How to Make Mozilla Firefox the Default

When you click links in non-browser applications, Windows launches your default Web browser. Likewise, when you create desktop shortcuts to Internet locations, these shortcuts are associated with the default browser. By default, the default Web browser in Windows is Internet Explorer. You can configure Firefox to be the default Web browser instead. Additionally, you can make Firefox maintain this default status, should another program try to override your selection.

Instructions

1. Open Firefox and press the "Alt" key to expose the menu bar, if it is not already visible.

2. Click "Tools" in the top menu bar, and select "Options." Alternatively, if you have Firefox 4, you can click the top, left "Firefox" button, and select "Options" from there.

3. Click the "Advanced" tab, and then click the "General" sub-tab.

4. Click "Check Now" under the "System Defaults" section, and select "Yes" to the confirmation window to set Firefox as your default Web browser.

5. Check "Always check to see if Firefox is the default browser on startup" under the "System Defaults" section, and click "OK." This makes Firefox re-establish itself as the default web browser, if another program tries to override your selection.