Test build Windows 11 removes obstacles to changing default browser

Microsoft is going to make it easier to set a default browser in Windows 11. Now users still have to set that change for the file types and protocols in question, while Windows 10 has a simpler ‘all in 1’ setting.

Currently in Windows 11 it is still very easy to set Edge as the default; for that, a single button press in the browser is enough to flip all the buttons in question. For example, competitor Chrome users have to navigate to the default apps settings and manually toggle the switch for all protocols in question. This must be done, for example, for at least htm, html, http and https. When no default app is set for a file type or protocol, the os asks what it wants to do every time and in that window a default can also be set.

Microsoft implements this policy in Windows 11 to prevent default apps from hijacking. However, Mozilla has reverse engineered it, making it just as easy to switch in Firefox as it is in Edge.

Speaking to The Verge, the makers of Firefox, Vivaldi, Opera, Chrome and Brave all disapproved of the new system when it came to light in August. There, Microsoft explained that it was giving users the ability to control these settings in more detail, based on feedback. The company also stated that further feedback would also be taken into account.

In the new system, which is being tested in Windows 11 Insider Build 22509, a button appears again to set an app as the default browser, such as discovered a developer. That button changes the default app for the essential file types and protocols, which saves a lot of actions.