Firefox is exploring new ways to get people hooked on its browser faster by setting it as the default web browser upon installation. The experiment uses an attribution campaign to set Firefox, which continues to be considered one of the best web browsers, as the default web browser without requiring the additional step of changing the default browser in Windows. Once you download the browser, Firefox will be your default web browser if you use the set_default_browser campaign.
Mozilla mentions this in a bug note titled “Support for setting Firefox as default based on installer attribution campaigns.” “This patch adds a startup idle task that sets the browser as default if the attribution campaign ID “set_default_browser” is present on the first run. This patch supports an upcoming experiment where users will have the option to “download as default” from the stub installer marketing page.
Windows Reports has published comments about the installation process, stating that Firefox will automatically select options such as pinning to the taskbar, setting Firefox as the default browser, and importing from previous browser. If you select the option to set Firefox as the default browser, Windows Settings will automatically open and prompt you to change the settings.
Essentially, this is just a way to avoid getting lost in Windows Settings after installation. Users may not know how to change their default web browser. Or, they may forget to change it altogether. While this change seems harmless, it’s a pretty bold move in an increasingly contentious field where Edge, Chrome, Firefox, and others are vying for prominent position on PCs. Microsoft in particular has made many attempts to weaponize control over Windows to sway people away from other browsers, something Mozilla has criticized in the past.
“More can be done to respect Windows’ default browser choice. People should be able to set defaults easily and hassle-free, and all operating systems should offer official developer support for the default state,” a Mozilla spokesperson said a while ago.
