Windows 11 and Chrome are about to make switching default browsers even less painful

Microsoft lost quite a bit of goodwill by forcing the Microsoft Edge browser on uninterested users — but it looks like those days are nearly at an end. Want a preview of the future? Look no further than this GIF from Leopeva64, who’s got previews of the next major updates to Windows and Google’s Chrome web browser on their machine:

As of this March, switching your default browser in Windows 11 had already been improved to take just a few clicks in a settings menu, but you can see how the upcoming Windows 11 22H2 update makes it even easier with a streamlined default apps page. Easier still, you can just hit the pop-up in Chrome (in this case, Chrome Dev version 106.0.5231.2) to set it from your browser itself. No need to dive into settings menus at all.

If you add the fact that rival browsers like Firefox and Opera already support the same kind of one-click, in-browser default app switching, we could be entering a new golden age where browsers can actually compete on their merits instead of begging or pushing you around. Just click to switch your browser, as often as you like, till you’ve settled on the one you want.

I wouldn’t count on it, necessarily, as Microsoft isn’t the only browser manufacturer that’s pushy with prompts… but one can hope!

Windows 11 22H2 is due late this September according to my colleague Tom’s sources, but you’ve been able to install the release preview since June. Chrome Dev is typically nine to 12 weeks ahead of the stable version of Chrome, according to Google’s FAQ.