Safari has always been the default web browser on all Apple devices, whether it’s an iPhone, iPad, or Mac, and it makes sense as it is a good browser with almost all the necessary features. However, some users do not always prefer it to open links within other apps or email messages, as some are used to using external browsers like Chrome, Firefox, Opera, or Edge for faster web browsing with more add-on support. Therefore, it is necessary to set your favorite browser as the default so you can have a familiar experience when using your phone or computer. Fortunately, Apple provides the option to easily change the default browser in its operating systems iOS and macOS without resorting to external solutions. Here’s how to do it.
If you only 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 continuously pressing the Control key when clicking on it and choosing « Copy Link, » then paste it into the address bar of any browser you want. However, follow the steps below to choose a specific browser that will be opened every time you click on a website link or email address on a Mac.
First, make sure to install the other web browser on your device by downloading Chrome or Firefox or Opera from their official websites and then install them like any other app. After that, click on the Apple logo in the top left corner of the screen and choose « System Preferences, » and in the window that appears, click on « General, » where you can find a set of settings that do not belong to a specific category, including the « Default web browser » setting. Click on it and choose the browser you want to set as the default from the list (only installed browsers will appear in the list).
Also note that every browser you install on your device wants to be the default, so you can change the default web browser directly from the browser settings. Usually, when you open a browser that is not the default, you will see a pop-up window asking if you want to set it as the default browser. If you agree, the system setting will change and set itself as the default. But even if the window does not appear, you can always open the browser settings and look for the « Default browser » or « Make Default » option, then click on it and a window will appear to confirm your desire to change the settings, click on « Use « FireFox » or « Use « Chrome » and it will become the default.
Changing the Default Browser on iPhone
You can do the same on iPhone or iPad, but you should update iOS to at least iOS 14 as this feature is not available in older versions. More importantly, you also need to update to the latest version of the browser you are using from the App Store. Once you have done that, go ahead and open « Settings » and scroll down until you find the name of the browser and click on it. In this case, we will use Edge as an example.
Next, you will find the option « Set as Default Browser » as shown above. You will see that it is set to Safari, but you can select the other browser you want to use as the default. From now on, any link you click on in other apps will open in the selected browser instead of Safari.
