The latest set of optional cumulative updates for Windows 11 consists of an unlisted addition that users have been clamoring for: a one-click default internet browser change.
The update follows discovery of the addition in testing develops launched in December, 2021, and indicates Microsoft has actually gone back on its concept that granular control is better.
Microsoft does not have the most easy to use history when it comes to its default application policies. Current changes in Windows 11 made it difficult to open specific web address prefixes in any non-Edge browser, and another quick look into Microsoft’s previous will advise anybody that default web browser selection was among the core parts of the antitrust lawsuits it faced.
Prior to this update, Windows 11 default applications required users to alter every file-type and procedure an app may use, which for browsers includes.HTM,. HTML, HTTP and HTTPS at the least. For less technical users, that could very well restrict changing from Edge to a third-party internet browser.
This wasn’t the case in Windows 10, which still had granular controls for file types however also consisted of a default app chooser that looked after altering all relevant extensions with a single click.
How to change your default internet browser in Windows 11
It bears duplicating that this becomes part of an optional update for Windows 11 that consists of a host of lifestyle improvements and bug repairs. As it isn’t a basic Windows upgrade, it has to be installed manually.
To do so, open the Settings app, browse to Update & Security, then to Windows Update. Once there, look for the Optional Updates location and choose KB5011563 (OS Constructed 22000.593).
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Once the update is set up, you’ll discover the default browser change a simple one to make. Again in the Windows 11 Settings app, look for the Default Apps section. Try to find the browser (or other app) of your choice and choose it. On the app’s screen you’ll see a list of all the file extensions it can use, and a “Make X your default browser” button. Click that and you’re on your way to a relatively Edge-free searching experience.
This construct is available in the Windows Update and Microsoft Update channels, and can be installed with a standalone package downloadable from the Microsoft Update Catalog. Windows Update for Company will not get this cumulative upgrade, which will be consisted of in the next security update to that channel, and Windows Server Update Provider users can import the update manually from the Update Brochure. ®
