We have some good news for Windows 11 users frustrated with how difficult it is to change the default browser away from Edge—it’s (hopefully!) about to get a lot easier.
As The Verge reports, in the latest Windows 11 Insider Preview Build (22509), a new “Set Default” button has been added to the Apps option screen. The existence of this new option was first spotted by Twitter user Rafael RIvera, who posted the screenshot you can see in the tweet below:
Microsoft has since confirmed the feature exists, with Aaron Woodman, vice president of Windows marketing, explaining “In the Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22509 released to the Dev Channel on Wednesday, we streamlined the ability for a Windows Insider to set the ‘default browser’ to apps that register for HTTP:, HTTPS:, .HTM, and .HTML.”
There’s no guarantee the new feature will make it out of testing, with Woodman also commenting, “Through the Windows Insider Program you will continue to see us try new things based on customer feedback and testing.” However, it would be very surprising if it didn’t make it into a future version of Windows 11, purely because the lack of this option frustrates so many users.
Right now, changing the default browser requires changing every file type associated with the web to open with your browser of choice. That means .html, .svg, .pdf, .ftp, and the list goes on. The other frustration, which hopefully Microsoft decides to fix in the near future, is forcing Windows 11 users to use the Edge browser for certain tasks.
