Google working on one-click option for Chrome browser

Jul 30, 2022 08:35 GMT  ·  By

The way to configure a new default browser in the modern versions of Windows has long been a very, very controversial topic.

Microsoft made the whole thing surprisingly difficult, at one point requiring users to change the default app for every file format that is typically associated with a browser.

In the meantime, the Redmond-based software giant resolved the nightmare, making it a lot easier to enable a third-party browser as the default option on Windows.

Mozilla was one of the first to update its browser with an option in this regard, and now it looks like Google is working on a similar improvement for Chrome as well.

Reddit user Leopeva64-2 has discovered a recent commit in Gerrit which seems to indicate that Google is working on a way to make the process of setting Chrome as the default browser on Windows more convenient. As Leopeva62-2 explains, it’s not clear right now if Google wants to offer a built-in option in this regard or not.

New option in development

According to the commit, Google wants an option that would handle all file associations and URL protocols automatically, therefore eliminating the need of manually setting Chrome as the default application for each of them.

“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,” it reads.

Needless to say, it could take a while until this new option goes live, as Google is still in the early development stages at this point. There’s no ETA as to when it could be introduced in Google Chrome, but without a doubt, this should happen sooner rather than later given Chrome is the number one browser on Windows right now.