How To Set Chrome As Default Browser On Mac

So the other day I downloaded and installed the latest version of Opera. I had heard good things about this new version and wanted to give it a shot. Strangely, during the installation process, I didn't see any option to not set it as default browser. It quickly installed and set itself as the default browser.

Set Chrome as your default browser - If you have no trouble in using Chrome, then you can set it as your default browser. To do this: Click on the Apple menu and select System Preferences. Choose the General tab. Just over halfway down, there's a menu next to 'Default web browser.' Click on it and choose the browser you want to set as the. Download your preferred web browser. If you don't already have the web browser that you want to use installed on your Mac, you'll need to download it before proceeding: Google Chrome - Go to Chrome's download page and click the blue DOWNLOAD CHROME button. Firefox - Go to Firefox's download page and click the green Download Now button. On the next window, select Set your default programs. Now, from the left side panel, where all the software's are shown in Programs tab select Google Chrome. Finally, on the right-hand side click on Set this program as default. Set Chrome As Default Browser On Mac Method 1. Click on the Apple icon in the menu bar and select System Preferences. If this is the case, open the Control Panel and follow the steps in the next section to set Chrome as the default browser. X Research source You can open the Control Panel by right-clicking the Start button and selecting Control Panel. Here are the steps to change your default browser: Launch Safari. Open Safari Preferences. Go to the 'General' tab. Click on the 'Default web browser' dropdown. Choose the browser you want (in my case, I wanted 'Google Chrome Canary.app'). Close Preferences. After that, Chrome Canary should be your default browser for all links.

I probably missed a step or two in the installation process because as far as I know, all the browsers let the user decide if it wants to choose them as default. This was just an example and this can happen sometimes when some changes to the system change default browser without letting you know. You only find that out when you click on a link on, lets say, a chat window on your IM client and it suddenly opens the link in the new browser you installed, instead of your favorite browser.

The purpose of this article is to teach people – who are facing this problem – how to change default browser back to the old one manually.

We will take up Firefox, Chrome and IE in this post, and Safari and Opera in the next one.

Make Firefox Your Default Browser

In my case, I had Firefox set as the default browser and wanted it to remain like that. Hence when Opera set itself as the default browser without my permission, it didn't make me jump with joy. I kinda like external links to open in Firefox.

Turned out that it wasn't that difficult to revert the change. I first had to visit Tools –> Options to find where the setting was. It was under the Advanced tab. You can see below that there's a way to check if Firefox is the default browser, without the need to restart it.

When you click on Check Now, it'll pop up a box where you can set it as your default browser by clicking on Yes.

Simple, isn't it? Now lets see how we can do it in Chrome.

Make Chrome Your Default Browser

Making Chrome your default browser is more simple because the setting is there right on the first page of the Options.

You can visit Chrome Options by clicking on the wrench icon at the top, and there under Basics, at the very bottom you'll find a button that says Make Google Chrome my default browser. Clicking on it should get the job done.

Make Internet Explorer Default Browser

Considering the rave reviews IE 9 has received, it is possible that many people – who were not IE users previously – are now using it as their default browser. And then, there are millions of other IE users to consider (Lest you forget, IE is still the most widely used browser).

No matter what version of IE you are using, the Internet Options window is the answer to setting it as your default browser. You would need to go to Tools –> Internet Options, and then to Programs. There you'll find the button that will set IE as default browser. Click on it, click OK and you're done!

That was about manually setting Firefox, Chrome or IE as the default browser. Tomorrow, we will take up Safari and Opera, and see how to change default browser in that case.

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How Make Chrome Default Browser

How to Make Safari or Opera As Your Default Browser

Learn How to Make

Safari is the default browser in macOS and has been ever since Apple first built its own web browser. Before that, for a while, it was Internet Explorer — but the less said about that the better, and before that, it was Netscape Navigator. Remember that?

Safari is a perfectly good web browser and offers most of the features of its competitor web browsers, including autofill for forms and credit card details, secure password storage, and the ability to request that websites do not track you. Given Apple's recent focus on privacy, it's not unlikely that Safari will soon be the best option all around for Mac users who want to surf the net securely.

However, there are perfectly good reasons why you might want to use a different browser. Performance is one of them. While Safari is pretty speedy, for some users in some circumstances it's slower than Chrome or Firefox. Or it might be that there are extensions you need that are only available in Chrome, or perhaps a website you use regularly doesn't work properly in Safari. So, here's how to open a different browser on Mac and set it default.

What is a default web browser?

Before we get to how to change your default web browser, it's worth considering what a default web browser is and does. Put simply, it's the web browser that opens a link when you click on it in an email or other document. If you use Spotlight and click on a result from the web, it will open in your default browser. In fact, any task that opens a URL will be performed in that web browser. It doesn't mean, of course, that you can't use other browsers to surf the net.

So, if you just need to access specific sites in Chrome or Firefox, you don't need to change your default browser. Even if Safari is your default browser, you can open any link in another browser, by holding down the Control key when you click on it and selecting Copy Link, then paste it in the address bar of any browser you like.

Clearing cache and cookies can remove outdated information and fix possible bugs on websites. CleanMyMac X automates the cleanup: it lets you clear all browsing data at the touch of a button. Additionally, you can run a full system scan to optimize and maintain your macOS. It's free to try the app, so you don't lose anything!

How to set the default browser on Mac through System Preferences

Apple changed the way you set the default browser in OS X Yosemite and it has remained the same since then. Previously, as you'll see below, you had to open Safari to, say, make Google Chrome the default browser. As Apple realized, eventually, that's plain daft. Here's how to do it now.

1. Click on the Apple menu and select System Preferences.
2. Choose the General tab.
3. Just over halfway down, there's a menu next to the 'Default web browser.' Click on it and choose the browser you want to set as the default.

How to change the default web browser from the browser's settings

How To Set Chrome As Default Browser On Macbook Air

Every browser wants to be the default — it's the most obvious way to increase user numbers. And so whenever you open a browser that's not the default, you'll see a pop-up window asking if you want to set it as your browser of choice. If you choose so, it will change the System Preferences setting and position itself as the default.

If you refuse and later decide you want to make it the default, after all, that's easy too. Here's how you do it in some of the more popular browsers for macOS.

Safari

1. Launch the Safari browser.
2. Go to the Safari menu and choose Preferences.
3. In the general tab, press the Set Default button.
4. Press Use 'Safari' to confirm.

Chrome Latest mac version os x.

1. To make Chrome the default browser, first of all, launch it.
2. Click on the Chrome menu and select Preferences.
3. On the web page that opens, scroll down until you see the 'Default browser.'
4. Click 'Make default' and confirm.

Firefox

1. Launch Firefox.
2. In the Firefox menu, click Preferences.
3. At the top of the page, you should see 'General' and underneath it, a message saying that Firefox isn't currently your default browser. To the right of that, click Make Default.

If you want to change your default browser to any other browser not mentioned in this article, you can take a similar route: browser menu > Preferences > Make (Set) default.

How To Set Chrome As Default Browser On Mac

3 quick tips to make your browser faster

Whichever web browser you use, there are some tips you should remember in order to keep it running optimally.

1. Always use the most up-to-date version.

Safari updates with macOS system updates, so make sure you install system updates when they become available. Most browsers automatically update themselves when you close and reopen them. But if you keep them open permanently, they won't update. So the easiest way to keep them updated is to quit them every now and again.

2. Don't keep lots of tabs open at once.

Open tabs, even those that are hidden, consume RAM, processor cycles, and energy. The more you have open, the slower your Mac will become. So close tabs you no longer need.

How to set the default browser on Mac through System Preferences

Apple changed the way you set the default browser in OS X Yosemite and it has remained the same since then. Previously, as you'll see below, you had to open Safari to, say, make Google Chrome the default browser. As Apple realized, eventually, that's plain daft. Here's how to do it now.

1. Click on the Apple menu and select System Preferences.
2. Choose the General tab.
3. Just over halfway down, there's a menu next to the 'Default web browser.' Click on it and choose the browser you want to set as the default.

How to change the default web browser from the browser's settings

How To Set Chrome As Default Browser On Macbook Air

Every browser wants to be the default — it's the most obvious way to increase user numbers. And so whenever you open a browser that's not the default, you'll see a pop-up window asking if you want to set it as your browser of choice. If you choose so, it will change the System Preferences setting and position itself as the default.

If you refuse and later decide you want to make it the default, after all, that's easy too. Here's how you do it in some of the more popular browsers for macOS.

Safari

1. Launch the Safari browser.
2. Go to the Safari menu and choose Preferences.
3. In the general tab, press the Set Default button.
4. Press Use 'Safari' to confirm.

Chrome Latest mac version os x.

1. To make Chrome the default browser, first of all, launch it.
2. Click on the Chrome menu and select Preferences.
3. On the web page that opens, scroll down until you see the 'Default browser.'
4. Click 'Make default' and confirm.

Firefox

1. Launch Firefox.
2. In the Firefox menu, click Preferences.
3. At the top of the page, you should see 'General' and underneath it, a message saying that Firefox isn't currently your default browser. To the right of that, click Make Default.

If you want to change your default browser to any other browser not mentioned in this article, you can take a similar route: browser menu > Preferences > Make (Set) default.

How To Set Chrome As Default Browser On Mac

3 quick tips to make your browser faster

Whichever web browser you use, there are some tips you should remember in order to keep it running optimally.

1. Always use the most up-to-date version.

Safari updates with macOS system updates, so make sure you install system updates when they become available. Most browsers automatically update themselves when you close and reopen them. But if you keep them open permanently, they won't update. So the easiest way to keep them updated is to quit them every now and again.

2. Don't keep lots of tabs open at once.

Open tabs, even those that are hidden, consume RAM, processor cycles, and energy. The more you have open, the slower your Mac will become. So close tabs you no longer need.

3. Keep your Mac clean of junk

Unnecessary files, including cache, cookies, language files, and old updates can slow down your whole system, as they take more and more space. The simplest way to get rid of them is to use a dedicated app like CleanMyMac X. To quickly delete useless files on your Mac, follow the steps:

1. Download CleanMyMac X and launch it.
2. Click Smart Scan.
3. Click Run.

As you can see, setting your default web browser in macOS is very easy — choosing which browser to use maybe less so. Whichever browser you choose, you should maintain it to keep it running optimally, CleanMyMac X can help do that easily.

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