How to Change the Default Browser in Windows 11

When you click a web link in an email, a PDF, or a Slack message, Windows 11 will automatically open that link in Microsoft Edge. Because Microsoft owns the operating system, they aggressively push Edge as the mandatory gateway to the internet.

If you prefer to use Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Brave, simply downloading and installing the new browser is not enough. You must manually command Windows 11 to strip Microsoft Edge of its special privileges and assign your preferred browser as the true “default.”

Note: When Windows 11 first launched, changing the default browser was a notoriously confusing nightmare that required changing 15 different file types individually. Following immense backlash, Microsoft finally relented and reintroduced a single, one-click button in a recent update.

Step 1: Install Your New Browser

Before you can tell Windows 11 to use Chrome as the default, you must actually have Chrome installed on the computer. Use Microsoft Edge one final time to navigate to the Google Chrome (or Firefox) website, download the installer, and complete the installation process.

Step 2: Change the Settings in Windows 11

Once your new browser is installed, close it. You must make the change from the main Windows operating system settings.

1. On your Windows 11 taskbar, click the Start Menu (the Windows icon).
2. Click the gear icon to open the Settings app.
3. In the left-hand navigation sidebar, click on Apps.
4. In the main window, click on Default apps.
5. You will see a search bar at the very top of the screen that says “Set a default for a file type or link type.” Ignore this search bar.
6. Instead, look at the list of applications below the search bar under the heading “Set defaults for applications.” Scroll down this massive alphabetical list until you find the name of the browser you want to use (e.g., Google Chrome). Click on it.
7. At the very top of the Google Chrome settings page, you will see a banner that says “Make Google Chrome your default browser.”
8. Click the Set default button located on the far right side of that banner.

A small checkmark will briefly appear next to the button. That is the only confirmation you will receive. If you look at the long list of file extensions (.htm, .html, HTTP, HTTPS) below the button, you will see that they have all instantly switched their icons from Microsoft Edge to Google Chrome.

Troubleshooting: The “Set Default” Button is Missing

If you click on Google Chrome in the Settings menu and you do not see the “Make Google Chrome your default browser” banner at the top, it means your computer is running a very old, unpatched version of Windows 11 from 2021.

In this scenario, you must do it the hard way.

1. Look at the list of file types on the screen (.htm, .html, .pdf, HTTP, HTTPS).
2. You will see the Microsoft Edge icon next to most of them.
3. Click on the box for .htm.
4. A pop-up will ask “How do you want to open this?” Select Google Chrome and click OK.
5. You must repeat this manual process for .html, HTTP, and HTTPS.

Once those four core web protocols are manually assigned to Chrome, your computer will respect your choice whenever you click a link in an email.