Changing the default browser in Windows 11 is currently a bit of a pain; read on to learn how to change your default browser in Windows 11. However, despite aggressively luring users who want to switch to Chrome with pop-up messages, it appears that Microsoft will soon make the process a little easier for users who want to ditch Edge.

As developer Rafael Rivera first discovered, Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22509 allows users to change their default browser for many file extensions in one place, including http, https, htm, and html. Previously, one had to find each extension in a maze of menus.

Microsoft confirmed in comments to The Verge that this was a deliberate attempt to "streamline" the process.

"In Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22509, released to the Dev Channel on Wednesday, the ability for Windows Insider to set a 'default browser' for apps that register http:, https:, .htm, .html We've streamlined the ability for Windows Insider to set the 'default browser' for apps that register http:, https:, .htm, and .html," explained Aaron Woodman, Vice President of Marketing for Windows. Through the Windows Insider Program, we continue to try new things based on customer feedback and testing."

It is certainly a welcome change from Microsoft, which has become increasingly brazen in its efforts to keep users from switching to Chrome, Firefox, and other third-party alternatives. Last month, it was revealed that some elements of Windows behavior are so closely tied to Microsoft Edge that removing all traces of this browser would completely break the situation, rather than simply letting an alternative browser take over. This made it impossible for programs like EdgeDeflector to break Windows 11's dependence on Microsoft's first-party browser.

This has frustrated other browser makers, who in the past have criticized Microsoft's approach earlier this year. It is also oddly similar to a 2001 antitrust case, United States v. Microsoft Corporation. Prosecutors argued that Microsoft created an unfair environment in which competing browsers such as Netscape Navigator and Opera could not compete. Microsoft lost the case.

It is not yet clear whether this latest development will change that, but it remains a step in the right direction if all users can enjoy it beyond the Insider program.

Windows 11 is available as a free upgrade to all Windows 10 users, and Microsoft is doing its best to encourage those eligible to upgrade to switch. For example, Microsoft recently introduced x64 emulation in Windows 11 while removing the same feature from Windows 10 Insiders.