In Windows 10, the default web browser is Microsoft Edge, the latest browser developed by Microsoft. However, even if Edge brings many new features and improvements when compared to Microsoft’s previous browser – Internet Explorer – you may still want to change your default browser to another one, which you are already using. Whether you like Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Opera, Internet Explorer, Edge or any other web browser out there, setting any of them as default in Windows 10 is rather easy and, depending on the method you choose, it is also more or less a fast process.

1. Change your default browser from the Settings app in Windows 10

First, you need to open the Settings app. A fast way is to open the Start Menu and press the Settings icon.

Then, when the Settings app opens, go to Apps.

Next, click or tap Default apps in the menu on the left. Now, on the right side of the window, scroll down and look for a section called Web browser. As you may notice, this section displays the web browser that is currently set as the default on your Windows 10 device. If you already have other web browsers installed, you can set any of them as default from here. To do that, press on your current default Web browser, which in our case is Microsoft Edge.

Windows 10 displays a list that contains every web browser installed. To set any of them as default, select the one you want.

You might have noticed that the list also gives you an option called “Look for an app in the Microsoft Store.” Pressing on this link launches the Microsoft Store and offers you the option to download and install other web browsers. However, at least for now, these include only modern apps, and you do not find any major desktop browser here.

2. Change the default web browser using the browser settings in Windows 10

If you did not already install your favorite web browser on your Windows 10, you first have to download and install it. During the installation process, or immediately afterward, most browsers ask you if you want to set them as default.

Let’s take for example Google Chrome which prompts you every time you open it, to set it as a default browser.

When you press the Set as default button, the Settings app is open, and the Default apps window is brought up, where you can choose your new default web browser.

If the prompt “Set as default” does not appear, you can find this in the Google Chrome settings. Press the three-dot button in the right-top corner to open the Customize and control Google Chrome menu. In the menu choose Settings.

Scroll down in the Settings tab that opens up and find the section Default browser. Press the Make default button.

When you press this button, Windows 10 launches the Settings app and take you to the same Default apps window that we covered in the previous version of this article. Next, follow the same steps that we have previously shown, and set your new web browser as default in no time.

Similar to Chrome, all the major desktop browsers include in their settings the option to set it as the default one by launching the Settings app in Windows 10.

As an exception, Opera browser can set itself as the default one in Windows 10 without going through the Settings app. Press the Make default button in Opera settings.

Opera sets itself as the default browser immediately without launching any other app.

3. Change the default web browser from the Control Panel in Windows 10

Control Panel used to be able to set your default web browser in Windows 10. In the latest versions of Windows 10, Control Panel links directly to the Default apps window from the Settings app. Here is the how to navigate in Control Panel to this link.

First, launch the Control Panel. There are many ways to do it, but a fast way is to type “control panel” in the Windows 10 search field and select the appropriate result.

Once you have launched the Control Panel, go to Programs.

In the Programs window from Control Panel, click or tap Default Programs.

In the Default Programs window, click or tap “Set your default programs.”

When you press this link, Windows 10 launches the Settings app and takes you to the same Default apps window we covered in the first chapter of this article.

Do you like the centralized approach to set default apps in Windows 10?

As you have seen, changing your default web browser in Windows 10 is not difficult, and anyone can do it. Most browsers do not set the default Windows 10 browser anymore. In our opinion, Microsoft did well when it decided to standardize the whole procedure and offer one universal way to set things. What do you think of this decision? Do you like this centralized approach or you prefer setting this up from inside each browser? Comment below and let’s discuss.