Although you can use multiple browsers simultaneously on your computer, Windows defaults to the browser that opens when you click links in your mail and documents. And, often, this browser does not meet your preferences. There are many different solutions to this issue. Of course, it’s best to contact a specialist and eliminate all the programs you need and change your browser. But if you do decide to do it all yourself, here are some simple steps to changing your default browser.
Open the Start menu and select Control Panel.
Select Programs
If the “Programs” item is missing, in the View option select “Categories”
After a short wait, the list of installed programs will load. Select your desired browser and click on “Set this program as default.” And you can always download the computer programs you need on the website where the most popular programs are collected. Thus, you will reduce search time and ensure the safety of your computer from harmful viruses.
A browser is a program responsible for viewing Internet pages. Initially, the default browser selected in the system is Internet Explorer, which is installed automatically during OS installation. But, as you know, every PC user has his own preferences and tastes, not always choosing the “native” browser from Microsoft. This article will discuss how to change the default browser in different ways - both through the application itself and through tools built into the OS.
But first, let's figure out what it is - the default browser. In simple terms, this is an application that automatically opens all launched Web pages. And it doesn’t matter whether this is an Internet page in a browser or an html file, etc.
There may be many options, but the essence is the same - all these documents are launched in the same default browser. Of course, anyone can change the default browser and select any other application, which will be used by default. Let's look at replacement options in more detail.
How to change the default browser in Windows 7
This option provides for replacement without the use of third-party applications. But where to change the default browser? To do this, you should perform the following sequence of actions:
- Open “Control Panel”;
- Select “Default Programs”;
- Open “Set default programs”;
- Indicate the program you want to use as default in the list on the left;
- Click “Set this program as default”;
That's all, the browser you specified will be used by default when opening Web pages.
Selecting the default browser using the browsers themselves:
The method discussed above is far from the only one. Browser replacement can be done directly in the application itself. Let's look at replacement methods using the following programs as an example:
- Google Chrome;
- Opera;
- Internet Explorer;
- Mozilla Firefox;
Google Chrome procedure:
- Launch Chrome;
- Open "Configuration and management" three bars in the upper right corner of the upper corner of the program window;
- Go to the “Settings” tab;
- Scroll down and click on the button "Set Google Chrome as default browser"
- Restart the program - Chrome will automatically be used to open all launched web pages;
Opera
You need to launch Opera and open the Main Menu, which contains all the settings and control of the program. You can do this using the following tools:
- Menu (Opera icon at top left)— Settings — Browser — Default browser
Internet Explorer
Initially, it is the program that is presented by default for working on the Internet. Even if changes were made after this and a different application was specified, the situation can easily be changed. To do this, you just need to follow a few fairly simple steps.
So, you need:
- Launch IE and activate the menu bar - using the Alt button on the keyboard
- Choose " Tools - Internet Options"
- Go to the "Programs" tab
- Click on the “ Use as default »
- Check the box “Notify if Internet Explorer is not the default” - Click «
Apply »
or "Ok »
from below
Mozilla Firefox
- Execute the sequence of commands: Tools - Settings - Advanced - go to the General tab;
- At the bottom, check the box “Always check at startup if Firefox is the default browser”;
- Restart Firefox;
- When launched, a dialog box will appear asking you to select Mozilla Firefox as the default browser used to open web pages;
That's probably all. We looked at the options for choosing the desired browser as the default application used to surf the Internet. We hope that the information presented in this article will help you make your work easier and more comfortable.
A few words for those who don’t know what a browser is. This is the name given to the program that opens the Internet. That is, now you are reading this text in a similar program - in a browser.
Here are the most popular ones:
You use one too. But most often there is not one such program on the computer, but several. This is where the concept of default browser.
I'll explain with an example. Let's say my favorite browser is Opera. I’m used to opening the Internet in it and I’m not going to change anything. But every now and then the computer tries to slip me another program - Internet Explorer.
For example, I read a book on a computer that contains a link to a page on the Internet. I click on it, and for some reason the site starts opening not in my favorite Opera program, but in another browser.
Or I made a shortcut on the Desktop that opens the Neumek website, I click on it, but for some reason another browser pops up - not the one I’m used to.
By the way, you can learn how to make a shortcut that opens the Neumek website from this article.
This happens because the computer has assigned another program, not my favorite one, as the default browser. And this is extremely inconvenient. Therefore, it makes sense to “explain” to him what exactly I like, and then all sites will open in the right browser.
In computer language, you need to install the correct default browser.
To do this, you need to make a small adjustment. I will talk about this in more detail below in the instructions for each browser. Also all steps are shown in the pictures.
To enlarge an image, click on it, and use the arrows to go to the next or previous step. To quickly open the required instructions, simply click on your browser icon:
Internet Explorer
Opera
If you cannot complete these steps, it means that an earlier version of Opera is installed on your computer. In this case, the procedure will be different:
- Open the Opera program.
- Click on the small button at the very top left - usually it is called “Opera” or “Menu”. We point to the “Settings” item and in the additional list that appears, select “General settings”.
- A window appears. In it, click on the “Advanced” tab at the top.
- Inside the window on the left side, click on the inscription “Programs”. Then, a little to the right, put a little bird next to the inscription “Check that Opera is the default browser” and click on the “OK” button.
- Close the program and open it again. A small window appears in which we will be asked if we want to set Opera as the default application for opening web pages. Click “Yes”.
Mozilla Firefox
- Open Mozilla Firefox.
- Click on the small button on the right side, which shows horizontal lines (at the end of the address bar).
- Select “Settings” from the list.
- A window opens in which you need to click on the “Advanced” inscription at the top right, and then on the “General” tab.
- Click on the button “Make Firefox the default browser” and click on “OK”.
A browser is a program that is used to connect to the Internet. The prefix “by default” means that all pages and links will open in this browser, even if you surf the Internet through another search engine. Let's look at how to make the browser you need always at hand.
You can make the search engine the main one on your device through the internal settings of the browser itself. Also, when first launched on a computer, search programs themselves offer to make the browser the main “default”.
Let's look at setting the default browser using the example of the most common programs: Google Chrome, Yandex, Opera and Internet Explorer.
How to set the default browser - Google Chrome
- Go to Google Chrome.
- In the upper right corner we find a small icon - three dots in a row (for us it is an exclamation mark on an orange background). The regular version has three horizontal stripes. We click on them.
- The browser menu will open, select “Settings”.
- The “Settings” tab will appear in full screen, scroll down.
- Select “Default Browser” - make Google Chrome the default browser.
How to make the default browser – Yandex
- Find the Yandex icon on the desktop and double-click with the left mouse button.
- A standard Yandex browser window will open.
- In the upper right corner we find three horizontal stripes, click on them.
- An additional menu will appear, select “Settings”.
- The menu of internal browser settings will expand to full screen, scroll down.
- Click “Use Yandex as default browser.”
How to make the default browser – Opera
- Find the Opera icon and click on it.
- A browser window will open; in the upper left corner, click on the Opera icon again.
- The settings menu will appear, select “Settings” again.
- The settings window will expand to full screen; in the left column, select the “Browser” tab.
- Scroll down the “Browser” tab, find the option “Make Opera the default browser”, click on it. From now on, Opera is your default browser.
How to set the default browser – Internet Explorer
- We go to the browser through the “Start” – “All Programs” button in the lower left corner.
- Open Internet Explorer and click the gear-shaped settings icon in the upper right corner.
- In the menu that opens, select “Internet Options”.
- An additional window will appear on the left; select the “Program” tab there.
- Find the option “Make Internet Explorer the default browser.”
How to make the default browser through the settings on your computer
The easiest and most accessible way to make some kind of search engine “default” is through the settings of the Windows operating system. In different versions, the settings paths may differ slightly. Let's look at the features of installing the default browser via a computer using Windows 8 as an example:
- In the lower left corner, press the “Start” key.
- An additional menu will open, select “Default Programs”.
- The “Choose default programs used by Windows” window appears.
- Next, “Set default programs.”
- In a new window on the screen you will see a list of programs that can be set as default.
- Find the browser you need and click on it. Then “Set this program as default”, and complete the command by clicking “OK”.
Default browser in Android
If you have installed another browser on your Android device, then when you open links, a dialog box will appear on the screen with a list of all browsers, and an empty checkbox next to the “Use as default for this action” command. If you check the box next to this command, then the next time you open the links, the dialog box will no longer appear, and the transition will occur using the selected program.
To change the default browser on Android, you will need to follow these steps:
- Go to the “Settings” of your device.
A browser is a special program used to view Internet pages. After installing Windows OS, the default browser is Internet Explorer. In general, the latest versions of this browser leave the most pleasant impressions, but most users have their own preferences...
In this article we will look at how to change default browser to the one you need. First, let’s answer a small question: what does the default browser give us?
Everything is simple, when you click on any link in a document or often when installing programs, their registration is required - an Internet page will open in the program that will be installed by default. Actually, everything would be fine, but constantly closing one browser and opening another is a tedious task, so it’s better to check one box once and for all...
When you first launch any browser, it usually asks whether to make it the main Internet browser, if you missed this question, then this is easy to fix...
By the way, there was a small note about the most popular browsers:
I think this browser needs no introduction. One of the fastest, most convenient browsers in which there is nothing superfluous. At the time of its release, this browser worked several times faster than Internet Explorer. Let's move on to the setup.
1) In the upper right corner, click on the “three stripes” and select “settings”. See picture below.
If you have Windows 8, it will definitely ask you which program to open Internet pages with. Choose Google Chrome.
If the settings have been changed, you should see the message: “Currently, the default browser is Google Chrome.” Now you can close the settings and get to work.
Mozilla Firefox
A very interesting browser. It can compete with Google Chrome in speed. In addition, Firefox is easily expandable with the help of numerous plugins, thanks to which the browser can be turned into a convenient “harvester” capable of solving a wide variety of tasks!
1) The first thing we do is click on the orange header in the upper left corner of the screen and click on the settings item.
3) At the bottom there is a button: “make Firefox the default browser”. Let's press it.
Opera Next
A rapidly growing browser. Very similar to Google Chrome: just as fast and convenient. Add to this some very interesting features, for example, “traffic compression” - a function that can speed up your work on the Internet. In addition, this function allows you to access many blocked sites.
1) In the left corner of the screen, click on the red Opera logo and click on the “Settings” item. By the way, you can use the keyboard shortcut: Alt+P.
2) Almost at the very top of the settings page there is a special button: “use the Opera browser as default.” Click it, save the settings and exit.
Yandex browser
A very popular browser and its popularity is only growing day by day. Everything is quite simple: this browser is closely integrated with Yandex services (one of the most popular Russian search engines). There is a “turbo mode”, very reminiscent of the “compressed” mode in Opera. In addition, the browser has a built-in anti-virus scan of Internet pages, which can save the user from many troubles!
1) In the upper right corner, click on the “star” as shown in the screenshot below and go to the browser settings.
2) Then scroll down the settings page to the very bottom: find and click on the button: “Make Yandex the default browser.” Save the settings and exit.
Internet Explorer
This browser is already used by default by Windows after it is installed on the computer. In general, not a bad browser, well protected, with many settings. A kind of “average”...
If you accidentally installed some program from an “unreliable” website, users are often given browsers to boot. For example, the “mail.ru” browser is often found in “downloading” programs that supposedly help download a file faster. After such a jump, as a rule, the default browser will already be the program from mail.ru. Let's change these settings to those that were present when installing the OS, i.e. on Internet Explorer.
1) First you need to remove all “defenders” from mail.ru that change the settings in your browser.
2) On the right, at the top there is an icon shown below in the picture. Click on it and go to browser properties.
2) Go to the “programs” tab and click on the blue link “Set Internet Explorer as default browser.”
