Microsoft is finally making it easier to change your default browser in Windows 11. A new update (KB5011563) has started rolling out this week that allows Windows 11 users to change a default browser with a single click. After testing the changes in December, this new one-click method is rolling out to all Windows 11 users.
Originally, Windows 11 shipped without a simple button to switch default browsers that was always available in Windows 10. Instead, Microsoft forced Windows 11 users to change individual file extensions or protocol handlers for HTTP, HTTPS, .HTML, and .HTM, or you had to tick a checkbox that only appeared when you clicked a link from outside a browser. Microsoft defended its decision to make switching defaults harder, but rival browser makers like Mozilla, Brave, and even Google’s head of Chrome criticized Microsoft’s approach.
Windows 11 now has a button to change default browsers.Image: Tom Warren / The Verge
In the latest update to Windows 11, you can now head into the default apps section, search for your browser of choice, and then a button appears asking if you’d like to make it the default. All of the work of changing file handlers is done in a single click, making this a big improvement over what existed before.
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