How to Change Default Browser in MacOS

In the Apple ecosystem, Safari is the default web browser. Be it on your Mac, iPhone, or iPad, all these three sets of devices come with Safari as the pre-installed and the default browser app.

Recently, there has been an influx of other web browsers making their way. Microsoft Edge, Vivaldi, Opera browser, and the like have all made impressive progress thanks to their plethora of functionality.

Along the same lines, they tend to adapt to the Apple ecosystem much more efficiently than what used to be the case a few years back.

Moreover, some Progressive Web Apps or sites work better in particular browsers. For example, nearly every Google App seems to perform better in Google’s browser environment than its Apple counterpart.

Combining all these reasons, you can see why users focus on alternate web browsers across their Apple devices. If you are also on the same page and wish to change your default browser to macOS, this guide will help you.

Two methods exist for the default browser switch- via the System Preferences/Settings menu and from the Web Browser Settings. We have listed these approaches below; you may refer to the one in sync with your requirement.

Before starting, download and install the required Safari alternative browser on your Mac. If that’s well and good, then let’s get started.

Apple’s System Preferences

The System Preferences menu has most of the customization we can modify for MacOS computers. Hence, it also got the option to change the default browser for all the quick launch actions on Mac.

1. Click on the Apple from the menubar.
2. Select System Preferences/Settings from the drop-down menu that appears.
   It will launch the System Preferences window.
3. Select General preferences from the window.
   
4. Click on the Default web browser drop-down list.
5. Select the desired browser from the installed browser Mac computer.
   

That’s it, and the selected browser will become the default browser in macOS.

Note: The System Preferences menu may not show all the browser apps; if that’s the case, then you can set the default browser from its Settings menu.

Browser’s Settings Page

You could also change the default browser directly from the desired web browser’s settings menu. However, the steps aren’t universal; different browsers can set them as default at various locations.

In this regard, we have listed the steps for Chrome, and others might also be along similar lines.

Here are the steps to set the Chrome browser as default:

1. Launch the Chrome browser on your Mac.
2. Click on the Chrome menu from the menubar.
3. Select Preferences… sub-menu from the list.
   It will open the Chrome Settings page.
4. Switch to the Default browser tab from the left pane.
   
5. Click on the Make default command, and hit on Use “Chrome” button to make the switch.
   

Nearly every web browser has this option to mark them as the default one. While this feature’s exact location might vary, more likely than not, you would find it in the Browser Settings menu itself.

Bottom Line

So with this, we round off the guide on how to change the default browser in macOS. The easiest way is using the System Preference menu.

Though Safari does manage to checkmark most of the right boxes with features and flexibility competitor browsers offer, in some instances, you might want to try out the offering from Mozilla, Microsoft, or even Google.

Fortunately, Apple hasn’t created a restrictive environment wherein you had to settle only with the products that the Cupertino giant has in store for us. It has given us complete control over changing the default apps for email, browsers, and the like.

We conclude this tutorial on setting the default browser on Mac; please share your thoughts and ideas about this feature.

Lastly, if you've any thoughts or feedback on How to Change Default Browser in MacOS, then feel free to drop in below comment box. You can also report the outdated information.