How to Change the Default Browser on Android

Android opens links in Chrome unless you tell it otherwise. You will install another browser, then set it as the default in Settings.

Install the browser you want

Open the Play Store, search for the browser, and tap Install. Open it once so it finishes setting up. A browser has to be installed before it can appear in the default list.

Open Default apps

Open Settings, tap Apps, then tap Default apps. On some phones Default apps sits behind a three-dot menu at the top of the Apps screen.

Tap Browser app

Tap Browser app. A list of every installed browser appears, with the current default selected.

Pick the new browser

Tap the browser you want. The selection is saved immediately and there is no confirmation button. Go back to leave Settings.

Test a link

Open a link from a text message or email. It should open in the new browser. If a link still opens somewhere else, the app that sent it is using its own in-app browser (see below).

On Samsung phones. The path is Settings, Apps, Choose default apps, Browser app. Samsung Internet is preinstalled and listed alongside Chrome and anything you installed.

Some links still open elsewhere. The Google app and many social apps open links in their own in-app browser regardless of the default, and links to sites that have a matching app (for example YouTube) open in that app. Chrome itself stays installed. It can be disabled under Settings, Apps, Chrome, Disable, but on most phones it cannot be removed, and a few system features still rely on it.