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Changing the default browser on Windows 11 has been a very controversial thing. Microsoft originally made it a tedious process, requiring you to manually change file associations, but faced with a backlash, changes came later to make it easier to change it with a single click. The creators of Firefox and Vivaldi still didn’t think that was enough, and maybe now Google has entered the fray. A rumor could show that the company is considering ways to set Chrome as the default browser directly in the browser itself (via Neowin.)
Fueling this new rumor is a post from Leopeva64-2 on Reddit. The Redditor casts doubt on this and isn’t 100% sure, but mentioned that based on a new commit in the Gerrit repositories, Google may be working on the option to set Chrome as the default browser directly. from the browser’s Settings page. Leopardeva64-2 also believed that these changes might just “improve” setting Chrome as the default browser, without adding an option in Chrome itself. So it is something that is very uncertain.
Either way, according to that pledge, here’s how Google could bypass Windows 11 or Windows 10 Settings app to set Chrome as default with just one click. (Spoiler, this is pretty similar to what Firefox did.)
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Make Chrome the default browser. This feature works by traversing URL protocols and file associations related to general browsing, e.g. http, https, .html, etc., and directly setting the relevant registry entries for each.
Again, this isn’t something the Redditor is solid on, and should just be treated as a rumor. Leopardeva64-2 says it’s not possible to reset the change in the Canary Channel, as there’s no “do default” button, but it could possibly roll out to the Dev build in a few days.