Set your default browser to instantly open links and view downloaded documents. This will increase the convenience of work, and you will not have to select the program in which to open the link or file each time.
By default, Microsoft Edge is assigned as the main browser. It changed its name (it was previously called Internet Explorer), but did not change its reputation - a browser that is only needed to download Chrome. Have you downloaded it? Now let's look at how to make Chrome your default browser.
Formulation of the problem
In connection with the transition from the MS Exchange mail system to G-sute, it is necessary for all users in the Active Directory domain to install Google Chrome as their default browser. There are more than 1000 computers , so going through them all and setting the settings manually is not an option, but for the integrity of the article I will also show it.
Methods for selecting default browser:
There are several methods that a user or system administrator can perform to accomplish the task:
- From the Google Chrome interface
- From Windows 10 settings, where default applications are set
- Via Group Policy
- Through the classic selection interface association
- Windows Registry
Ways to change your browser to Yandex
If you are interested in how to change the default browser to Yandex, then these manipulations are in many ways similar to those that have already been described. This program is convenient for those who actively use Yandex services and is offered by developers for download for free. You can install the browser through Start - Toolbar - Programs.
Another way is to change the settings when you launch the browser. By the way, initially the program, like others, asks whether to install it by default. If you perform all the necessary manipulations, then links, for example, in Word and most bookmarks will open in exactly the browser that is specified.
On Windows, the default browser is usually Internet Explorer. If you are not satisfied with this, please refer to the settings and change them as you wish.
Whether or not to make browser changes is a personal matter for everyone. If you decide to do this, then if you follow all the steps listed, it will not be difficult for you. And then you can simply enjoy Internet surfing in your favorite program, which will make this pastime as comfortable as possible.
Hello, dear readers of the KtoNaNovenkogo.ru blog. Very often a situation arises when, when installing, for example, Google Chrome on a computer, you do not notice the checkbox in the “Set Google Chrome as the default browser” field.
As a result, all links (or shortcuts from the desktop) that you open in any programs (email, office, etc.) will lead to the launch of Chrome (if it was closed before) and the display of the site page to which this link leads.
If you are used to using another browser for this purpose (for example, Opera and Yandex Browser), then you will need to make this browser the default . Sometimes the browser itself, which has ceased to be used by default, offers you to correct this annoying misunderstanding. In other cases, you can go to your browser settings and check the box there in the right place. Well, you can also set the default browser in Windows settings. All this will be discussed below.
In addition, the default browser often uses a different search than you are used to. In the second part of this publication, we will look at options for changing the default search to Google or Yandex in various browsers (Chrome, Opera, Mazil and others).
How to make Google Chrome the default browser through the browser itself
This method is the simplest and is suitable for one or two times or at home, but not on an industrial scale. Open Chrome, in the upper right corner there will be a button in the form of three vertical dots, click it and select “Settings” in the menu that opens.
Scroll through the first settings and find the “Default Browser” section; there will be an available “Set as default” button. Click it.
The default application window will open, where among all the available browsers in the list, you need to select Google Chrome.
It will now appear in the appropriate section.
How to set up a browser for a smartphone
The setup method depends on the phone model and operating system version. But you can specify a general algorithm that, with a number of variations, will work in any conditions:
- Open your phone settings.
- Then a section with applications, the list of which will contain the program you are looking for.
- Now you need to open additional information about the application and select the item that makes the program the main one.
The instructions are equally suitable for Android and iOS users. Minor differences between different versions of the operating system are acceptable.
How to Set Google Chrome as the Default Browser on Windows 10
We looked at the method of activating chrome from its own interface, it is trivial. A similar method for turning on Google Chrome by default in the system is easy to perform in my test virtual machine with Windows 10. Open Windows settings, this is done either through the start menu and selecting the gear icon, or you, as an advanced user, press the key combination WIN and I at the same time, this will also bring up the Windows Settings window. Next, select “Applications”.
Find the “Default Applications” tab, on the right side find the web browser section and click on the icon of the current one, in my case it’s Microsoft Edge. From the list that appears, set Google Chrome as the default by clicking on the corresponding icon; a reboot is not required, the settings will be applied immediately.
Why set your browser as your main one?
Let's figure out why to set the browser as the main one and whether you need to bother with the settings. What are the advantages of the option:
- Chrome will open automatically when you click on a link in instant messenger, social network, mailbox and any running application;
- if your smartphone does not have a service for reading PDF documents, Chrome will automatically launch and open the file;
- Correct setup saves time. The subscriber will not have to choose the method of launching the link and make settings each time. Chrome will open itself and launch the desired page.
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Note. If YouTube is installed on your smartphone, links to videos will be opened through it. This also applies to social networks: VKontakte, Odnoklassniki. Links will be opened through the appropriate application.
Making Google Chrome the default browser through group policies
As I wrote above in my task, I need to perform this operation for a large number of workstations in my Active Directory domain. Group policies will help me with this, which allow me to centrally assign almost any settings to the necessary computers in the company. Starting with Windows 8.1 and continuing in Windows 10, this mechanism has changed slightly and it has become possible to upload settings for all associations of files and associated programs into an XML configuration file.
We will use this configuration XML in the GPO policy, and can also be used in deploying operating systems using WDS or SCCM. My goal is for all users to use Google Chrome to access the Internet. What we do is select a reference computer on which you will make the settings you need, which we will then export. I have Windows 10 1803. I set it manually, as in the second method, Google as the default browser, using the same method you can set the mail client, various text or graphic editors. When you have prepared everything, let's turn to the DISM utility.
Open a command prompt, preferably in administrator mode. To unload all default settings of current programs, run the following command:
Dism.exe /online /Export-DefaultAppAssociations:C:\PS\DefaultAssoc.xml
If you get an error:
Error: 740 - DISM requires higher permissions to run. To perform these tasks, use an elevated command prompt.
I remind you that you need administrative mode on the command line and, of course, local administrator rights in the system. When everything is fine with the rights, you will see the status “Operation completed successfully”
Go to the path where you downloaded the XML configuration file and open it with any text editor.
The file will be in the classic XML record format. You need to find the lines:
We leave only them and the design itself. As a result, my DefaultAssoc.xml file has the following content:
Here I hope you don’t have any questions, each line shows that Google Chrome by default will open htm, html formats, http and https protocols, and will also act as an email client.
Go to the Group Policy Management snap-in and create a new GPO policy, name it so that you understand what it does. Right-click and select “Edit” from the context menu
To set a setting that will make Google the default browser, you must follow this path:
Computer Configuration - Policy - Administrative Templates - Windows Components - File Explorer
In the status list, find the option “Set default mappings configuration file”, this is what we need.
Click on the “Set default mapping configuration file” option. In the settings line, you need to specify the network path to your file; personally, I put it in the folder with group policies, which is accessible to all computers and users along the path \\domain name\SYSVOL\domain name\scripts. Thanks to this setting and the config file via a UNC path, all computers that read it and apply this group policy will make the Google Chrome browser their default. Close the Group Policy settings window and go check it on the desired computer. You may have to reboot it or force a policy update.
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.
Importing an XML file with associations
As I indicated earlier, this file describing which programs in the Windows 10 or other operating system should be used as a standard (Default) can be easily integrated into the installation image of the system, on WDS, in any ISO or SCCM. We already have the required file and want to import it into the image of the operating system that users are already using, this is done through the following command:
Dism.exe /Online /Import-DefaultAppAssociations:C:\PS\DefaultAssoc.xml
I want to take into account that this importing will only affect new users when they log in to the system for the first time.
If we are talking about a WDS image that uses wim formats or a VHD disk, then in order to integrate such a file into it, you will need to run two commands:
The first command is Dism /Mount-Image /ImageFile:C:\images\install.wim /MountDir:C:\mnt\ (Where in your C:\images\ folder is the install.wim file and you temporarily mount it in the folder C:\mnt\
The second command for importing into the image is Dism.exe /Image:C:\mnt\ /Import-DefaultAppAssociations:\\Server1\DefaultAssoc.xml
or Dism.exe /Image:C:\mnt\ /Import-DefaultAppAssociations:C:\XML\DefaultAssoc.xml (C:\mnt\ is the directory where the image is mounted, but the path to the XML file can be either network, as well as local)
Using the command Dism.exe /Image:C:\mnt\ /Get-DefaultAppAssociations you can view the current default program settings
The classic method to make Google Chrome your default browser
Well, it remains to consider the last classic method, which sets Google Crome as the default program for html files and the https and http protocols. Here we will use the Windows 10 Control Panel.
Display large icons
And find "Default Programs"
You will have two items here that we need:
- Setting default programs
- Mapping file types or protocols to specific programs
These points are relevant for operating systems up to Windows 10, since in the top ten, these points will already redirect you to “Windows Settings”
Windows 10 will redirect you to “Default Applications”, where you will find the following items:
- Selecting standard applications for file types, here you can set html and htm to open through Google Chrome.
- Selecting standard applications for protocols, here you will set the correspondence for http and https
The comparison looks like this in Windows 10.
Pros and cons of the Google Chrome browser
Advantages of the Google Chrome browser:
- simple and free installation on your phone, computer, tablet;
- clear interface, all controls are translated into Russian;
- high speed;
- changing themes;
- saving bookmarks, a panel with popular pages on the main screen;
- copying bookmarks between synchronized devices;
- reliable protection of passwords and bank cards;
- frequent updates;
- built-in Google services (images, disk, tables);
- expanding built-in capabilities by installing add-ons;
- incognito mode;
- translator of running Internet pages.
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The disadvantages include high system requirements. For fast and stable operation, you will need at least 2 gigabytes of RAM. On older devices, the web browser may be unstable or crash. Google also collects information about users to provide quality advertising. This item is in the settings, but it can be disabled.
To make Chrome your primary browser, you will have to go to the menu. On mobile devices, you need to open the application settings, then select the Google icon. On computers, just go to settings, click on the appropriate button and install Chrome on the control panel that opens.
Default browser via Windows registry
The registry branches are responsible for this:
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes and HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Classes - this is for html and htm file types
- HTTP - HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Associations\UrlAssociations\http - for the http protocol
- HTTPS - HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Associations\UrlAssociations\https for https protocol
That’s all, I hope you can now easily answer the question of how to make Google the default browser, and with you was Ivan Semin, author and creator of the blog Pyatilistnik.org.
