Microsoft’s latest operating system update restores an option to simply set a default web browser.
In a few months, Microsoft had to turn around several times after making changes in Windows 11 that did not benefit its users more. Among these, the option to configure a default web browser other than Edge had become a real gas factory.
No doubt to discourage you from changing your default browser, Microsoft had completely overhauled the way its settings work to force you to manually select which web browser to use to open each type of link, protocol or web extension.
If hacks had emerged to try to circumvent the operation imposed by Microsoft, they had quickly been blocked by the American company, which had however backtracked in the face of the dissatisfaction expressed by the Windows 11 user community.
Microsoft had then made the decision to return to the original system which allowed to choose a main web browser in one click and had integrated it into a build intended for members of the Insider program.
The stable updated muse has just rolled out via Windows Update, allowing all Windows 11 users to choose Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Vivaldi, Brave or any other web browser they want with just one click. Here’s how.
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1. Update Windows
If you haven’t already, update to Windows 11. To do this, open Settings using the keyboard shortcut Windows + i, then go to Windows Update. If a update is available, the Windows 11 update module should offer it to you. The return of the option to easily set a default web browser is part of the KB5011563 update.
2. Go to Application Settings
Still from the Windows 11 Settings window, select Apps from the sidebar, then navigate to the Default Apps menu.
3. Choose your web browser
In the Default Applications window, scroll through the list of applications until you find your preferred web browser, and select it with one click.
You can also type the name of your web browser directly into the Search apps field to find it faster.
In the new window that opens, click on the Set as default button to select your browser as the main browser on your PC.
Now, all compatible links that require the use of a web browser should open in your chosen web browser, and no longer in Microsoft Edge, which is natively selected by Microsoft.