September 15, 2021
Mozilla Firefox has now bypassed Microsoft’s policies, making the process easier for users to switch their default browser.
Previously, if a Windows application was to be set as the default program, it would make the change programmatically by modifying the Registry. But after some programs began to hijack the default program settings without permission, Microsoft installed restrictions in Windows 10 by requiring users to explicitly select their default programs.
Starting with Windows 10, when an application wanted to become the default program, it was asked to programmatically launch the screen with the default settings of apps and ask the user to choose the application they want to use.
If a program hijacks the Registry entries without using this interface, Windows 10 will reset the settings to the default Windows settings and issue a warning, which worked very well in Windows 10 because it prevents programs from hijacking settings and gives the user full control over their default programs.
However, all this changed with Windows 11, when Microsoft introduced a new and confusing interface for the default settings of apps, which now requires users to manually change the default program for each protocol and file type.
Instead of letting users go through a series of annoying Windows 11 settings, Mozilla has revamped the default settings process of Windows 11 to allow users to make Firefox the default browser with just one click.
Starting with Firefox 91, when a user clicks the ‘Make Default’ button, the browser automatically becomes the default browser without necessarily opening the Windows 10 or Windows 11 ‘Default apps’ settings screen.
This allows Mozilla Firefox to continue to allow users control over their default browser but also makes it easier for them to switch to Firefox if they choose.
Since Mozilla Firefox is open source, other browser developers can analyze the changes and implement them in their respective browsers.
For more information, read view the original story in Bleeping Computer.
