The default browser isn’t always your best option: Microsoft might really want you to use Edge, but maybe you’ll get better performance out of Chrome or Firefox. On a Mac, Safari is rather limited, and yet it's still the default—instead, a new browser like Arc is a much better option. The same goes for your smartphones and tablets, too.
How to change the default browser in Windows 11
Microsoft Edge is the default browser for Windows 11, but there is an easy way to change that: Install the browser of your choice, then go to Start > Settings > Apps > Default Apps. Search for and choose the browser you want to use, and select Set as Default.
This will change the default browser for most popular web formats like HTM, HTML, HTTP, and HTTPS. If you want to completely switch over, scroll down to find extensions such as SHTML, XHT, XHTML, and FTP, and in each section, click the current browser, then switch to the browser you want. The process is similar for Windows 10 as well.
How to change the default browser in macOS
Click the Apple menu from the top toolbar and choose System Settings. From the sidebar, choose Desktop & Dock, and choose a new browser from the Default web browser option.
If you haven’t updated to macOS Ventura or higher, the option will be in a different place. From the Apple menu, choose System Preferences > General > Default web browser.
How to change the default browser on an iPhone or iPad
For the longest time, it wasn’t possible to change the default browser on the iPhone and iPad; that changed starting with iOS 14. You can now switch to any browser from the App Store.
However, third-party browsers are still limited because they can only use Apple’s WebKit engine. Things are changing with iOS 17.4 update, but only for EU countries. After the iOS 17.4 update, EU users will get a prompt when they start using Safari, asking them if they would like to change their default browser. Apple will provide a list of 12 popular browsers to choose from.
Even if you’re not in the EU, you can switch your default browser at any time. Open the Settings app, and choose the browser you have downloaded. Choose Default Browser App, and switch to the browser you want.
How to change the default browser on Android
Unlike the iPhone, Android phones all have different settings and menus based on the manufacturer. Some phones might have different default browsers too, especially phones from Samsung. Every Android smartphone has a menu to change the default browser, though, so it’s easy to make Google Chrome the default browser on a Samsung Galaxy phone or to switch to Firefox on a Pixel.
Third-party browsers themselves make this process easy by asking if you’d like to set up the browser as a default when you first start using it. But you can do this at any time, or revert back to the stock browser using the Settings app.
Open the Settings app on your Android smartphone, and use the search feature to look for “default apps.” Choose the Browser option, then switch to the browser you want.