How to Change Default Browser on Mac (Support All OS Versions)

October 12, 2019Nicole Jones

As you know, Safari is the default browser on Mac. When you click a link in an email, document or elsewhere, Safari will open the webpage automatically. This is the main difference between the default browser and common browsers.

If you want to open the specific site with Google Chrome or Firefox, you can copy and paste URL in the address bar directly. But if you want to make the certain browser as your first choice, you need to change default browser on Mac. Here're workable ways to set default browser from Safari to Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Vivaldi and more.

Set default browser on Mac

Part 1: How to Change Default Browser on Mac with General Preferences

Thanks to the newer Apple OS updates, you can get one more way to set default browser on Mac. There is no need to open Safari to change a new web browser. Just read and check.

How to Change Default Browser in Mac OS X EI Capitan/Yosemite/High Sierra/Mojave

Step 1. Choose "System Preferences" from the "Apple" drop-down menu.

Step 2. Click "General" in the first place. A new "General" window pops up.

Step 3. In the "Default web browser" section, browse and change default browser on Mac High Sierra or more.

Change default browser on Mac High Sierra

How to Change Default Browser in Mac OS X Mavericks or Earlier

Step 1. Run the Safari app on Mac.

Step 2. Unfold the "Safari" list. Select "Preferences" to access Safari preferences.

Step 3. Head to the "General" page.

Step 4. Set default browser on Mac next to "Default web browser".

Step 5. Close the Preferences window. Then exit Safari.

Set default browser on Mac OX Mavericks

Part 2: How to Change Default Browser on Mac with Each Browser Settings

No matter which browser you open, you will be asked whether to set it as default browser with a pop-up window. Once you confirm it, the browser will finish the left job automatically. Thus, you can change default browser to Chrome or Firefox on Mac easily.

Step 1.
Launch Google Chrome on Mac.
Step 2.
Click the Chrome icon on the top. Then select "Preferences" from its list.
Step 3.
Go ahead to the "Default Browser" section.
Step 4.
Click "Make Default" to set Chrome as default browser on Mac.
Set Chrome as default browser on Mac

How to Make Firefox as Default Browser on Mac

Step 1.
Run Firefox on Mac.
Step 2.
Choose "Preferences" from the "Firefox" drop-down menu.
Step 3.
Select "General" in the left pane.
Step 4.
You can see "Firefox isn't currently your default browser" in the page. Click "Make Default" to change default browser on Mac with Firefox.
Set firefox as default browser

Bonus Tips: Delete Browsing History and Make Your Browser Run Fast

You can set Mac default browser as Chrome or Firefox via the above steps. If you decide to stop using one browser any more, you can uninstall the browser to free up more space. Be aware that dragging and dropping its icon to Trash is not enough. Others can still access your Safari cache and cookies.

To uninstall safari and delete related data on Mac thoroughly, Aiseesoft Mac Cleaner is your smart choice. You can clean up Safari data like search history, downloads, cookies and more in clicks. Of course, you can delete Google Chrome and Firefox data to protect privacy too. What's more, you can monitor system performance and get all junk files removed to speed up the browser on Mac easily.

Aiseesoft Mac Cleaner

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  • Delete Safari/Chrome/Firefox data flexibly.
  • Uninstall Safari and any browser, as well as all related logs and files.
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  • Monitor Mac performance, such as disk utilization, battery status, memory performance and CPU usage.
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Step 1.
Launch Mac Cleaner. You can check Mac status in the "Status" section. To set default browser on Mac without unnecessary files, you can click "Cleaner" to access the built-in Mac cleaning tools.
Launch Mac Cleaner
Step 2.
Click "Scan" to scan for all system caches, application caches and more. Later, click "View" to have a check.
Scan system junk
Step 3.
You can type the name of the browser in the built-in search engine. Press "Enter" on keyboard to see all browser data. Click "Clean" to delete the selected data.
Clean up safari on mac
Step 4.
If you want to get rid of Safari on Mac, you can choose "Uninstall" in the "Toolkit". By the way, you can uninstall Safari and delete all related files with ease.
Run app uninstaller on mac

As you can see, you can change default browser on Mac easily, no matter which operating system you are running. If you are tired of the certain browser, you can set Safari as default browser on Mac again. Whatever, you can clean up Mac and delete browser data with Aiseesoft Mac Cleaner regularly to keep faster running speed.

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