How to Make Chrome Your Default Browser (Mac, Windows, Phone)

Every computer comes with a browser already in charge: Safari on a Mac, Edge on Windows. Even after you install Chrome, links in emails and documents keep opening in the original browser until you change the default. Here's how to switch on each system, and why Windows sometimes looks as if it's ignored you.

Make Chrome the default on a Mac

1. Open Chrome.
2. Click More, the three dots at the top right, then Settings.
3. Find the Default browser section.
4. Click Make default.
5. If macOS asks whether to keep Safari or use Chrome, choose Use Chrome.

No button? Google says that means Chrome is already your default. You can double-check in System Settings, Desktop and Dock, where there's a Default web browser menu.

Make Chrome the default on Windows

1. Select Start, then Settings.
2. Open Apps, then Default apps.
3. Search for or select Google Chrome.
4. Choose Set default at the top if you see it.
5. If you don't, set Chrome for each link type, starting with .htm, .html, HTTP and HTTPS.

Google's help splits these steps into Windows 11 and Windows 10 versions because the menus look different, but the idea is the same: you're telling Windows which app opens web links and web files.

Why Windows makes this fiddly

On Windows, a default isn't one switch. Each kind of web file and link has its own default app. If you only change HTTPS, an .html file you double-click could still open in Edge, and a PDF might too, because Edge also opens PDFs. If something keeps landing in the old browser, go back to Default apps, choose Google Chrome and check every row that mentions web pages or links.

On Linux and Chromebook

On Linux, use the same Make default button in Chrome's Settings. On a Chromebook, Chrome is the browser, so there's nothing to change.

Phones and tablets

Device	Where to change it
iPhone or iPad	Settings, Apps, Default Apps, Browser App, choose Chrome
Android	Settings, Apps, Default apps, Browser app, choose Chrome
Mac	Chrome Settings, Make default
Windows	Settings, Apps, Default apps, Google Chrome

Menu names vary a little between phone makers on Android, but there's always a Default apps section in the system settings.

When you're asked to choose

In some countries your computer or phone shows a browser choice screen when you first set it up, and Google notes you can change your mind at any time afterwards. If you picked something else on that screen, just follow the steps above. Nothing breaks and nothing is deleted when you switch.

Bring your bookmarks with you

Switching the default doesn't move your bookmarks or passwords. Chrome can import them: open the Bookmarks menu, choose Import bookmarks and settings, and pick the browser you're coming from. Do this first so your favourite sites are ready the first time a link opens in Chrome.

Switching back later

Nothing about this is permanent. If you change your mind, follow the same route and pick a different browser: on a Mac, choose it from the Default web browser menu in System Settings, Desktop and Dock; on Windows, select the other browser in Default apps and set it as default. Your Chrome bookmarks and passwords stay inside Chrome, so you can come back to it whenever you like.

Default browser versus default search engine

These get mixed up. The default browser is the app that opens links. The default search engine is what you search with inside that browser, set in Chrome's Settings under Search engine. You can use Chrome with a different search engine, or another browser with Google, so change whichever one is bothering you.

Pin Chrome so it's easy to open

Once Chrome is the default, put it where you can reach it. On Windows, right-click Chrome on the taskbar while it's open and choose Pin to taskbar. On a Mac, right-click its icon in the Dock and choose Options, then Keep in Dock. Small thing, but it stops you opening the old browser out of habit.

If links still open in the wrong browser

• Restart the app you're clicking links in, such as Outlook or Slack, so it picks up the new default.
• Some apps have their own setting for which browser opens links. Outlook, for example, can open links in Edge regardless of your default, so look in its settings.
• On a work computer, IT may enforce a default browser.
• If Chrome keeps losing the default after updates, set it again; system updates sometimes prompt you to switch back.

Not set on Chrome? My comparison of Arc browser alternatives and my review of Brave are worth a look before you commit.

My verdict

On a Mac it's one button in Chrome's settings. On Windows, go to Default apps, choose Google Chrome and make sure web links and web pages all point to it, then check Outlook's own link setting, because that's the usual culprit when links still open in Edge. Import your bookmarks first, pin Chrome to the taskbar or Dock, and you'll never notice the old browser again.

Frequently asked questions

How do I make Chrome my default browser on a Mac?

Open Chrome, go to Settings and click Make default in the Default browser section.

How do I make Chrome my default browser on Windows?

Open Settings, Apps, Default apps, choose Google Chrome and set it as the default for web links.

Why can't I see the Make default button in Chrome?

Chrome is already your default browser.

Why do links still open in Edge?

Some apps, like Outlook, have their own setting for which browser opens links.

How do I make Chrome the default browser on iPhone?

Open Settings, Apps, Default Apps, then Browser App, and choose Chrome.

Does changing my default browser delete anything?

No. Your other browser and its data stay exactly as they were.