- Windows 11 includes a new option to change the default browser quickly.
- The “Set default” button is available starting with build 22509 in the Dev Channel.
- The option will make it easier for users to make Chrome, Firefox, and other browsers their system default.
- It’s unclear when the option will be available to everyone.
Microsoft is testing a new option on Windows 11 to make Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Brave, Opera, and other browsers the default browsing experience much more straightforward. Although on Windows 10 , users were able to change their default browser with a few clicks easily, on Windows 11, the company made it harder to switch default browsers and ignored the user’s preference in many areas of the experience.
However, it appears that this is about to change in future updates. Starting with the Insider preview build 22509 of the active development of Windows 11, the “Default apps” settings page now includes a new “Set default” option to switch from Microsoft Edge to any other browser with one click.
When you use the option, the system makes the new browser the default for .htm, .html, HTTP, and HTTPS, which are the primary protocols to access the web. However, it’s not perfect since Microsoft Edge will continue to be the default for other protocols, including .pdf, .svg, .xhtml, and FTP.
Windows 11 set default browser button
While adding the option to make it easier to switch the default browser is good news, Microsoft is using other tactics to try and prevent users from switching browsers. For example, Neowin reported that the company is showing a prompt when users open the Chrome download page to discourage users from downloading and installing another browser and luring them to continue using Microsoft Edge .
The messages will appear for Windows 11 users and those who run Windows 10, and these are not simple prompts. This is a feature built into the browser itself, which is different from the messages that Google shows that usually appear when browsing one of their pages.
Although on paper it looks like a convenient feature, it’s not something that everyone wants since getting into borrowing money services is risky and could eventually be problematic whether you pay on time or not. In addition to this problem, it’s an unnecessary feature that only adds more bloat to Microsoft Edge.
