Change the default Web Browser is now difficult...??

Discussion in 'Windows 11' started by aquarius84, Oct 8, 2021.

  1. aquarius84

    aquarius84 MDL Member

    Oct 3, 2012
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    Back on Windows 7 when you install Google Chrome, or Firefox, a button to "Make this the default browser" was all to make the job.
    On Windows 10 using that button send you to another windows inside the Windows Settings where you can choose the default browser, default audio player, default video player, default mail...

    Now on Windows 11 do I have to SAY TO WINDOWS that every .htm, .html, .... needs to be opened with Chrome instead of Edge??

    Is this the only way??
     
  2. pf100

    pf100 Duct Tape Coder

    Oct 22, 2010
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    Firefox figured it out and when you make it default it handles all of that for you and sets all of the defaults for you. I have no idea why chrome doesn't do that too.
     
  3. pisthai

    pisthai Imperfect Human

    Jul 29, 2009
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    Right-click on the Windows sign in the Windows 11 Menue, click on Settings, click on Apps follow by clicking on Default Apps on the right site.

    If you've Chrome already installed, there should be the Chrome Icon, click on that one to open the Sub. Now you could set Chrome for all different file and link types you want by click on the right site the up-arrow sign and set the default browser for each different type.

    It's much more to do as in Windows 10, just needs to be done one time! That works very well! Hope that does for you what you want!
     
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  4. aquarius84

    aquarius84 MDL Member

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    Thanks BUT that is what i've already done.
    I thought there was a single option to change the default browser, instead of changing every type

    Hope they change this method
     
  5. pisthai

    pisthai Imperfect Human

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    In many cases, Windows 11 is much more complicated than Windows 10! And I don't think that MS will change that!
     
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  6. pf100

    pf100 Duct Tape Coder

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    Somebody needs to make a utility that sets all the defaults for you for a specific program.
    I would but I don't know how.
    Anybody have any idea on who to ask to do this?
     
  7. Tiger-1

    Tiger-1 MDL Guru

    Oct 18, 2014
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    Hello PF100 I have something similar but originally was made to use with Chrome but I used it anyway and it worked on Windows 10 LTSC 2019 and I use Firefox as a standard browser...
     
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  8. pf100

    pf100 Duct Tape Coder

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  9. Tiger-1

    Tiger-1 MDL Guru

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    ok really is a boring and complicated thing to do and this surpasses my knowledge, I feel not to help in some way ;)
     
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  10. kaljukass

    kaljukass MDL Guru

    Nov 26, 2012
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    #10 kaljukass, Oct 8, 2021
    Last edited: Oct 8, 2021
    @aquarius84 @pf100 @Tiger-1
    No problem.
    If you want the browser of your choice to open the web pages you link to (actually the default browser), you only need to change two things in the settings app section where your browser is (such as Google Chrome) and you only need to change the http and https.
    For another browser, do exactly the same according to the options in that browser.
    The only thing that matters is that you make the same changes in both cases, ie for http and https.
    However, if it's too complicated, the registry files, vbs-script and bat/cmd file for Chrome and Firefox are included.
    If you want the browser of your choice to open files such as htm and html, you need to edit them in exactly the same way.
    There's also no need to start making a tool for it, because it's been around for many years, and many of you probably have it - IObit has done it and its name is Default Program
    Good luck.
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  11. Espionage724

    Espionage724 MDL Expert

    Nov 7, 2009
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    I use Firefox and thought it was pretty easy; just select it as the default browser under App settings in UWP settings. I'm not sure there's more to it than that, but I haven't ran into anything that would indicate there is anything else.

    I think the only time I've had something else open a browser window for me was when using Oculus and it wants to do the Facebook sign-in. I do that early on in Windows installs, and this is before I set Firefox as the default browser. A prompt appears asking me what browser to launch the FB sign-in with, and selecting Firefox from there works fine.
     
  12. pf100

    pf100 Duct Tape Coder

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  13. coleoptere2007

    coleoptere2007 MDL Guru

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    I did not face any problems of using Firefox as a default browser in Windows 11
     
  14. pf100

    pf100 Duct Tape Coder

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    I've been saying all through this thread that firefox is the only browser that can do that but apparently no one is listening.
     
  15. Xtreme21

    Xtreme21 MDL Addicted

    Jun 21, 2021
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    As many others have pointed out here - that's because of this.

    Ah that felling that ppl don't bother reading anything (sometimes even just a few posts previous) and just post away! You should see some of the other threads!
     
  16. kaljukass

    kaljukass MDL Guru

    Nov 26, 2012
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    #16 kaljukass, Oct 9, 2021
    Last edited: Oct 9, 2021
    In fact, this could be summed up very shortly - there is made no changes in setting the default browser or another app as the default app or browser. There is not just one button (one button is missing) that does something, but no one knows exactly what.
    Everything is now much clearer and everyone can see exactly what they are doing.
    Personally, I like this/current system much more than the one where only the hell knows what happens when a button is pressed. Simply one button missing and now anyone can see and select what to change. And much more - anyone can change anything one-by-one, exactly what is needed, but not all at once.
    Now You can even set so, that https:// sites are opened with one browser and http:// sites are opened with some other browser etc.
    That's it.

    But in this version of Windows, there is one very important change, which is also one big shortage. And this shortage affects, above all, users who do not have a particularly capable computer, ie the owners of older computers who have little RAM and not a particularly fast and capable processor.
    And this lack is that many apps are launched with Windows and are not closed later. Also, you can not close many apps, they remain in the background. This is a serious problem that needs to be resolved.
    It is not normal that the majority of programs and apps starts with Windows and work all the time in the background, you can close them only on Task Manager or with a special Service Manager.
    This real problem for older and slow computers owners.
     
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  17. Xtreme21

    Xtreme21 MDL Addicted

    Jun 21, 2021
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    This helps with the modern apps: Disable/Enable ALL Modern Apps Background Activity