How to change Edge default browser settings | Q&A with Patrick Marshall (2024)

Q: I am a Microsoft 365 subscriber and I love it. However,after an automatic update from Microsoft, Edge often becomes my default browser. I use and prefer Chrome.I have tried many workarounds to uninstall Edge, including those on MS forums, but they don’t seem to work. I am able to make Chrome my default browser again, but when I receive and click on links, they default to Edge. Any ideas?

— Marv Scott

A: It is likely that while you’ve specified Chrome as your default web browser, Microsoft Edge is still specified as the default program to open certain types of files and links. To fix that, open the Control Panel and launch Default Programs. Scroll down to Chrome and click on it. You’ll then see a list of all the file types and links that Chrome is set to open. For any entries that show Microsoft Edge as the default program, change the entry to Chrome.

For context, here is Microsoft’s answer: “Microsoft Edge is the web browser recommended by Microsoft and is the default web browser for Windows. Because Windows supports applications that rely on the web platform, our default web browser is an essential component of our operating system and can’t be uninstalled.”

Microsoft also highlights that Edge gives users full control over importing personal data from other browsers. In addition, Windows users can download and install other browsers and change their default browser at any time, the company adds.

Q: I have two problems renaming folders. First, when I highlight a folder and click “Rename Folder,” nothing happens. I found a solution to this online which is to go to the task manager and restart Windows File Manager. However, this solution is only temporary and occasionally has to be repeated. After this problem has been fixed, when I highlight a folder and click “Rename Folder” the focus jumps to the folder above. So, when I want to rename a folder, I have to highlight the folder beneath the one I actually want to rename. I have found no mention of this online. I have two HP laptops running Windows 11 with all updates installed, and they both have these two problems.

— Neil Christensen

A: This is a glitch, for which Microsoft doesn’t appear to have a definite fix.

Try one of the following options. Make sure no program has an open folder. Confirm that you’re running the latest version of Windows. If not, update and see if the problem remains. Run Microsoft’s System File Checker. The instructions are available online.

Finally, it may be malware or a misbehaving program that is causing the problem.

If you still have the issue after taking these steps, here are a couple of potential workarounds.

Instead of selecting “Rename,” try clicking on “Properties” after right-clicking on the file name. Change the name of the file in the Properties window, and it should stick.

Other users have found that they have the problem you describe when Windows desktop is configured to show a slideshow. Setting it to show a static image may solve the problem.

Q: In a previous column, you addressed a question from a reader who wanted to move away from Comcast as internet service provider but wanted to keep using her @comcast.net email address. You spoke to Xfinity and learned that @comcast email accounts remain active as long as they are accessed through the website at least once every 90 days. Could you please obtain such information from CenturyLink?

— Julie and Michael Smith, Bainbridge Island

A: According to Mark Molzen, global issues director at Lumen, owner of CenturyLink, “the customer will not lose email account access at all when moving or disconnecting. They will need to simply log in once within 365 days of disconnecting to keep the email address active.”