Microsoft really hopes Windows 11 will convince more people to use the Edge browser. The company introduced many new features, including sleeping tabs, to make the OS more responsive. But many users still prefer to use third-party browsers instead of Windows 11’s native browser.
If you want to change your default browser in Windows 11, you have some menu digging to do. Finding the option to edit your browser settings is not that obvious.
How to Change Your Default Browser in Windows 11
- Go to Settings, select Apps, and then go to Default Apps.
- Scroll down and select the browser you want to set as your default web browser.
- Then scroll down to the HTTPS section.
- Select this option to instruct the OS to open HTTPS files using your default browser.
- Hit the Switch Anyway button and confirm you want to use that specific browser to open HTTPS files.
When you select the default browser option, Windows also lists all the file types you can open with your default browser. You need to repeat the steps above for HTML, HTM, and other web files that you frequently use.
You read that right; you need to repeat these steps for all the files you want to open with your default browser.
As you can see, Microsoft has made it more difficult for Windows 11 users to change their default browsers. You need to go through a series of additional steps to get the job done. Unfortunately, these steps are pretty counter-intuitive and require a couple of minutes to complete.
Conclusion
To change your default browser on Windows 11, go to Default Apps and select your new browser. Then manually select the file types you want to open with the new browser. Save the settings and restart your computer.
What do you think about the Windows 11 UI? Do you think Microsoft is trying to discourage users from switching to a different browser? Comment down below.