What is a default browser?

Let’s say that you’re reading a Microsoft Word document that a friend e-mailed to you. In this document, there are some hyperlinks to web pages. You decide to click on one of the links to check out a website.

Obviously, you can’t view the webpage in Microsoft Word. You need to view it in a web browser. Your computer system knows this, and begins to open a browser for you.

But which one will it open?

If you have 3 different web browsers installed (Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Opera), your computer system will not choose one of them at random. It will open up the browser that is set as the default.

To watch a video on setting Firefox as your default browser, click on the “Play Video” button below. Or, scroll down for step-by-step instructions with screenshots:

 

 

Step-by-Step Instructions with Screenshots

If you would like your computer system to open up Firefox by default, follow these simple steps:

First, at the top of your Firefox browser, click on Tools > Options:

 

 

 The options window will appear. Make sure that you are on the “Main” tab, which is highlighted for you below:

 

 

Next you want to go to the “System Defaults” section near the bottom of the options window:

 

 

Click on the box that says “Check Now” to see if Firefox is your default browser. If it is not, you will receive the following message:

 

 

Click “Yes” to make Firefox your default browser.

You’re done!

If you’d like to double-check, go back to the “Check Now” button and click on it again. You’ll get the following message:

 

 

Firefox is now your default web browser!