Which registry keys need to be edited to change the default browser?

Question

Which registry keys need to be edited to change the default browser?

I have found these keys so far and they seem to do what I want, but I am not sure if I have found all of them:

Data in:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\http\shell\open\command
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\https\shell\open\command
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\ftp\shell\open\command

Value in:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\MuiCache

Are there any other keys which would need to be changed, so that it is done perfectly?

Answer 1

Each browser sets its own registry entries. But you can try finding the common ones by comparing the REG files in these forum threads:

• http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/170215-46-default-browser-registry
• http://forums.techarena.in/technology-internet/1112113.htm

It looks like you missed some registry keys (.html, .htm, gopher etc.).

Answer 2

You don’t edit the registry manually. You execute the command specified by the browser creator in the key HKLM\SOFTWARE\Clients\StartMenuInternet\[BROWSER NAME.EXE]\InstallInfo, value ReinstallCommand.

For example, for MSIE it’s "C:\Windows\System32\ie4uinit.exe" -reinstall, and for Firefox it is "X:\path\to\Firefox\uninstall\helper.exe" /SetAsDefaultAppGlobal.

Answer 3

Which registry keys need to be edited to change the default browser? I have found these keys so far and they seem to do what I want, but I am not sure if I have found all of them…

You haven’t; you forgot .html files, .htm files, .url bookmarks, and so on.

The fact is that a browser is much like a media player. There is no single “default media-player” setting; rather there are separate and individual file-associations for each file-type and protocol that the media-player supports. The same goes for browser; there is no single “default browser” setting; only associations for each type it supports.

In the case of browsers, they usually support, at a minimum, .html and .htm files, .url bookmarks, and http, https, and ftp protocols.

I doubt any modern browsers still have any gopher:// support!

Says who? A browser could easily support the gopher protocol and archie and magnet links and emule links and .torrent files and .svg files and .mp4 files and Flash files and so on and so on.

To properly set a browser as “the default”, it has to be associated with each file-type and protocol that it supports (or at the very least, each one that you intend to use it with).

Answer 4

You can change default browser with with .bat and .vbs file.

There is a code to make: - IE Default browser for WIN10

===IE_Microsoft_DefaultPrograms.bat===

@echo off
cls
echo   --==**##  IE default browser ##**==--
REM Run GUI
cscript //NoLogo IEdefault.vbs
timeout /t 1 /nobreak > NUL
echo Done

===IEdefault.vbs===

Set WshShell = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")

' IE Default browser for WIN10
WshShell.Run "%windir%\system32\control.exe /name Microsoft.DefaultPrograms /page pageDefaultProgram\pageAdvancedSettings?pszAppName=Internet%20Explorer"

' Give Default Programs time to load
WScript.Sleep 2000

' WshShell.AppActivate "Set Program Associations"
WshShell.SendKeys "{TAB}"
WshShell.SendKeys " "
WshShell.SendKeys "{TAB}"
WshShell.SendKeys "{TAB}"
WScript.Sleep 500
WshShell.SendKeys " "

Msgbox "Default browser is Internet Explorer."

WScript.Quit

Answer 5

Make sure you check

HKey_Local_Machine\Software\Classes\http\shell\open\command

That's where mine was set wrong.