Patch-Day Starts With Simply Changing Windows 11’s Default Browser

The simple choice of the default browser is now back for all Windows 11 users. We reported back in March that Microsoft simplified the selection again with an optional update; these major changes are now also available with the April patch day update.

With the latest Windows 11 update available as a mandatory security update for all users, it is now easier than ever to change the system’s default browser. With update KB5012592 and build number 22000.613, Microsoft has now reversed a controversial change introduced in June 2021 with Windows 11 that caused frustration among users of Chrome and Firefox, among others.

Microsoft has been criticized from the start for forcing Windows 11 users to manually register a third-party browser, such as Firefox, for each individual web protocol and known file extension. This made it difficult to easily switch between third-party browsers as one had to change the default browser for all the options available.

There are tricks and tools to get around this – but it was not a good solution. While it was still possible to completely switch to a third-party browser, Microsoft has deliberately made it more difficult to flip the switch. This behavior has been widely criticized. Now there’s been a rethink: The complicated default browser settings were revoked with the April 2022 cumulative updates.

Change of default browser

Starting with Windows 11 KB5012592, Microsoft now allows you to easily switch between Edge and other browsers with a single click. Microsoft did not explicitly mention this in the update content highlights. But since all content of the optional update was approved at the end of March, the browser selection is also included.