When I click on a link in a web site or an e-mail, it sometimes opens in Firefox and other times it’s Internet Explorer. How do I make it so Firefox opens everything? Question: Is there a way I can instruct my computer to open the clicked site on Firefox as much as possible. If you answer this question, please cover XP and Win 7.
James, this is not a difficult problem to solve. All you really need to do is tell your computer that you want Firefox to open all your links and not another browser. To do this, you need to make Firefox your default browser.
Making Firefox Your Default Browser
Initially, this is done in the options menu of the browser itself, so the instructions for this are the same for both Windows 7 and Windows XP. Here’s how to do it.
Open Firefox and click Tools and then Options from the top of your window.
In the pop-up menu that follows, select the Advanced tab, and click the Check Now button to see if Firefox is already set as your default browser.
If Firefox is not set as your default browser, you will be given the option to change it, and this will likely solve your problem. However, if Firefox is already your default browser, follow the steps below.
Making Firefox a Default Program in Windows 7
Click on the Start button and open the Control Panel
When the Control Panel opens, click Programs
On the next menu, click Set your default programs.
On the following screen, find Firefox in the alphabetical list of programs that are listed on the left hand side. Click Firefox to highlight it, and then click the option that says Set this program as default. Now click OK and close the Control Panel window.
Making Firefox a Default Program in Windows XP
Click on the Start button and open the Control Panel
When the Control Panel opens, double click Add/Remove Programs
On the left hand side of the Add or Remove Programs window, click Set Program Access and Defaults, select the Custom option, and then click the double arrows on the right hand side.
Under the heading, Choose a default Web browser, click Mozilla Firefox, and then click OK. Firefox is now your default Internet browser on Windows XP.
Thanks for the question, James. I hope this cleared everything up for you.
~Jonathan Wylie
