If you’ve just installed Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, or any other browser on your macOS Mac, you might notice that links still open in Safari by default. The good news is, you can easily switch your default browser so that all links automatically open in the browser you actually want to use.
Safari Vs Google Chrome browser on macOS
Steps To Change the Default Web Browser on Mac
Steps to Change the Default Browser on macOS Ventura & Later
The option to change the default web browser is available on macOS Ventura & later. Follow the steps to clear your doubts about how to change your default browser on Mac with macOS. Also check These → Security Settings on Mac; you should know.
Step #1: From the the Apple Menu.
Step #2. Choose System Settings…
Step #3. Now, Desktop & Dock and Default web browser. Select the browser name that is installed on your Mac.
Step #4. Also, we can change from Safari Browser system settings. But not all the installed browsers can be seen from there.
So these are ideal steps to change the default or primary browser on a Mac.
Then, close the system settings window after saving the changes, and you will be able to open links and websites from AirDrop, Mail, Messages, and other things directly on the new default web browser.
How to Verify?
- Open Google Chrome Browser on Mac > Chrome from top menu > Settings > Default browser from the left side panel > “Google Chrome is your default browser.” That’s it.
On macOS Monterey & Earlier
First, let us discuss changing the default browser on MacBooks with macOS Monterey and earlier operating system versions. Here is how to set the default browser on Macs running on macOS Monterey and earlier.
Step #1.From the Apple Menu,
Step #2. Choose System Preference
Step #3. Click on General.
Step 4. Now, click on the “Default Web Browser” pop-up menu and select a web browser, like Safari; you can see that in the picture beneath.
That’s it.
After choosing the web browser you want to set as the default web browser, exit out of system preferences. The next time you tap or click on a link, you will be redirected to that website using the newly set default web browser.
The above steps are for macOS Monterey, Catalina, High Sierra, EI Capitan, and OS X Yosemite (10.10). If you have to work on Mavericks or earlier Mac OS X, then follow the outline given below.
I highly recommend setting or change Google Default Browser on Mac, Because it’s a secure and Most Powerful feature that supports a large Extension library among Best Mac Browsers.
How to Set Chrome as Default Web Browser on Mac
By default, the Safari web browser is selected on all MacBooks for opening links or surfing the internet. But if you want to modify or change the default web browser from Safari to Chrome but are stuck on the question of how to change your default web browser to Chrome?
Then go through the process mentioned in this section. We will discuss the process of setting Chrome as the default web browser on both macOS Ventura and macOS Monterey and earlier versions of the macOS, so sit back and relax.
- For macOS Monterey and earlier—
Step 1 → Tap on the Apple logo > System Preferences on your MacBook.
Step 2→ Now click on General and look for the “Default Web Browser” setting.
Step 3 → Finally, select Google Chrome by clicking on the drop-down action next to the default browser option.
- For macOS Ventura-
Step 1→ Use your mouse to left-click the Apple icon and go to System settings.
Step 2:→ Now tap on Desktop & Dock > Default Web Browser and select Google Chrome.
how to Make Google Default Search Engine on Safari Mac
Safari on Mac uses Google as a default search engine. But if you wish to change and set another search engine, follow the steps below and select Yahoo, Bing, DuckDuckGo, Yandex, or Ecosia. Follow the below steps.
1: Open Safari on Mac > Click on Safari from the top menu > Preferences.
2: Click on Search and select the search engine from the dropdown. Yahoo, Bing, Duckduckgo, Yandex, Ecosia
3: That’s it.
how to Make Google Default Search Engine on Chrome Mac
Follow the below steps to change the default search engine on Chrome Mac browser.
1: Click on the Menu option from the top right corner of the screen > Settings.
2: Click on “Appearance” in the sidebar and select “Search engine used in the address bar” to set it as Yahoo!.
Bing, DuckDuckGo, Ecosia, AOL, and Ask.
3: That’s it.
Why can’t I change the default browser, Mac?
There are chances that you might not be able to change the default web browser on your MacBook. This can result from a glitch, bug, or corrupted files. To solve this problem, you can try out the different methods listed in this section for changing the default web browser on your MacBook.
- #1 Reboot your MacBook—The errors or improper startup of your MacBook may result in some apps, settings, and features crashing or malfunctioning. Hence, try restarting the Mac and then changing the default web browser. If this method does not resolve your issue, please proceed to the next method.
- #2 Reinstall the Browser—The files of the web browser you want to set as the default browser may have gotten corrupted or might not have installed properly on your MacBook, resulting in the inability to change the web browser to that particular one. Therefore, reinstalling the web browser can resolve this issue.
- #3 Browser not showing in the list—Another reason for the inability to change the default web browser is that the browser does not show up in the list of web browsers. In this case, close the settings page and reopen the window.
- #4 Contact the Developer—The worst-case scenario for fixing the default browser issue on the Mac is to contact the browser developers. The developers will then diagnose the problem and help you fix it.
Analysts speculate that Apple’s macOS is the best operating system they’ve released to date. All MacBook customers are expected to make use of the full potential of this operating system to meet their needs. We hope that the various methods discussed in this post about how to set the default browser on a Mac could help you ease the process of personalizing your MacBook. We have also discussed the procedure of changing or setting a new default web browser on iPhones, iPad, and Android devices in this article to help people having difficulty doing so on their smartphones.
How to Change or Modify Your Default Web Browser on Any Other Device
This section will focus on quick and easy methods for changing the default web browser on devices like iPhones, iPads, and Android smartphones. So read the instructions below to change the default web browser on devices apart from MacBooks.
- For iPhone and iPad—
Step 1: First, move to the settings of your iPad or iPhone device.
Step 2: Then, scroll down, look for the browser setting with the name “Chrome, Firefox,” and tap on it.
Step 3→ Now hit the Default web browser option and select the new web browser you want to set as the default.
- For Android Devices-
Step 1 → Navigate to the settings of your Android device.
Step 2→ Click on Apps & Notifications and go to “Advanced” options.
Step 3→ Now, tap on the “Default apps” setting and select the “Browser” app.
Step 4: 4→ Choose the web browser you want to set as the default browser.
FAQs→
→ To use Safari instead of Google Chrome on your Mac, you will have to change the default web browser from Chrome to Safari. Refer to this article for the step-by-step process of setting Safari as the default browser.
→ To make Google Chrome the default web browser on your MacBook, read this article’s section explaining the process.
→ Safari is a web browser available for Apple devices. You can change the search engine of the Safari web browser by going to Settings > choosing Safari > selecting the search engine of your choice.
→ To change your MacBook’s default website or search engine, go to settings, click on your default web browser app, go to search engine, and choose Google, Yahoo!, Bing, DuckDuckGo, or Ecosia as your default search engine.
→ For using the Safari web browser instead of Google Chrome, read the process of changing the default web browser to Safari discussed in this article.
→ In order to change your default web browser from Chrome, set any other web browser installed on your MacBook as the default web browser. The next time you open any link, it will open in the newly selected default web browser.
→ The reason that your Mac is going to Yahoo instead of Google is that your web browser’s search engine is selected as Yahoo. Change the default search engine to Google in the browser settings to solve this problem.
→ To get rid of the Yahoo search engine on your Mac, go to your default web browser app and change the default search engine to Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo, or Ecosia instead of Yahoo.
→ The most recommended and popular search engine to use with Safari is Google Search, which is one of the best search engines available in the market.
→ Google Search is the default search engine for Safari.
