Google wants Windows users to have better access to its Chrome browser, so the company is working on a way to make it easier to set Chrome as a default. Spotted by reliable Windows tipster Leopeva64-2 on Reddit, there is a commit on Chromium Gerrit that shows a new setting for users to set Chrome as default on Windows with a single click.
Chrome is already the dominant web browser across platforms – including Windows – with an 80%+ share of the market. In its current guise, the browser can be set as the default on Windows, putting it before Microsoft's own Edge.
However, to do that, users must currently head to the settings in Google Chrome and then switch to the Windows Settings app. While this does not seem to have stopped people from adopting Chrome as their preferred Windows browser, it is a rather complex system for setting a default.
There is also the fact that Microsoft Edge is seeing increases in its own market share. Google now wants to make it easier for users to choose Chrome by taking inspiration from Firefox. Mozilla's browser – and the third-placed competitor – has a one-click solution.
One-Click Solution
Google is now developing a similar methodology, according to the info on Chromium Gerrit:
“Make Chrome the default browser. This function works by going through the url protocols and file associations that are related to general browsing, e.g. http, https, .html etc., and directly setting the relevant registry entries for each.”
Google does not say when this feature will be rolled out to Chrome. It will land on preview channels before heading to public release, I guess over the coming months.
Tip of the day: With a single registry tweak, it's possible to add a ‘Take Ownership' button to the right-click context menu that performs all of the necessary actions for you. You'll gain full access to all possible actions, including deletion, renaming, and more. All files and subfolders will also be under your name. The Take Ownership context menu will set the currently active user as the owner of the files, though they must also be an administrator. They can then enter the folder or modify the file as they usually would.
