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Mozilla plans to use Firefox's installer to set it as the default browser on Windows 11

Mozilla has a plan to help users set Firefox as the default browser on Windows 11. It will do it automatically for you when you install it on your computer.

That doesn't sound like a plan, well it is currently being tested in the beta version, so it is not concrete yet.

This isn't a new trick per se, Mozilla has used its own workaround for a couple of years, to bypass Windows' rather cumbersome settings that tend to favor Microsoft Edge. You don't need to dig deep to set Firefox as your default browser, just open the program's settings or about:preferences, and click on the Make Default button to make it your default browser. It's a one-click solution.

Set firefox as the default browser

Mozilla wants to set Firefox as your default browser on Windows 11

So, what's changing? Well, Mozilla wants to skip this manual method. The change that has been proposed under Bug ID 1923868 is captioned "Support setting Firefox as default based on installer attribution campaign". It will use a set_default_browser attribution campaign to apply the option, i.e. via downloads through a specific channel. It boils down to this, a user visit's Firefox's download page, gets the installer, runs it, and this happens.

When you run the installer, Firefox's set-up presents you with three options:

  • Pin Firefox to taskbar
  • Set Firefox as default browser
  • Import from previous browser

All three options are enabled by default. There is a large button that says "Save and continue", and a smaller button that says "Skip this step". Choosing the latter will not set Firefox as the default browser. But if you click on "save and continue", it becomes your default web browser. I'll skip the rest of the set-up because it is not particularly relevant to the topic. I tested it, and yes it works. Your browser is changed without any further input.

Windows Report says that the new behavior is already in effect, as part of Firefox 134 beta 2. Want to try it yourself? All you need to do is download the browser from the official page, run the installer, and go through the set-up process. Here's the link to the Beta version.

The article calls the planned change as a sneaky move on Firefox's part, and I suppose you could call it that if you weren't paying attention and just clicked through the screens. For example, if you preferred using a different browser and just wanted to try Firefox, and ended up with it being set as the default, I guess it would be an unwelcome change. On the other hand, if you were switching to Firefox, well it makes things a bit easier for you.

Changing the browser or setting a third-party browser shouldn't be a big deal in the first place. Mozilla or any other browser maker wouldn't have to resort to such tricks, if Microsoft hadn't made it difficult to change the default browser on Windows 11.

Microsoft Edge and Bing actively tries to coerce users from switching to a different browser by displaying banners when looking up a third party browser. Edge also tries to set itself as the default browser via some recommended settings, or through updates. More recently, Edge sneakily tries to import tabs from other browsers.

Such unfair practices have caused a lot of harm to third-party browsers, they lose a lot of users. This has actually led to Google Chrome, Vivaldi, Opera, Waterfox and Wavebox to form a group called the Browser Choice Alliance, to fight against Microsoft Edge. Mozilla Firefox and Brave Browser are not part of the group, and this upcoming change could be why Mozilla didn't decide to join. It is not a level playing field, I say fight it with anything and everything.

What do you think? Is this a sneaky move from Firefox, or is it fair ?

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