Surely many have come across more than once that when trying to open some link on the computer, the browser that the user was used to using was not launched at all. Why does this happen? Because it is this browser that is installed in the system by default, which means that all pages and links will be opened only through it. In today's article, we will talk about how to remove the default browser. There is nothing complicated in this, so anyone can handle it.
Microsoft edge
Before we talk about all the universal methods, you should pay a little attention to two Microsoft products, and the first one will be Microsoft Edge. In Windows 8 and 10, this browser is installed immediately, and the system considers it to be the main one by default. Even if the user installs a third-party browser, but does not designate it as the main one, Edge will still be used to open all links and web pages.
So, how to remove the default browser and what needs to be done? Here is a short instruction:
- Click on the Start menu.
- Select "Options" (gear icon).
- Next, in the window that opens, find the "Applications" item and select it.
- In the window that appears, on the left side, click on the "Default Applications" tab.
- In this tab, you need to scroll down the list to the "Reset" button. Here it also should be clicked.
IE (Internet Explorer)
Now we’ll look at how to remove the Explorer browser by default, that is, the second Microsoft product. Internet Explorer was not held in high esteem among users, because it provided low page loading speed, constantly slowed down, crashed, crashed, etc.
What needs to be done to remove IE from the list of default browsers? First you need to go to the "Control Panel". You can do this simply, just click on the magnifying glass icon next to the Start menu and write “Control Panel” there, and then select the result found.
In the "Control Panel" you should find the item "Programs", click on it and select "Enable or disable components" from the list on the left menu. A small list box will open. In this list we find the item Internet Explorer, uncheck it and click OK. Now you can move on to universal methods.
Remove browser through "Control Panel"
The next way to remove the default browser "Yandex", "Chrome", "Opera" and others - through the "Control Panel". This is also a very useful, simple and effective method that will help everyone.
You need to go to the "Control Panel", find the item "Default Programs" and click on it. In the window that appears, select the first line "Set default programs." Important: in OS versions "Windows-10" and "Windows-8", when you click on "Specify Programs ..." the "Settings" window opens from the "Start" menu, so here you will need to cheat a little.
To open the desired window, you need to press Win + R, then paste the following code into the "Run" line and press Enter:
control / name Microsoft.DefaultPrograms / page pageDefaultProgram
A list of all installed applications will appear on the screen, and here you need to find the necessary browser in it. Next, select it from the list and click on the button "Select default values." Another window will open in which you need to remove all the checkmarks and then click "Save."
Remove browser through deletion
Another way to remove the default browser is to remove it if it is not needed. Very often, when installing a program, an additional browser from Yandex or Mail.ru is installed with it, which secretly becomes the main ones and obsessively offers the user to use only them. In this case, the best solution to get rid of the default browser is to delete it.
You can remove the program through a standard uninstaller or use any third-party, for example, Total Uninstall, Revo Uninstaller, etc.
Remove browser via factory reset
Well, the last way to remove the default browser is to reset the program. If the previous option with deletion is not suitable and you definitely need the browser to remain on the computer, but not be the main one, then resetting the settings is ideal.
On all browsers, the reset is done approximately the same, the only button you need can be in different places. For example, consider the Google Chrome browser. So, for starters, you need to run Chrome. Now click on 3 points in the upper right corner and select "Settings" from the list.
In the "Settings" scroll down the page, click on the arrow "Advanced" and again scroll through to the very end. Just at the end will be the very coveted button "Restore default settings." We click on it and confirm our choice. Done!