In Windows 10, Edge is the default web browser, Groove Music is the default music player, and Edge is the default PDF reader. If a user wants to change one of these default apps, s/he can navigate to Settings > System > Default apps.
Although most users can change the default web browser, default PDF reader, and other default apps under the Settings app, there have been reports that Windows 10 doesn’t allow changing default apps at times.
If you’re also unable to change the default web browser, unable to set VLC as the default video player or unable to set any other program or app as a default, you can use one of the two given below methods to change default apps or set your favorite third-party program/app as your default program in Windows 10.
Method 1 of 2
Change default apps using Control Panel
In addition to the new Settings, you can use the classic Control Panel to change default apps as well as desktop programs in Windows 10. And the best part is that, unlike Settings, Windows 10 doesn’t stop you from changing default programs when using the Control Panel.
Step 1: Open Control Panel by typing Control Panel in the Start menu or taskbar search field, and then pressing Enter key.
Step 2: Change the Control Panel View by to Small icons. Click Default Programs to open the Default Programs window.
Step 3: Click the first link labeled Set your default programs.
Step 4: In the left pane, select your web browser or any other program that you want to set as your default program.
Step 5: Once you select a program or app, you will see Set this program as default option on the right-side. Click Set this program as default option to set it as default. Simple as that!
Method 2 of 2
Use Default Programs Editor
There is a nifty utility called Default Programs Editor to easily change or set default programs in Windows 10. The only catch is that it doesn’t support modern apps and apps installed from Store. Use this tool only if you want to set a classic desktop program as default.
Step 1: Visit this page and download the newest version of the Default Programs Editor. The program is portable, meaning you can run the program without having to install it. Extract the downloaded zip file to get Default Programs Editor executable file.
Step 2: Run Default Programs Editor. Click Default Programs Settings.
Step 3: Select a program that you want to set as default. Click the Next button.
Step 4: Choose which extensions you want to associate with the program. We suggest you select all.
Step 5: Click Save Default Programs button. That’s it!
Mark Wallner says
You misunderstand the whole problem. It is easy to CHANGE the default programs; I am sure everyone here has mastered that.
The problem is that whenever one of us beleaguered users logs back into our account, Microsoft has changed them back to MS EDGE, the browser from outer space.
Initially this was default behavior when they released Edge, and after several months of hating Edge more and more, I found a registry edit which solved the “default retention problem”.
I believe MS changed the Edge retention policy sometime thereafter, but the change did not take hold for everybody.
Perhaps it was that same update which brought the problem back for me about a month after my regedit.
It has now been pestering me for about 2 years, I think, and I’m finally fed up enough (try)to do something about it again.
Unfortunately I have not been able to find the original regedit article, in order to undo what I had done.
J.R. Stewart says
How do I LOCK IN Firefox as my default browser? The latest Windows 10 update keeps resetting it to EDGE.