- Change Default Browser Mac Safari
- Change Default Browser Mac Catalina
- Change Default Browser Mac Os
- Change Default Search Engine Safari
- Change Default Browser Macbook Air
Changing your default browser is simple enough, and you have two ways of going about it: through the operating system settings or through browser settings. In this guide, I'll go over the process for each major OS and include an additional step with instructions for the most popular browsers. How to Set a Default Browser on PC or Mac. This wikiHow teaches you how to change which web browser opens websites by default on a Windows or macOS computer. It's at the top-left corner of the screen.
Change Default Browser Mac Safari
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. Mac please me. 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?
- Here, you can select Microsoft Edge as your default browser. I hope this has helped you. If this is not what you are looking for, please reply and let us know and we would be happy to look into providing some different suggestions!
- Learn how to make Bing your default search engine with these easy steps. Set your default search engine to Bing in just a few seconds.
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.
- Click on the Apple menu and select System Preferences.
- Choose the General tab.
- 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
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.
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.
- Click on the Apple menu and select System Preferences.
- Choose the General tab.
- 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
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
- Launch the Safari browser.
- Go to the Safari menu and choose Preferences.
- In the general tab, press the Set Default button.
- Press Use 'Safari' to confirm.
Chrome
- To make Chrome the default browser, first of all, launch it.
- Click on the Chrome menu and select Preferences.
- On the web page that opens, scroll down until you see the 'Default browser.'
- Click 'Make default' and confirm.
Firefox
- Launch Firefox.
- In the Firefox menu, click Preferences.
- 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.
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:
- Download CleanMyMac X and launch it.
- Click Smart Scan.
- 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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Hi!
I and some of my colleagues have the following problem. After upgrading to Sierra some weeks ago, we are no more able to change the default browser. Is adobe premiere free on mac. The OS does the following:
Change Default Browser Mac Catalina
- If a browser - e.g. Chrome - asks to become the default browser and I click 'yes', it has no effect
- When trying to change the default browser in the OS Settings, the following happens:
- Drop-Down shows all installer browsers, current default is selected
- When I change to a different browser (e.g. Chrome), the drop-down immediately switches back to the previous default.
Change Default Browser Mac Os
Change Default Search Engine Safari
The problem does not seem to depend on the browser:
- Originally, the issue was with Firefox being the default browser, i.e. I could no more change to a browser different than Firefox.
- After uninstalling Firefox, the default browser was Safari, which I could not change to Chrome.
- After reinstalling Firefox again, the default browser now sticks to Firefox again.
OS Version: Sierra 10.12.1 (16B2555)
Browser versions:
- Safari: 10.0.1 (12602.2.14.0.7)
- Firefox: 49.0.2
- Chrome: 54.0.2840.71 (64-bit)
Change Default Browser Macbook Air
Thank you for any hints!
Marc
MacBook Pro with Retina display, macOS Sierra (10.12.1)
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