How To Set Chrome As Default Browser On Windows 11 (Tutorial)

Last updated on July 10th, 2024 at 05:43 pm

Do you want to replace your Edge browser with chrome? If yes, set chrome as default browser on windows 11 and start browsing on your favorite browser.

Changing the default browser is important to improve your web browsing experience with your favorite browser. As we all know the importance of web browsers for internet surfing. Because of this, you can find several browsers for Windows with their own functionality and customization features.

Setting a preferred browser as default ensures that all your URLs or web links will open in the browser of your choice without delay.

Microsoft Edge is the built-in default web browser for Windows OS (W11 & W10). In recent years, Edge has become a better browser and many users have started using it on their computers. Still, Google Chrome is the #1 web browser due to its fast speed, easy-to-use interface, and secure browsing. Additionally, you get the Chrome extensions, bookmark and password syncing facility with Chrome browser. That’s why more and more people love to use other browsers like Chrome for many reasons.

Whether you are a big fan of Google Chrome, Firefox, Brave browser or any other browser, here is a detailed guide to changing the default browser on Windows 11 (the process is also the same for Windows 10 OS).

Read the guide properly and make Chrome your default browser for a better browsing experience.

What You Should Know Before Switching Browsers

Microsoft makes it harder to switch default browsers in Windows 11 OS. If you installed a fresh W11 OS or updated your PC to the latest W11 version, you can see that when you click any web link, a PDF file or any other file, you will be redirected to the Microsoft Edge browser.

Actually, they are aggressively forcing users to use their own apps that are already installed as defaults before the upgrade.

So, if you don’t want the Edge browser to be your default browser, do this by following the below steps.

Requirements To Set Google Chrome as Your Default Browser

• A computer or laptop with Windows operating system.
• Preferred Chrome Browser for Windows OS. (Download Chomr For Windows)
• Follow the proper instructions from the below section.

How To Set Chrome As Default Browser On Windows 11

When you set Chrome as a default browser for your PC, it automatically opens when you click on any URL or link. After keeping it as default, you can browse anything on your preferred web browser.

Method 01 Keep Chrome as Default Browser From Settings

Windows settings app provides several tools and functions to manage and control system settings. Also, you can use the Windows Settings app to change default browser.

Here are straightforward steps to Keep Chrome as the default browser:

Step01 Download And Install Google Chrome Browser

1. Download the latest Chrome browser installer from the official website.

2. Once the installer is downloaded, double-click to run it >>> follow the on-screen instructions >>> complete the installation.

Step 02 Setup Of Chrome Browser

3. Launch the Chrome by clicking the desktop icon or search it from the start menu.

4. Now Chrome will ask you to enter your account credentials. Enter the Google account credentials and complete the setup first.

Signing in with a Google account allows you to sync your bookmarks, passwords and settings across devices.

Step 03 Set Google Chrome as Your Default Browser

5. To set Google Chrome as your default browser, open the Settings app by pressing Win + I

6. Select the “Apps” section from the left side of the window and then click the “Default Apps” section to display a list of installed apps.

7. Now locate your Chrome browser in the list or search your preferred browser by typing its name in the search box.

8. At the top of the window, you will see “make … your default browser”. Click the “Set Default” button to make Chrome your default browser on W11.

9. Done!!! You have successfully set Google Chrome as your default browser to open links.

After changing the default browser, you have to set Google Chrome as the default app for specific file types or link types ( .pdf, or .html)

For this,

Click on it from the list, select “Google Chrome” and “Set default”.

Do the same for each file type.

Method 02 Set Chrome The Default Browser Within The Browser Itself

Here are the steps that allow you to make Chrome your default browser.

1. Launch Chrome browser on your computer.
2. Click the “Three dot menu” from the top right corner of the browser window.
3. Find the “Settings” option from the list and click on it.

4. Scroll down a little bit and select the “Default Browser” section.
5. Now click the “Make Default” button next to the “Default Browser” option.

6. After applying the above step, the window will turn back to system settings to select your default browser. Find and set the desired browser as a default browser. (same as method 01)

Configure Chrome After Making It Default Browser

Once you set Google Chrome as your default browser, now configure it to use it more efficiently.

(a) Manage Extensions:

To manage extensions on a Chrome browser:

1. Click the “Three dots” from the top right corner of the screen.
2. Hover the cursor on “Extensions” and select the “manage extensions” option from the sub-menu.

3. Now you can discover extensions and themes on the Chrome web store. Also, you can add or remove extensions according to your needs.

(b) Change Theme On Chrome Browser

For this,

1. Click the “three dots” menu.
2. Click the “Settings” option.
3. Select the “Appearance” and select “Theme”.

4. Now you can select the desired theme for your Chrome browser to give it a fresh look.

(C) Setup Homepage and Startup Behavior

In this section, you can customize what Chrome will display on startup.

1. Click the “Three dots” >>>> select “Settings”.
2. Again click the “On Startup” section from the left sidebar to show the “On Startup settings”.
3. Here you can choose the startup behavior for the Chrome browser. Select between “Open the New Tab page“, “Continue where you left off” or “Open a specific page or set of pages.”

(d) Import and Organize Bookmarks on Chrome

To import bookmarks,

1. Click the “three dots” >>> select the “Bookmarks” >>> “Import bookmarks and settings.”
2. Choose the browser to import bookmarks and follow the onscreen instructions.

To Organize Bookmarks,

1. Go to the “Bookmarks” option.
2. Create a folder and start dragging bookmarks to organize them.

(e) Improve Chrome Speed and Performance

If you visit lots of URLs and websites daily, you should clear cache and cookies frequently to improve performance. Also, change DNS servers for fast internet speed.

Additionally, Visit the Chrome Tab Previews settings and disable tab previews in Chrome Browser.

(e) Safe browsing

Most of all Web browsers come with autofill features to save time and effort. When you fill out your information, this tool remembers the information and automatically fills out web forms based on previously filled-in form fields.

So, auto-fill can be a reason for security risk. Simply clear autofill in Chrome browser to protect your online activities.

CONCLUSION

These are the straightforward steps to set Chrome as default browser on Windows 11. By following the same steps, you can change the default browser according to your preferences.

But remember, the edge browser is still the favored browser for several Windows apps. If you really want to open links on Chrome instead of Edge, change the default system browser to Google Chrome by following this guide.

After setting up Chrome browser as a default browser, if visual elements are not loading properly then disable hardware acceleration in Chrome browser.