Microsoft 365: Setting Default Apps

Microsoft 365: Setting Default Apps

This article applies to Microsoft 365, Cloud PC and Innessco Hosted Desktop.

Table of Contents

• Key Points
• Detailed Process

Key Points 

Microsoft products include Microsoft default apps. You may prefer to use different apps as your default - such as Google Chrome instead of Microsoft Edge as your browser. This article will show how to change to Adobe Acrobat Reader and Google Chrome from the default Microsoft Edge.

Step 1. 

Select the Start button, and then type Default apps.  In the search results, select Default apps.

This will open the Default apps page in the Settings menu.

Step 2. 

Scroll down until you see the "Set defaults by app" option and choose that. You will see all apps installed, listed in alphabetical order. 

Step 3. 

Click your preferred and installed Adobe Acrobat product (e.g. Reader/DC/Pro) and choose "Manage". 

From here you can choose your preferred app as the default for each PDF file type extension. In the below example the default PDF viewer is Microsoft Edge. Click the app and a menu of alternative apps will appear. 

Choose your preferred and navigate back to the "Set defaults by app" menu.

Step 4. 

Scroll to the Google Chrome app and choose "Manage".

Any file extension options that show a different browser to Google Chrome, change the option to Google Chrome. The below example has Chrome, Edge and Internet Explorer.

Once complete, navigate out of the settings menu. This process can also be applied to other installed apps.

Detailed Process

Step 1. 

Select the Start button, and then type Default apps.

In the search results, select Default apps. 

This will open the Default apps page in the Settings menu.

Step 2.

Scroll down until you see the "Set defaults by app" option and choose that.

You will see all apps installed, listed in alphabetical order. 

Step 3.

Click your preferred and installed Adobe Acrobat product (e.g. Reader/DC/Pro) and choose "Manage".

From here you can choose your preferred app as the default for each PDF file type extension. 

In the below example the default PDF viewer is Microsoft Edge. 

Click the app and a menu of alternative apps will appear. 

Choose your preferred and navigate back to the "Set defaults by app" menu.

Step 4.

Scroll to the Google Chrome app and choose "Manage".

Any file extension options that show a different browser to Google Chrome, change the option to Google Chrome. 

The below example has Chrome, Edge and Internet Explorer.

Once complete, navigate out of the settings menu. This process can also be applied to other installed apps.