How to automate setting Chrome as default browser in Windows 10

I've tried setting default in the reg keys:

hkeycu>software>microsoft>windows>shell>associations>urlassociations>http and https.

Tried using master_preference file.

Tried using command switch --make-default-browser.

So far these aren't working.

Any help would be appreciated. Open to any to batch files, registry keys, file replacements/edits... basically anything I can automate.

Solution 1:

Have you tried making a .vbs file to set Chrome as the default browser automatically?

Set WshShell = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
WshShell.Run "%windir%\system32\control.exe /name Microsoft.DefaultPrograms /page pageDefaultProgram\pageAdvancedSettings?pszAppName=google%20chrome"
WScript.Sleep 1200
WshShell.SendKeys "{TAB}"
WshShell.SendKeys " "
WshShell.SendKeys "{TAB}"
WshShell.SendKeys "{TAB}"
WshShell.SendKeys " "
WScript.Quit

Reference: comment by user "Raz" in Making IE the default browser in Windows 10 during OSD

Solution 2:

To change default browser in Windows 10 try the tool from Christoph Kolbicz - https://kolbi.cz/blog/2017/11/10/setdefaultbrowser-set-the-default-browser-per-user-on-windows-10-and-server-2016-build-1607/.

Launched SetDefaultBrowser.exe HKLM "Google Chrome" and it worked fine for me.

Solution 3:

Here is the PowerShell version of the Judy Li / Raz solution:

function Set-ChromeAsDefaultBrowser {
    Add-Type -AssemblyName 'System.Windows.Forms'
    Start-Process $env:windir\system32\control.exe -ArgumentList '/name Microsoft.DefaultPrograms /page pageDefaultProgram\pageAdvancedSettings?pszAppName=google%20chrome'
    Sleep 2
    [System.Windows.Forms.SendKeys]::SendWait("{TAB} {TAB}{TAB} ")
}

Solution 4:

The answer from Judy Li still worked for me on 2021-01-04 with the latest windows 10 built. However, I had to update the the number of tab's and sleep commands.

The updated steps are:

1. Create a VBS files with the code below
2. Open folder shell:startup with [win]+[r] or file explorer
3. Store the file in the startup folder to execute the script with each restart

VBS Code

Set WshShell = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")

' Open the default settings window
WshShell.Run "%windir%\system32\control.exe /name Microsoft.DefaultPrograms /page pageDefaultProgram\pageAdvancedSettings?pszAppName=google%20chrome"
WScript.Sleep 5000 ' Wait until open (adjust if necessary)

' Adjust number of tabs until you reach the browser choice setting
WshShell.SendKeys "{TAB}" 
WshShell.SendKeys "{TAB}"
WshShell.SendKeys "{TAB}"
WshShell.SendKeys "{TAB}"
WshShell.SendKeys "{TAB}"

' Open the browser choice menu
WshShell.SendKeys " " 
WScript.Sleep 500 ' Wait until open

WshShell.SendKeys "{TAB}" ' Move down one selection
WshShell.SendKeys " " ' Set current selection as default browser

WScript.Sleep 500 ' Wait until open
' Uncomment the line below to outomatically close the settings window
' WshShell.SendKeys "%{F4}" 
WScript.Quit