The beauty of the Windows 11/10 operating system is that you’re spoiled for choice regarding app selection. For every action, protocol, or file type, you have many apps that can handle it. Windows 10 wants you to use Edge as the default web browser.
However, you may prefer to use a different browser, such as Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. The good thing is that you can pick any browser as the default browser. Unfortunately, the Windows system tends to reset your choice browser back to Edge randomly for some users. If you’re experiencing this issue, here’s how to fix it.
What to do if Windows keeps changing your default browser
In troubleshooting this issue, we’ll first make sure that you set the default browser correctly. After that, we’ll go through ways to change the default browser permanently. We’ll go through the following solutions:
- How to set your default web browser.
- Set default app by protocol and app.
- Update the relevant applications.
- Use this free tool.
Continue reading for the full steps:
1] How to set your default web browser
When you say Windows keeps changing your default browser to Edge, I assume you’ve already set a different browser as the default. I added this solution for users who might’ve been setting the default browser wrongly.
It could be that Windows isn’t resetting your default browser to Edge, but you’ve just not chosen the default browser correctly. Before we proceed to more troubleshooting methods, let’s first go over the process of selecting a default program.
First, note that the first time you open the browser you want to use, it may ask if you wish to set it as your default browser. Allow this action, and make sure to mark the Don’t ask me again checkbox.
Here’s how to change your default browser in Windows 10.
- Open Settings by pressing the Windows key + I combination.
- In Settings, click on Apps.
- Select the Default apps option on the left pane and scroll to the Web browser section.
- Click or tap on the application shown there and select the browser you want to set as your default option.
This post will show you how to Change the Default Browser in Windows 11.
If you’ve done this, but the system continues to reset the default browser to Edge, continue to the next methods.
2] Set default app by protocol and app
If Windows always resets your default browser, setting the default in many more ways helps reinforce your choice and fix the issue.
Having chosen the default browser in the first solution above, we’ll also choose this browser as the default app for handling specific protocols and applications.
Return to Windows Settings using Windows + I and go to Apps > Default apps. Here, scroll down the page till you see the following links:
- Choose default apps by file type.
- Choose default apps by protocol.
- Set defaults by app.
Choose default browser by protocol
We don’t need the Choose default apps by file type option for this solution. So, we’ll begin with the Choose default apps by protocol option.
Click on the link to continue. Scroll down the page and look for HTTP. Click on the application next to the HTTP option and pick your preferred browser. After this, find HTTPS (should be right under HTTP) and select a browser for the HTTPS protocol.
Set default browser by the app
Return to the previous Default apps screen, scroll down to the bottom of the page, and select the Set defaults by app option. Click on the browser you want to set, and hit the Manage button that the click reveals.
On the next screen, find the following extensions and protocols: .htm, .HTML, .shtml, .svg, .webp, .xht, .xhtml, HTTP, and HTTPS. Next, click on the app next to each of them, and choose your default browser.
3] Update the relevant applications
This sounds like a no-brainer, but it’s tricky. According to Microsoft, your system resets the default browser and app associations if the one you picked is incompatible with the apps and the computer.
This phenomenon also occurs in other apps. For example, earlier editions of Adobe Acrobat Reader may not handle newer PDFs. If you choose the old Adobe Reader and then attempt to open a new PDF, Windows will reset the default app to Edge.
So update the browser and see.
4] Use this free tool
To prevent Windows from resetting your choice of the default browser, ensure that your apps are compatible with the browser of your choice. If you experience Windows changing your default apps and not only the browser, you can fix it using freeware Stop Resetting My Apps.
All the best.
This post will help you if you can’t set Chrome as the Default Browser in Windows 11.
