How to Change Browsers in Windows 11, Even If They Don’t Want To
Windows 11 brings an exciting UI update to the platform with a centered taskbar, windows with rounded corners, and just an overall minimalist design that makes this OS look like it belongs in 2021. However, this is not all good news. As it turns out, Microsoft is making it more and more difficult to choose its own browser by pushing for Edge as the default. In short, it’s just a mess.
What happens to browser selection in Windows 11?
When you open a link for the first time after downloading a third-party browser in Windows 11, you will see a pop-up asking how you want to open that link (that is, which browser you want to use). Since you also see a pop-up in Windows 10, you might think the process works the same way: you select the browser you want and click OK .
Unfortunately, there is one significant difference: if you remember to click the easy-to-skip ” Always use this app ” option, every subsequent link will open in Microsoft Edge . You will never see this popup again, even if you try to use a third-party browser exclusively. So what gives?
Microsoft is not completely against the competition, as there is still a way to set, say, Google Chrome as your default web browser … but it’s not easy. There should be a simple option to say “Windows, please always open my files in Google Chrome”, but instead, in this example, you will need to set Chrome as the default for every single file type like HTM, HTML, PDF, SHTML, SVG, WEBP, XHT, XHTML, FTP, HTTP and HTTPS.
This is how it is now done in Windows 11. Instead of seeing this pop-up window, most web browsers will prompt you to open the Default Apps section of Settings , where you will need to choose which web browser you want to use for each the listed file types (by default, of course, Microsoft Edge). To get to this settings page yourself, just go to Settings> Apps> Default Apps .
Verge tested Firefox, Chrome, Opera, Vivaldi and Brave with this new “system”, and only Firefox was able to automatically change all of these settings without having to ask you to do it for them. In the same post, The Verge highlights the concerns of various web browser vendors such as Mozilla, Vivaldi and Opera about where Microsoft is taking user choices.
It’s a shame because Edge – despite its reputation – is a really good browser . I guess Microsoft thinks that the only way to convince you of this fact is to get you to use it. This is one way to attract users, but it definitely feels like predatory.