28.12.2020

Set App Defaults Mac

From documents, resumes to books, PDF is a pretty standard file format. Mac’s default PDF viewer is Preview. But you can easily change the default PDF viewer on Mac in just a few clicks.

Find a file with the format you like to change the default app for in Finder on your Mac. Right click or Control-click on it, select Get Info from the drop-down menu. In the Open with section, click the expand the drop-down menu and change another program, then click Change All button. If you've been around this site for a while, you know that the 'defaults' command in Terminal can do a lot. It can set many hidden settings and preferences in Mac OS X, and in individual applications. Mathias Bynens has posted a long list of these commands on github. I haven't looked closely, but I'm willing to bet that some of them haven't. While the likes of Mail, iTunes and Safari are set as the default applications on your Mac - meaning they launch automatically when you open an email, audio file or web link - it's easy to give.

Preview is great for viewing PDFs and basic annotating. However, it lacks a few features. To modify the text or to fill forms, you will need a sophisticated PDF editor app, and making them the default PDF viewer will save both time and energy.

How to Set the Default PDF Viewer in macOS Catalina

If you have downloaded an alternative PDF viewer on your Mac, the app might have prompted you to become the default application. So, before we move on, let’s first check what is a default PDF reader on your Mac.

Check the Default PDF Viewer on Mac

Step #1. Lookup a PDF file on your Mac and right-click or tap it with two fingers.

Step #2. Hover the cursor on Open With and observe the dialogue box that appears.

The first option in the listing will have (default) written behind the app. This signifies that the app is currently the default PDF viewer on your Mac.

Slack app mac proxy. Now that we have discovered it, let’s get down to switching the default PDF viewer.

To Change Default PDF Viewer on Mac

Step #1. Tap the PDF file with two fingers or right-click to invoke the contextual menu.

Step #2. Move the cursor to Get Info and click.

Step #3. In the pop-up window, look for the “Open With:” menu. If the tab is closed, expand it by clicking on the small grey arrow beside it.

Step #4. Here, click on the drop-down menu and select the application you prefer.

Step #5. Once selected, click on Change All… button to make it default.

Step #6. Click Continue to confirm.

And now, when you check the default PDF viewer on Mac, it will have the app you set.

That’s All

Do note that this method does not just apply to PDF files. This indeed is the way to change the default app of any kind of file. So, go ahead, mix, match, and play!

And as far as file formats go, PDF is amongst the most popular and secure document formats out there. And thankfully Mac carries a variety of features to accommodate the format, such as:-

A self-professed Geek who loves to explore all things Apple. I thoroughly enjoy discovering new hacks, troubleshooting issues, and finding and reviewing the best products and apps currently available. My expertise also includes curating opinionated and honest editorials. If not this, you might find me surfing the web or listening to audiobooks.

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Safari is the default browser in macOS and has been ever since Apple first built its own web browser. Before that, for a while, it was Internet Explorer — but the less said about that the better, and before that, it was Netscape Navigator. Remember that?

Safari is a perfectly good web browser and offers most of the features of its competitor web browsers, including autofill for forms and credit card details, secure password storage, and the ability to request that websites do not track you. Given Apple’s recent focus on privacy, it’s not unlikely that Safari will soon be the best option all around for Mac users who want to surf the net securely.

However, there are perfectly good reasons why you might want to use a different browser. Performance is one of them. While Safari is pretty speedy, for some users in some circumstances it’s slower than Chrome or Firefox. Or it might be that there are extensions you need that are only available in Chrome, or perhaps a website you use regularly doesn’t work properly in Safari. So, here's how to open a different browser on Mac and set it default.

What is a default web browser?

Before we get to how to change your default web browser, it’s worth considering what a default web browser is and does. Put simply, it’s the web browser that opens a link when you click on it in an email or other document. If you use Spotlight and click on a result from the web, it will open in your default browser. In fact, any task that opens a URL will be performed in that web browser. It doesn’t mean, of course, that you can’t use other browsers to surf the net.

So, if you just need to access specific sites in Chrome or Firefox, you don’t need to change your default browser. Even if Safari is your default browser, you can open any link in another browser, by holding down the Control key when you click on it and selecting Copy Link, then paste it in the address bar of any browser you like.

Clearing cache and cookies can remove outdated information and fix possible bugs on websites. CleanMyMac X automates the cleanup: it lets you clear all browsing data at the touch of a button. Additionally, you can run a full system scan to optimize and maintain your macOS. It's free to try the app, so you don't lose anything!

How to set the default browser on Mac through System Preferences

Apple changed the way you set the default browser in OS X Yosemite and it has remained the same since then. Previously, as you’ll see below, you had to open Safari to, say, make Google Chrome the default browser. As Apple realized, eventually, that’s plain daft. Here’s how to do it now.

Click on the Apple menu and select System Preferences.
Choose the General tab.
Just over halfway down, there’s a menu next to the “Default web browser.” Click on it and choose the browser you want to set as the default.

How to change the default web browser from the browser's settings

Every browser wants to be the default — it’s the most obvious way to increase user numbers. And so whenever you open a browser that’s not the default, you’ll see a pop-up window asking if you want to set it as your browser of choice. If you choose so, it will change the System Preferences setting and position itself as the default.

If you refuse and later decide you want to make it the default, after all, that’s easy too. Here’s how you do it in some of the more popular browsers for macOS.

Safari

Launch the Safari browser.
Go to the Safari menu and choose Preferences.
In the general tab, press the Set Default button.
Press Use 'Safari' to confirm.

Chrome

To make Chrome the default browser, first of all, launch it.
Click on the Chrome menu and select Preferences.
On the web page that opens, scroll down until you see the 'Default browser.'
Click 'Make default' and confirm.

Firefox

Launch Firefox.
In the Firefox menu, click Preferences.
At the top of the page, you should see “General” and underneath it, a message saying that Firefox isn’t currently your default browser. To the right of that, click Make Default.

If you want to change your default browser to any other browser not mentioned in this article, you can take a similar route: browser menu > Preferences > Make (Set) default.

3 quick tips to make your browser faster

Whichever web browser you use, there are some tips you should remember in order to keep it running optimally.

1. Always use the most up-to-date version.

Safari updates with macOS system updates, so make sure you install system updates when they become available. Most browsers automatically update themselves when you close and reopen them. But if you keep them open permanently, they won’t update. So the easiest way to keep them updated is to quit them every now and again.

How To Change A Default App

2. Don’t keep lots of tabs open at once.

Open tabs, even those that are hidden, consume RAM, processor cycles, and energy. The more you have open, the slower your Mac will become. So close tabs you no longer need.

3. Keep your Mac clean of junk

Unnecessary files, including cache, cookies, language files, and old updates can slow down your whole system, as they take more and more space. The simplest way to get rid of them is to use a dedicated app like CleanMyMac X. To quickly delete useless files on your Mac, follow the steps:

Download CleanMyMac X and launch it.
Click Smart Scan.
Click Run.