Windows 10 won't accept Firefox as the default browser

Question

I have recently upgraded my Windows 7 Pro to Windows 10 and basically everything seems to be working fine. Except for the fact that Win10 won't get Firefox as the default browser in the system... It started when I noticed that nothing happens when I click on links in email messages on Outlook. After I checked a few things, I also got to change the defualt browser to Chrome and the links worked. That's when I realized that the issue is with the definition of the default browser on Win10. I should mention that I have used all possible ways to set FF as the default browser in the system - from FF itself of couse, from the settings of the system, from file associations, program association and so on. Nothing changed when I did it for FF. Once I do it for Chrome (in ANY of the mentioned ways), it works exactly like it should. Is it a Win10 issue? Is it an FF issue? What can I do more about this?

UPDATE: I have tried everything that has to do with settings Firefox as the default browser in the system, including going through the Settings of Windows, going from the Settings of Firefox, setting default files and protocols, but nothing helps except for re-installing Firefox. If doing that would have closed the issue once and for all, I would have settled for that, but that's the "solution" after every reboot of the OS! This is very frustrating and I don't know what more I can do about it.

Answer 1

I fixed it by this method: Start -> Settings -> System -> Default Apps -> Set Defaults by App, click on Firefox, then click "Set this program as default".

After that Windows 10 remembered my setting and used Firefox as the default browser.

Answer 2

My current Windows 10 setup (Windows 10 Home, Version 1511, Build 10586.218) does also not allow to switch the default to Firefox via the new Settings App. The option is shown but not persisted.

Instead, I used the old Control Panel, which is still around and does the job:

Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Default Programs

After select Default Programs, select Set your Default Programs. Pick your web browser of choice (e.g. Chrome or Firefox), and click on "Set this program as Default".

Answer 3

It's so annoying that Windows 10>Default Browser won't accept Firefox as the default browser, so this is what I did:

1. Go to Settings -> System -> Default Apps, scroll down to near the bottom.
2. Click to choose Set default by app.
3. Click to choose 'Firefox', then click Choose defaults for this program.
4. Click Select all, assuming you are a diehard fan of Firefox like I am.
5. Save, and you're done!

Answer 4

If Firefox is not even listed as a browser option (like in the picture below). Click on the link to "Choose default app by protocol"

Once that is open, find every protocol where your current default browser is listed (in this case Chrome), and change it to Firefox.

Answer 5

Try to set it from Start/Settings/System/Default apps/Web browser.

Checked recently with FF 34.0.5.

Answer 6

Mozilla published a blog entry about how to do that here. This is the "official" way. If this doesn't work you may have a broken setup. If other browsers work fine i don't think this is Windows problem

1. When you open Firefox for the first time, you will be asked if you’d like to make it your default browser. To do so, click the “Use Firefox as my default browser” button.

2. The Windows Settings app will open with the Choose default apps screen. Scroll down and click the entry under Web browser. The Web browser icon will say either “Microsoft Edge” or “Choose your default browser”. It may not be intuitive, but you need to click on the Microsoft Edge logo to open the window that will let you choose another Web browser as your default.

3. This will open the Choose an app screen. Click Firefox in the list to set it as the default browser.

4. Firefox is now listed as your default browser. Close the window to save your changes.

Firefox for Windows 10: How to Restore or Choose Firefox as Your Default Browser

Answer 7

Had the same issue a couple times now on multiple PC's and finally, accidentally, found a solution that solved this for all of my PC's!:

Just stop spam-clicking Firefox and set the default to Internet Explorer or either Edge first, now change it to Firefox.

Answer 8

Eventually, the solution in this case was just to re-instsall Firefox. Thanks to all the commenters and replyers!

Answer 9

I had this issue, too, setting Chrome as the default browser in Settings -> Default Apps. Whenever I set Chrome as the default browser, changes were discarded.

Wordaround:

For me, the solution was to set the default browser to Firefox first and then changing it to Chrome. After that, the setting was accepted.

(Using Windows 10 version 1607)

Answer 10

The answer is:

1. Install Internet Explorer if it is not already installed (or any other browser which you are not gonna use, but it is able to be shown in the settings dialog, this guide is for Internet Explorer, but you can modify it for your choice).
2. Get/set ownership and rights to yourself in Program Files\Internet Explorer folder and it's file iexplore.exe.
3. Rename iexplore.exe to iexplore.exe_

4. Create a symbolic link in that Internet Explorer folder:

   C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer>mklink iexplore.exe "c:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe"
   
   symbolic link created for iexplore.exe <<===>> c:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe
   

After that, when you set Internet Explorer as a default browser, it will add Firefox to it.

Answer 11

I had the same problem with Chrome. In Settings - System - Default Apps, click to reset to Microsoft defaults, and then try choosing your program(s) again. That worked for me.

Answer 12

I had this same problem, I found the solution, it's a GUI problem. Instead of going to system/default apps, paste this in control pannels

Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Default Programs\Set Default Programs

Click on the web browser you want to use and click "Set this program as default"