default, and prefer to switch to another browser such as Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox.
Unfortunately, one of the downsides to not upgrading to Windows 11 is managing the default browser. Changing the one that comes pre-installed is more complicated than in Windows 10 , and it is most likely a premeditated decision on the part of the company.
After installing Windows 11 we will want to change certain settings to our liking, and the browser or Internet explorer is one of those that is usually resisted. We are going to know the two simplest possibilities:
Change default browser when installing a new one
Unfortunately, Windows 11 makes it difficult to change the system’s default browser, one of Microsoft’s many “dirty tricks” to try and popularize its own alternative. The easiest thing is to use the new browser window to make the change with a simple click, following these steps:
- First we have to obtain the alternative browser that interests us , for example, we have explained how to download and install Google Chrome , we also have a tutorial to download and install Mozilla Firefox , among other options that include Opera, Vivaldi or Brave.
- We will open the new browser that we want to use by default in Windows 11 so that it performs the configuration automatically, in Chrome we will press the “Choose as default” button that appears under the address bar:
- If we need to do it after discarding the warning, we must go to this path within Google Chrome:
Menu (three dots icon) -> Settings -> Default browser -> Choose as default
- In the case of Mozilla Firefox we choose “Set as default browser” in the pop-up window that appears when we open it:
- Later it can be changed from the following path within Firefox:
Menu (three bars icon) -> Settings -> General -> Make default
- We will have to open Microsoft Edge and choose that we do not want it to be the default , to avoid problems in the future (or simply not to open it again).
Change the browser in Windows 11 from Settings
Although Windows 10 was already very insistent that we keep Edge, or make it default again if it was not, at least changing the default browser from the settings was easy.
In Windows 11 we will have to follow the cumbersome process of changing one by one the extensions that our favorite browser opens by default , which can also be somewhat intimidating to those who are not technology experts.
However, it is simple to follow these steps, and the risk of damaging the operating system if we make a mistake exists, but it is very low. These are the instructions:
- We start from having installed the browser that interests us that is the default , it does not matter that we opt for Chrome, Firefox or another less known.
- We go to the Settings app (a gear icon) that we will probably have anchored in the Start menu or the taskbar, otherwise we will open the “All applications” drop-down from the Start menu and we will look for it in the list.
- From the side bar we choose “Applications” and then on the right we enter the “Default applications” section :
- Next, we look for the browser we want to use in the list , and we will find that its extensions are associated with Edge by default:
- We have to change one by one the extensions that the browser opens, in principle these four are necessary:
.htm, .html, .HTTP and .HTTPS
- Regarding PDF , it depends on the program that we prefer to use, currently they are usually opened with web browsers, but there are many alternatives.
- When clicking on each extension a window encourages us to continue with Edge, we have to click on “Change anyway” , then choose the browser we want to use from the list and, finally, click on “OK” :
- With this we will have finished, we must be careful to deny Edge that it is the default browser if we open it in the future , otherwise we would have to change the extensions again.
Some elements of the system are problematic, for example, clicking on a link in the Windows 11 widget panel (such as the news) will continue to use Edge, without a suitable solution for now.
It would be desirable for Microsoft to fix the default browser selection in Windows 11 in the future , and users are already lobbying the company, but for now these are the easiest methods to change the default settings.
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