How to set Chrome as default browser on Windows 11

Windows 11 makes it more difficult to change the default browser, but it's not impossible – here's what you need to do.

Avatar for Mauro Huculak
@Pureinfotech
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Windows 11 Chrome default browser
Windows 11 Chrome default browser
  • To make Chrome the default browser on Windows 11, open Settings > Apps > Default apps, select “Google Chrome,” and click on “Set default.” 

On Windows 11, Microsoft Edge is the default browser experience to navigate the internet, open web links, and view PDF files. However, you can change it and make the system default to Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Brave, Opera, or any other browser.

In the operating system’s original release, Microsoft was more aggressive in keeping you from making another browser the default. However, after many complaints, the company reverted the changes and rolled out a new option in the “Default apps” settings page that makes it easier to ditch Microsoft Edge as your default browser.

When you use the option, the system makes the new browser (such as Chrome) the default for “.htm,” “.html,” “HTTP,” and “HTTPS,” which are the primary protocols to access the web. However, it’s not perfect since Microsoft Edge will continue to be the default for other protocols, including “.pdf,” “.svg,” “.xhtml,” and “FTP.”

This guide will teach you the steps to change the default browser on Windows 11.

Change default browser on Windows 11 to Chrome

To make Google Chrome the default browser on Windows 11, use these steps:

  1. Open Settings on Windows 11.

  2. Click on Apps.

  3. Click the Default apps page from the left side.

  4. Select Google Chrome to make the new default browser on Windows 11.

    Choose web browser

  5. Click the Set default button.

    Change default browser

  6. (Optional) Click the “.pdf” protocol and select the Switch anyway option to make your preferred browser the new default.

  7. Click the OK button.

Once you complete the steps, Google Chrome (or the browser of your choice) will become the new default on Windows 11. However, it won’t be the default for everything since web results using Windows Search and Widgets dashboard (and Outlook) links will continue to open with Microsoft Edge using Bing.

Although this guide is specific to Chrome, the same instructions will work for any web browser, including Firefox, Opera, Safari, Brave, etc.

If you install Firefox outside the Microsoft Store, the app will prompt you to make it the new default. When you click the button to switch, the action will set Firefox as the new default for “.HTM,” “.HTML,” “HTTP,” and “HTTPS” file types. However, if you install the browser from the Microsoft Store, you won’t get the option.

About the author
Avatar for Mauro Huculak

Mauro Huculak is a Windows expert and the Editor-in-Chief who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He is also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 12 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows, software, and related technologies, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me.