Safari is the default browser in macOS and has been ever since Apple first built its own web browser. Before that, for a while, it was Internet Explorer — but the less said about that the better, and before that, it was Netscape Navigator. Remember that?
- Find a file with the format you like to change the default app for in Finder on your Mac. Right click or Control-click on it, select Get Info from the drop-down menu. In the Open with section, click the expand the drop-down menu and change another program, then click Change All button.
- By default, your Mac will attempt to join the Wi-Fi network that it was most recently connected to. However, Apple makes it easy for you to change your default Wi-Fi network and even remove networks that you no longer wish to use.
- While the likes of Mail, iTunes and Safari are set as the default applications on your Mac - meaning they launch automatically when you open an email, audio file or web link - it's easy to give.
Now that you’ve changed the default program for this file, the button for Change All is active. This button will set your Mac to use the selected application to open files of this type. How to change default programs on a Mac. To customize defaults for specific files: Right-click on a file. Select Get Info Open with. Click on Change All to make the selected app default. Similarly, you can replace defaults for other utilities on a Mac. To pick a custom email client, go to Mail Preferences, select Default Mail Reader.
Safari is a perfectly good web browser and offers most of the features of its competitor web browsers, including autofill for forms and credit card details, secure password storage, and the ability to request that websites do not track you. Given Apple’s recent focus on privacy, it’s not unlikely that Safari will soon be the best option all around for Mac users who want to surf the net securely.
However, there are perfectly good reasons why you might want to use a different browser. Performance is one of them. While Safari is pretty speedy, for some users in some circumstances it’s slower than Chrome or Firefox. Or it might be that there are extensions you need that are only available in Chrome, or perhaps a website you use regularly doesn’t work properly in Safari. So, here's how to open a different browser on Mac and set it default.
What is a default web browser?
Before we get to how to change your default web browser, it’s worth considering what a default web browser is and does. Put simply, it’s the web browser that opens a link when you click on it in an email or other document. If you use Spotlight and click on a result from the web, it will open in your default browser. In fact, any task that opens a URL will be performed in that web browser. It doesn’t mean, of course, that you can’t use other browsers to surf the net.
So, if you just need to access specific sites in Chrome or Firefox, you don’t need to change your default browser. Even if Safari is your default browser, you can open any link in another browser, by holding down the Control key when you click on it and selecting Copy Link, then paste it in the address bar of any browser you like.
Clearing cache and cookies can remove outdated information and fix possible bugs on websites. CleanMyMac X automates the cleanup: it lets you clear all browsing data at the touch of a button. Additionally, you can run a full system scan to optimize and maintain your macOS. It's free to try the app, so you don't lose anything!
How to set the default browser on Mac through System Preferences
Apple changed the way you set the default browser in OS X Yosemite and it has remained the same since then. Previously, as you’ll see below, you had to open Safari to, say, make Google Chrome the default browser. As Apple realized, eventually, that’s plain daft. Here’s how to do it now.
- Click on the Apple menu and select System Preferences.
- Choose the General tab.
- Just over halfway down, there’s a menu next to the “Default web browser.” Click on it and choose the browser you want to set as the default.
How to change the default web browser from the browser's settings
Every browser wants to be the default — it’s the most obvious way to increase user numbers. And so whenever you open a browser that’s not the default, you’ll see a pop-up window asking if you want to set it as your browser of choice. If you choose so, it will change the System Preferences setting and position itself as the default.
If you refuse and later decide you want to make it the default, after all, that’s easy too. Here’s how you do it in some of the more popular browsers for macOS.
Safari
Default Programs Mac
- Launch the Safari browser.
- Go to the Safari menu and choose Preferences.
- In the general tab, press the Set Default button.
- Press Use 'Safari' to confirm.
Chrome
- To make Chrome the default browser, first of all, launch it.
- Click on the Chrome menu and select Preferences.
- On the web page that opens, scroll down until you see the 'Default browser.'
- Click 'Make default' and confirm.
Firefox
- Launch Firefox.
- In the Firefox menu, click Preferences.
- At the top of the page, you should see “General” and underneath it, a message saying that Firefox isn’t currently your default browser. To the right of that, click Make Default.
If you want to change your default browser to any other browser not mentioned in this article, you can take a similar route: browser menu > Preferences > Make (Set) default.
3 quick tips to make your browser faster
Whichever web browser you use, there are some tips you should remember in order to keep it running optimally.
1. Always use the most up-to-date version.
Safari updates with macOS system updates, so make sure you install system updates when they become available. Most browsers automatically update themselves when you close and reopen them. But if you keep them open permanently, they won’t update. So the easiest way to keep them updated is to quit them every now and again.
2. Don’t keep lots of tabs open at once.
Mac Set Default Email Program
Open tabs, even those that are hidden, consume RAM, processor cycles, and energy. The more you have open, the slower your Mac will become. So close tabs you no longer need.
3. Keep your Mac clean of junk
Unnecessary files, including cache, cookies, language files, and old updates can slow down your whole system, as they take more and more space. The simplest way to get rid of them is to use a dedicated app like CleanMyMac X. To quickly delete useless files on your Mac, follow the steps:
- Download CleanMyMac X and launch it.
- Click Smart Scan.
- Click Run.
As you can see, setting your default web browser in macOS is very easy — choosing which browser to use maybe less so. Whichever browser you choose, you should maintain it to keep it running optimally, CleanMyMac X can help do that easily.