Default browser in Windows 10

The Windows operating system has a default browser: Microsoft Edge, Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Yandex Browser, Mozilla Firefox, Opera, or another less common one that serves as a browser program that accesses the Internet. In Windows, the default browser is initially installed in the operating system, this role is played by built-in applications: Microsoft Edge or Internet Explorer.

The Windows operating system must have a built-in browser, otherwise the user will not be able to enter the worldwide network to surf the sites, or to obtain additional software that needs to be installed on the computer. The OS, once installed on a PC, has only the most necessary built-in applications that you can use.

Among such built-in software there is a browser, because you cannot do without this program. For example, it will not be possible to directly install another browser into the system, because it must first be downloaded from the Internet.

If only one browser is installed on the system, then it is the default browser on this computer. Many users install browsers on their PCs that are made by third parties not affiliated with Microsoft.

In this case, one of the Internet browsers installed in Windows must be the default browser. The user can use any installed browser to solve his problems.

The default browser opens links, web documents, and sites opened by the user in other applications. If you click on the link not in the browser, but in any other program, then the transition to the site page occurs in the default browser.

You can choose any of those installed on your computer as the default browser. How to make default browser?

In previous versions of Windows, this was done quite simply: each browser periodically offered itself as the default program, the user only had to click on the appropriate button. In the second option, you must select the appropriate options in the browser settings.

Now it’s not always possible to make the default Windows 10 browser using the old methods, because the operating system settings have changed, which affected the choice of programs to open certain files.

In this guide, you will find instructions on how to change the default browser in the Windows 10 operating system for registered programs, or for portable applications that do not require installation on a computer.

How to make the default browser in Windows 10 – 1 way

In order to change the default browser of Windows 10, you need to change the settings of the operating system.

How to choose a default browser? Use the browser that is most suitable for the tasks at hand and that is most convenient to use.

Go through the following steps:

1. Enter the start menu.
2. Launch the Settings app.
3. In the Windows Settings window, click on Applications.
4. Open the Default Apps tab.
5. In the “Default Apps” section, scroll the scroll wheel to the “Web Browser” option.
6. Click on the browser icon that is currently the default browser on the operating system.
7. In the “Select an application” window that opens, left-click on the appropriate browser from among those installed on this computer.

As a result of changing settings, Windows 10 has a new default browser.

You can change this setting at any time by selecting a different browser from the available ones.

If you did something wrong during the process of selecting default applications, click on the “Reset” button in the “Reset to Microsoft-recommended defaults” option to correct the incorrect settings.

How to set the default browser in Windows 10

In addition to performing standard operations on web pages, browsers can open different file formats: various types of documents, images, video and audio. Some files may not open in the default browser, but in another web browser that supports opening these file types.

For example, on a PC, the default browser is Microsoft Edge, and Google Chrome is used to open some types of files, Internet Explorer for others, and Yandex Browser for others (to open FB2 e-books).

These settings change, just keep in mind that not all browsers support the same file formats.

To change the file associations supported by a particular browser, do the following:

1. In the “Default apps” section, click on the “Set defaults by app” link.
2. In the Set Defaults by Application window, click the icon for the browser whose settings you want to change.
3. A “Manage” button will appear, which you need to click on.

In the options window of the selected browser, in the “File type and protocol associations” option, the format extensions and default applications for opening these files are indicated.

4. Left-click on the default application for the file type you want to change the association for.
5. In the “Choose an application” window, click on the browser with which you will need to open files of this type on your computer.

Check the changes you made: open the file, document, or protocol whose extension you have associated with this browser to make sure that this program supports working with this format, protocol, or document.

In addition, you can change the default applications for file types and protocols separately using the “Select default applications for file types” and “Select default applications for protocols” links. All file extensions and protocols registered in the Windows operating system are available in these settings.

How to make the default browser Windows 10 – 2 way

In a similar way, you can set the default browser for Windows 10 through the Control Panel.

Do the following:

1. Open the “Control Panel” on your computer.
2. In the Customize Computer Settings window (view type – small icons), select Default Programs.
3. In the “Select Windows default programs” window, click on “Set default programs”.
4. The Settings app will open the Default Apps window where you select Web Browser and then set your preferences.
5. All further actions are already described in the first method.

How to change the default browser during installation – method 3

Now let’s see how to change the default browser in Windows during the installation of the program on a computer. Some browsers may immediately designate themselves as the default application during installation.

In the installer window there is a checkbox “Make the default browser”.

For other browsers, the system will require confirmation of this setting.

How to set the default browser for the portable version

Some users use portable versions of browsers. In the operating system, portable applications cannot be associated with protocols starting with Windows 8.

Therefore, the question naturally arises of how to set the default browser if you need to use the portable version of the program that does not require installation on your computer as the default browser.

Let’s see how to change the default browser to Windows for the portable version of the application.

In the examples in this article, portable browsers are located in the Portable folder on the local C: drive. These programs may have a different location on your PC.

To add Google Chrome Portable to the list of default browsers, follow these steps:

1. Download the ready-made VBScript in the archive , which makes the necessary changes to the OS registry.
2. Extract the file from the ZIP archive.
3. Place the “ChromePortable” script in the folder with the portable version of the browser.
4. Run the script on the computer, in the “Chrome Portable Registration” window, the word “REGISTER” has already been entered in the field, click on the “OK” button.
5. The PC will automatically launch a window for selecting default program settings.
6. Select the Google Chrome Portable browser to use as the default.

Now external links from files or documents will open in Google Chrome Portable.

If you need to remove the portable browser from the list of programs, do the following:

1. Run the VBS script.
2. Enter the expression “UNREGISTER” in the field.
3. Click on the “OK” button.

In Mozilla Firefox Portable , follow the steps:

1. Download the registerfp_1_1.zip archive .
2. Unzip the archive on your computer.
3. Run the “RegisterFirefoxPortable.exe” file.
4. In the application window, in the “Path to Firefox Portable” field, paste the path to the “FirefoxPortable.exe” executable file on your computer.
5. Click on the “Register” button.
6. A window will open with a message that the application has been added to the list of default browsers.
7. Close the RegisterFirefoxPortable utility window.
8. Enter the application settings to set the portable browser as the default Internet browser.

To remove the Firefox Portable browser from the application selection options, do the opposite:

1. Open the “RegisterFirefoxPortable” application.
2. In the program window, enter the path to the executable file.
3. Click on the “Unregister” button.

In the Opera Portable browser , use the solution that Christoph Kolbicz came up with:

1. Download the finished registry file opera_portable.reg in a ZIP archive .
2. Right-click on the file, in the context menu, click on the “Merge” item.
3. Confirm your action in the warning window.
4. Set the Opera Portable browser as the default application.

Pay attention to some of the nuances of the contents of this file. This registry file contains several times the path to the executable file of the following form:

C:\Portable\Opera70.0.3728.154\opera.exe

If your computer uses other options: drive, browser folder location, or version number, change the drive letter and point to the correct path in this file. The registry file can be opened for editing in the Notepad application or in the free Notepad++ program.

Article Conclusions

Sometimes, users are interested in how to set the default browser in order to use another program to access the Internet. In Windows 10, you can select the desired application in the operating system settings. With the help of third-party software, it is possible to set the portable version of the Internet browser as the default browser: Google Chrome Portable, Mozilla Firefox Portable, Opera Portable.