Set default browser registry vista

But what if it doesn't ask, or you can't find the tool to make it the default? Fortunately, this process is fairly easy through the Windows interface, though not necessarily obvious. First, open the start menu and click on "Default Programs," normally found along the right side.

This will open a window with various links for settings and defaults this window can also be opened through the Control Panel. As per the doco above, create an XML file that sets Microsoft Edge as the default application for certain protocols:. Note that. PDF files to Microsoft Edge, remove that line from the code. Instead of using the Group Policy setting, create a registry setting to apply a value to:. We only want this registry setting to apply when the default browser is IE, and not apply any other time.

We can use two options to do this — Remove this item when it is no longer applied, and Item-level targeting:. Popular Topics in Windows Spiceworks Help Desk. The help desk software for IT. Track users' IT needs, easily, and with only the features you need. Learn More ». Verify your account to enable IT peers to see that you are a professional.

This applies to all versions of windows from XP to Windows Edited Mar 29, at UTC. These two are actually my primary concern, but HTM L are just as important. Win10 as you know has Edge handle those, and we need to change that. Therefore, registry would our only option to force it via GPO. It must be referring to some registry key. Which one is that? Please note that I am not asking how to make IE the default browser.

I know how to do that. I just want to know how Windows knows that IE is the default browser. You probably have the settings of the other browsers installed on your system to automatically set them as the default browser, negating the IE settings change. Thanks for replying. I do not have settings in any browser which would automatically make it the default one. I even have turned off the option of all browsers that check it to be the default one.

So I guess or rather expect that other installed browsers should not affect this functionality. As I said setting IE to be the default browser either from Internet options or control panel doesn't update the above said registry keys. Inspite of that Windows is able to correctly determine that the default browser is IE. So I want to know how Windows determines that.