Set Chrome as Default Browser from Command Line

By  on  

Whenever I see a desktop GUI to accomplish a given web-related task, I'm dying to know the underlying operating system interaction to accomplish the same feat.  Many of the GUIs I use are just a front for a command line utility for that more experienced developers would use.

I set out to find the command line script for setting the system's default browser on OS X but apparently there isn't one, but I did find a command line script for setting Chrome as the default browser:

open -a "Google Chrome" --args --make-default-browser

The script above opens Google Chrome and asks for confirmation that you'd like to make it the default browser.  I'm not aware of what command line scripts would make other browsers the default browser, and I'm a bit annoyed that there isn't a single script to do so!

Recent Features

  • By
    Conquering Impostor Syndrome

    Two years ago I documented my struggles with Imposter Syndrome and the response was immense.  I received messages of support and commiseration from new web developers, veteran engineers, and even persons of all experience levels in other professions.  I've even caught myself reading the post...

  • By
    Being a Dev Dad

    I get asked loads of questions every day but I'm always surprised that they're rarely questions about code or even tech -- many of the questions I get are more about non-dev stuff like what my office is like, what software I use, and oftentimes...

Incredible Demos

  • By
    Camera and Video Control with HTML5

    Client-side APIs on mobile and desktop devices are quickly providing the same APIs.  Of course our mobile devices got access to some of these APIs first, but those APIs are slowly making their way to the desktop.  One of those APIs is the getUserMedia API...

  • By
    Drag and Drop MooTools File Uploads

    Honesty hour confession:  file uploading within the web browser sucks.  It just does.  Like the ugly SELECT element, the file input is almost unstylable and looks different on different platforms.  Add to those criticism the fact that we're all used to drag and drop operations...

Discussion

  1. Too bad that still prompts you to accept the make default browser action/choice. That kind of detracts from the ability to fully automate system provisioning for instance. :(

  2. Danie

    Or simply go here:

    OS X Yosemite:
    1 – From the Apple menu, choose System Preferences, then click General.
    2 – Click the “Default web browser” pop-up menu and choose a web browser, like Safari.

    OS X Mavericks or earlier:
    1 – Open Safari from the Applications folder, Dock, or Launchpad.
    2 – From the Safari menu, choose Preferences.
    3 – Click the General button.
    4 – Choose a web browser from the “Default web browser” pop-up menu, like Safari.

Wrap your code in <pre class="{language}"></pre> tags, link to a GitHub gist, JSFiddle fiddle, or CodePen pen to embed!