Change default web browser in Visual Studio

Question

I'm trying to change the default browser to Chrome at VS Community 2015, I'm not talking about release browser, but the browser that opens when I press CTRL-Click. It opens automatically on Internet Explorer.

Grubman

What does "CTRL-Press" mean in terms of keyboard keys? – Trill

@UweKeim I think OP means opening links (e.g. in comments or string literals) – Fogged

i meant CTRL-Click , thanks and it means that i press on a link in VS – Grubman

I have the same issue in VS2015 Enterprise; e.g., ctrl-click a link in a README.txt from GitHub produces the page but it gives the warning about it being opened in IE instead of using Microsoft Edge. Looking under "Tools > Options > Environment > Web Browser" the note at the bottom states clicking the [Internet Explorer Options...] button will "affect both Internet Explorer and the internal web browser." That implies that VS is using its own internal browser -- apparently a wrap of IE. :-( – Raver

Answer 1

Click the drop down icon next to "Start" project button and choose your web browser

Thundery

The question is not about debugging. But still the first result I found in google and answered my question :) 1+ from me. – Shapiro

After a lot of frustration I finally found someting that works, thanks – Manservant

OMG +1 Microsoft for putting functionality where it SHOULD be, but users still unable to find it. – Detest

I might not be clear from the other comments, but this is an answer to a different question. The question is about the internal VS browser, but the answer is about the browser used for debugging apps. – Shadow

Someone should really remove this answer. The number of votes gives a false impression that it successfully answers the question when it is completely unrelated. Ironically, this question is the first Google result I found when trying to find this answer, which is also poor SEO. – Baptistry

This doesn't answer the OP question. – Flutist

Answer 2

To change the source default editor:

Tools -> Options -> Search for "browser" -> View Source in "external editor" -> put the path to your preferred.

Evidentiary

Thank you. Your answer was what i was looking for. Now VS2019 is using Chrome as the default browser. – Glenda

usually chrome.exe can be found in <your default drive >:\Program Files\Google\Chrome\Application. – Botha

Answer 3

This is how:

Right-click your html file -> Browse with -> Click on your favorite browser -> Set as Default.

Note that the next time you'd right-click your html file, you'd still see it says: "View in Browser (Internet Explorer)", but clicking it will actually browse with the default browser we set above.

Metagnathous

Answer 4

In my Visual Studio 2019, I clicked on the dropdown next to the green arrow > hover over Web Browser > select any browsers in my system. Then when I build project it opens the project with, for me, Firefox.

Dicot

Answer 5

To set "Google Chrome" as default browser in visual studio 2022

• Click the drop down next to "Start" project button
• Click on "Browse with"
• You may find only "Internal Web Browser" & "Microsoft Edge"
• Click "Add" to introduce "Chrome" as browser
• Find the location of "Chrome" ex : C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs
• Select "Google Chrome"
• Click "OK" in dialogue box
• Select "Google Chrome" & Click "Set as Default" in dialogue

Now when you click Start button application will appear in Chrome browser.

Proximity

the dropdown list here contains only "Start" and the app's properties. I have installed VS 2022 community, only with .NET and UWP, no Nuget-Packages so far. My app opens IE, but has an error. (It worked from VS 2017, also on IE). Do you have an idea what could be missing? Thanks! It is a browser app (WPF), not an ASP. – Fulmination

This doesn't answer the OP question. – Flutist

Answer 6

Are you guys having trouble with multiple browser profiles?

1. Click on Browse With... in the Start dropdown
2. Click on Add and add the browser with profile arguments Add browser with profile
3. Set it as default 🎉

(VS version: 17.7.3)

Cain

Answer 7

click the arrow near the run button it will show dropdown list chose web browser and it will show dropdown List chose any browser that you want to make it as default

Dordrecht

Your answer could be improved with additional supporting information. Please edit to add further details, such as citations or documentation, so that others can confirm that your answer is correct. You can find more information on how to write good answers in the help center. – Butyrin

Answer 8

None of this produces the result of changing the Browser used by VS to view an html file from View -> Other Windows -> Web Browser.

Options shows path to Edge but does not actually work. Still attempts to use IE resulting in url "https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/" being loaded into VS.

OR may I am just dense and am unable to read or follow what has been stated here.

Ravenna

This does not provide an answer to the question. Once you have sufficient reputation you will be able to comment on any post; instead, provide answers that don't require clarification from the asker. - From Review – Sthilaire

Answer 9

in visual studio 2022 Click the drop down next to "Start" project button and click on "Browse with" and choose your default browser

Rid

Can confirm that this works across projects and Visual Studio sessions, in VS 2019 as well. – Freak

This doesn't answer the OP question. – Flutist

Answer 10

Sometimes the view in browser will not be available in context menu. Follow instructions in How to add the view in browser option back into Visual Studio 2017 context menu? and then come back to this

Proportioned

Answer 11

This worked for Visual Studio 2022, as the other answers did not fix the problem.

Go to Debug > Options > Accounts In Sign-in options, first dropdown: change Embedded Browser to System Web Browser

Yttria

Answer 12

After spending 5 minutes searching online and not finding what I want, I dug into the Visual Studio interface and found it:

The internal web browser in Visual Studio 2019 (at least), is in View => Other Windows => Web Browser, or CTRL+ALT+R on Windows.

EDIT: According to the Microsoft Documentation, you can send the web browser command to devenv directly using nav, i.e.

devenv /command "nav https://learn.microsoft.com/"

Rainwater