How do I change my default browser on my Mac?

Tips
1

I’m trying to switch my Mac’s default browser from Safari to another browser, but the settings are confusing and I’m not sure I’m doing it right. Some links still keep opening in Safari instead of the browser I want. Can someone walk me through the correct steps to change the default browser on macOS and make sure all links open in the new browser?

2

Yeah macOS hides this a bit, so it feels more confusing than it is. Here is what you need to check step by step.

  1. Set the system default browser

    1. Click the Apple menu in the top left.
    2. Open System Settings.
    3. Go to Desktop & Dock.
    4. Scroll down to the “Default web browser” dropdown.
    5. Pick your browser from the list, like Chrome, Firefox, Edge, etc.

    If your browser is not listed, open that browser once, let it finish installing or updating, then check again.

  2. Let the browser set itself as default
    Most browsers ask on first launch.

    • Chrome: Settings > Default browser > “Make default”.
    • Firefox: Settings > General > “Make Default”.
    • Edge: Settings > Default browser > “Make default”.

    Do that after you set it in System Settings, it helps avoid weird behavior.

  3. Fix links that still open in Safari
    Here are common culprits:

    • Mail app:
      macOS Mail always uses the system default. If links still open in Safari, your default browser is not set correctly, or another profile or user account is different.

    • Third party mail apps like Outlook, Spark, etc:
      Check inside their settings. Some have their own “Default browser” option and ignore system settings.

    • Slack, Teams, Discord, etc:
      Most follow the system default. If they do not, quit the app completely and reopen it after you change the default browser.

    • Old apps or weird apps:
      Some hardcode Safari. You cannot fix those from your side.

  4. Check for multiple user accounts or profiles

    • If you have another macOS user account, the default browser is per user. Set it again in the account you use.
    • If you use managed profiles from work or school, an IT profile might force Safari.
      Go to System Settings > Privacy & Security > Profiles.
      If there is a profile from work, it might override browser settings. Only IT can change that.

  5. Reset Launch Services if nothing works
    This is more technical but fixes stubborn link issues.

    1. Open Terminal from Applications > Utilities.

    2. Run this line:

      /System/Library/Frameworks/CoreServices.framework/Frameworks/LaunchServices.framework/Support/lsregister -kill -r -domain local -domain system -domain user

    3. Press Enter.

    4. Restart your Mac.

    5. Set the default browser again in System Settings.

  6. Check specific link types

    • http / https links use the default browser.
    • mailto uses your default mail app, not your browser.
    • Some apps open PDFs in Preview or inside the app, not in the browser.

If you share what browser you are switching to and which app still opens Safari, you will get more targeted steps.

3

macOS definitely makes this way weirder than it needs to be. @ombrasilente already covered the “official” path, so I’ll hit the edge cases and the stuff that still leaves links stuck to Safari.

Here are a few things people usually miss:

  1. Check inside Safari itself
    Sometimes Safari quietly grabs default back.

    • Open Safari
    • Go to Safari > Settings > General
    • Look for “Default web browser”
    • If it says Safari, click it and pick your preferred browser
      If this keeps flipping back, something else on the system is fighting you (often work profiles).

  2. Delete old or duplicate browser installs
    If you’ve ever had multiple copies (like Chrome in Applications and another in Downloads), macOS can get confused.

    • Quit all browsers
    • Go to Applications and keep only the one you actually use
    • Empty Trash
    • Reopen your chosen browser and let it ask “Make default?” again

  3. Check for app-specific overrides
    Some apps ignore system default but don’t make it obvious:

    • Zoom: Settings > General > “Use my default browser” should be on
    • Some password managers or launchers have custom URL handlers
      If a specific app is misbehaving, look in its preferences for anything mentioning “browser” or “open links in”.

  4. Test with a clean link source
    To see if the system default is correct, do this:

    • Open TextEdit
    • Type https://apple.com
    • It should auto turn into a link
    • Cmd+click it
      If that still opens Safari, the system default is not actually set or is being forced by a profile.
      If that opens your new browser but, say, Mail does not, then the problem is that specific app.

  5. Check for old “helper” apps
    Things like Chromium-based tools, legacy download managers, or weird “secure browser” stuff from banks or employers can hook into URL handling and mess with defaults.
    If you see any of these installed and you don’t use them, uninstall them and reboot.

  6. Profile / management, but from a different angle
    @ombrasilente mentioned Profiles. I’ll disagree a bit: sometimes there is no explicit browser restriction there, but the profile still ships a config that prefers Safari. In that case, even if you change the default, it may flip back after reboot or login.
    Quick test:

    • Create a temporary local user account
    • Log into that account
    • Set default browser to your choice
    • Test a link
      If it works perfectly there, your main account is either managed or just deeply crufted-up.

  7. Fully remove and reinstall the browser
    This sounds dumb, but it fixes a ton of glitchy behavior.

    • Delete the browser from Applications
    • In Finder, hold Option, click Go > Library
    • Check Application Support, Caches, and Preferences for folders or files with that browser’s name and remove them (only if you’re comfortable doing that)
    • Reinstall the browser fresh
    • Launch it, let it ask to be default, then confirm again in System Settings

If you say which browser you’re switching to and which exact app is still launching Safari, it’s a lot easier to narrow down whether this is a system issue, an app override, or your Mac just being possesed by Steve Jobs’ ghost.

4

Couple of extra angles that @himmelsjager and @ombrasilente did not really dwell on, especially for the “some links still open Safari” part.

1. Check “Open in…” behavior inside browsers and apps
Some browsers let you decide per link behavior, which can look like macOS is ignoring your default:

  • In Chrome‑based browsers, extensions like mail handlers, link shorteners, or meeting plugins can hijack http/https and silently hand them to Safari.
  • In apps like calendar, note‑taking tools, or dev tools, look for options like “Open links using” or “Use system browser” and flip those.

This is different from the system default and survives even after you change macOS settings.

2. Look at URL scheme handlers, not just “default browser”
Safari can stay glued to special schemes:

  • applewebdata: and some file: URLs, or internal Apple help links, almost always open in Safari. That is by design.
  • Some corporate security tools register custom schemes that route into Safari only. You cannot cleanly override those without removing the tool.

So if only some links misbehave, check if they are weird schemes, not normal https.

3. Workspace / automation apps can override defaults silently
If you use:

  • Keyboard Maestro, Raycast, Alfred, LaunchBar
  • “Open URL with…” utilities or browser switchers

these can route certain domains to Safari. Look at their rules or disable them temporarily and test again. People forget these are installed and blame macOS.

4. Per‑browser profiles & “open with specific profile” links
Chrome, Edge, Brave, etc:

  • If you click a link that was created by a specific profile or PWA, it might try to reopen that environment. If that profile was last bound to Safari via a helper, you get odd routing.
  • Try creating a new profile in your chosen browser, set it as default inside that browser, then test links there.

5. When nothing makes sense, log what is actually opening the URL
Advanced, but very telling:

  1. Open Console app.
  2. In the search box, type LSOpenURL or default web browser.
  3. Click a link that wrongly opens Safari.
  4. Watch which process is requesting the open and how LaunchServices resolves it.

This helps you see if:

  • The app itself is hardcoded to Safari.
  • A helper tool is intercepting.
  • LaunchServices is actually still mapped to Safari for that URL type.

6. About “reset everything with a big Terminal nuke”
I slightly disagree with jumping to the LaunchServices reset that was suggested. It works, but it also flushes a lot of app associations that you might actually like (e.g. which app opens ZIPs, PDFs, etc). I would only do that after you:

  • Confirmed no management profile is in play.
  • Removed or disabled helper utilities and browser switchers.
  • Cleaned duplicate browser installs.

Otherwise you fix the symptom but not the cause, and the problem can come back.

7. Pros & cons of sticking firmly to a single default browser setup

Pros

  • Predictable behavior: every normal link goes where you expect.
  • Easier troubleshooting: if something opens Safari, you immediately know it is an exception.
  • Cleaner user profile: fewer broken associations, especially across sync on multiple Macs.

Cons

  • You lose some of the power of multi‑browser workflows, like opening dev sites in one browser and personal stuff in another.
  • Some specialized apps or banking tools are actually happier in Safari, so forcing everything into one browser can cause issues there.
  • If you rely on specific Safari‑only features (like some iCloud‑integrated stuff), you may need to manually copy links into Safari instead of it happening automatically.

Compared to what @himmelsjager and @ombrasilente already laid out (system settings, profiles, reinstall, Safari grabbing default), the extra value here is mostly: hunting down app‑level overrides, URL scheme quirks, and advanced diagnostics. If you post which exact app and what kind of link is still launching Safari, you can usually nail it down to one of those in a minute or two.