Coolware BrowserSwitch

The Safe, Simple Way to Switch Browsers

The default browser is the Web browser on your PC that is automatically launched when an Internet link is clicked in a document or application There are many ways to launch a Web browser on a PC, including:

Starting the browser directly from the Start Menu or Desktop icon;

Double-clicking on an HTML file on your hard disk;

Clicking on a hyperlink in a program other than a Web browser, such as an Email client like Eudora;

Using the 'Run' command in the Start Menu and typing a Web URL;

Typing a URL into Explorer;

Double-clicking on an Internet Shortcut.

The default browser may also be the Web browser that is launched when your PC starts up.

Why is the default browser important?
There are two answers to this. The first concernsyou as a PC user. Having a default browser setting saves time and allows you to better integrate other applications with your Web browser. For example, clicking on an Internet shortcut will launch your default browser and send it to that URL. You won't have to startup the browser application from the Start menu and then type in the URL You receive an email message from a friend recommending a Web site. Your friend provides you with a URL link in the message. By clicking on the URL link your default browser is launched and goes to the URL.

The second answer applies to the Web browser vendors. The default browser is the most used browser on your PC. There are opportunities to convey commercial messages to you and to guide you to Web destinations. The browser vendor is trying to get you to watch only their TV channel.

How to change the default browser
As mentioned above the browser vendors - Netscape and Microsoft - have a commercial interest in making sure their browser is the default. Therefore, they have not made it easy to switch default browser. Click here to see the documentation Netscape provides on how to change the default browser. BrowserSwitch, from Coolware, makes it easy to switch default browsers.