Solved FF is default browser, yet some links still open in EDGE


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PhilB

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In the Windows "Stories" widget, which includes the local weather, all the stories open in EDGE. FF is the default browser for all related extensions, changed from the MS default of EDGE.

Here is a screenshot

1786218829603.webp
 
Windows Build/Version
26200.8903

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Windows 11 2H25
Computer type
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DIY
CPU
AMD 9900X
Motherboard
MSI X870E Carbon
Memory
64 GB
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AMD 9070 XT
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built-in
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Dell 24"
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Das Keyboard 4
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Corsair M65 (white)
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Also have Lenovo T14S laptop (me) and Lenovo Slim 71 (wife)
There are certain links that are unique to Edge on purpose, such as mhtml, hxt, hxtml. This is why I do not remove Edge from my system. Edge is needed to display some help pages.

Look in Settings...Apps....Default Apps and then select Firefox, you will see that, even when FF is set as the default, Edge is still listed for some protocols. I use Brave, but your results will be similar.

1786219646717.webp
 

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    Windows 11 Pro 26H2 26300.9550
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    Acemagic LX15PRO
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    AMD Ryzen 7 5825U with Radeon Graphics
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    Brave
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    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 22631.2506Atom N450 1.66GHz2GB
    Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 22631.2506
    Computer type
    Laptop
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    HP Mini 210-1090NR PC (bought in late 2009!)
    CPU
    Atom N450 1.66GHz
    Memory
    2GB
    Browser
    Brave
    Antivirus
    Webroot
  • Acer Swift SF114-34 laptop
    OS Windows 11 Pro 26200.8894
    CPU Pentium Silver N6000
    RAM 4GB
    BIOS v1.17
    SSD Samsung 970 EVO Plus SSD 2TB (an upgrade)
kelper said:
There are certain links that are unique to Edge on purpose, such as mhtmls, hxt, hxtml.
Click to expand...

You can change them in setting > apps >default apps

Screenshot 2026-08-08 130431.webp
 

My Computer My Computer

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Windows 11 Pro
OS
Windows 11 Pro
AFIK widgets will always open in Edge. Someone can correct me if I am wrong. According to the web one would have to use a 3rd party tool like
MSEdgeRedirect to open those links in another browser. I know nothing about that tool.
 

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    Windows 11 Pro 26H2 26300.9457i9-10900 10 core 20 threads32 gbnone-Intel UHD Graphics 630
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    Windows 11 Pro 26H2 26300.9457
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 7080
    CPU
    i9-10900 10 core 20 threads
    Motherboard
    DELL 0J37VM
    Memory
    32 gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    none-Intel UHD Graphics 630
    Sound Card
    Integrated Realtek
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    Benq 27
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    2560x1440
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    2x1tb Solidigm m.2 nvme /External drives 512gb Samsung m.2 sata+2tb Kingston m2.nvme
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    500w
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    Logitech wired
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    so slow I'm too embarrassed to tell
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    #1 Edge #2 Firefox
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    Windows 11 Pro 24H2 26200.9457AMD Ryzen 7 6800U32 gbintegrated
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    Windows 11 Pro 24H2 26200.9457
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    Beelink Mini PC SER5
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 6800U
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    32 gb
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    integrated
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    integrated
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    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Crucial nvme
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    Logitech wired
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    Logitech wireless
    Internet Speed
    still too embarrassed to tell
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender
  • System 3 is non compliant Dell 9020 i7-4770/24gb ram Win11 PRO 26200.9457

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  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro 26H2 26300.9550AMD Ryzen 7 5825U with Radeon Graphics16GB
    OS
    Windows 11 Pro 26H2 26300.9550
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acemagic LX15PRO
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 5825U with Radeon Graphics
    Motherboard
    BIOS CT_BI_AMI_LX15PRO_AB8139_A-004
    Memory
    16GB
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    SSD 2TB
    Internet Speed
    30 Mbps
    Browser
    Brave
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    Webroot SecureAnywhere Complete beta

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 22631.2506Atom N450 1.66GHz2GB
    Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 22631.2506
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Mini 210-1090NR PC (bought in late 2009!)
    CPU
    Atom N450 1.66GHz
    Memory
    2GB
    Browser
    Brave
    Antivirus
    Webroot
  • Acer Swift SF114-34 laptop
    OS Windows 11 Pro 26200.8894
    CPU Pentium Silver N6000
    RAM 4GB
    BIOS v1.17
    SSD Samsung 970 EVO Plus SSD 2TB (an upgrade)
kelper said:
You can't change mhtml to open in FF or any other browser, it's 'glued' to Edge. Try it.
Click to expand...

I just clicked the arrow on the right and it gave me a choice of what I wanted to change it to.

Changed to Firefox.

Screenshot 2026-08-08 135938.webp
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11 Pro
OS
Windows 11 Pro
kelper said:
Look in Settings...Apps....Default Apps and then select Firefox
Click to expand...

Just scroll down to the bottom and select defaults by file type.
You can change just about all in there.

rr.webp
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11 Pro
OS
Windows 11 Pro
kelper said:
hxtml
Click to expand...

KevTech said:
Just scroll down to the bottom and select defaults by file type.
You can change just about all in there.

View attachment 179026
Click to expand...
Me too, for this one file type. But not hxt, hxtml file types. I'm a bit reluctant to mess with something like MSEdgeRedirect, as @glasskuter mentioned in her post #4 above.

So I guess I'm going to mark this thread Solved, but only in the sense that I have facts. But I still don't have a solution.:(
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11 2H25AMD 9900X64 GBAMD 9070 XT
OS
Windows 11 2H25
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
DIY
CPU
AMD 9900X
Motherboard
MSI X870E Carbon
Memory
64 GB
Graphics Card(s)
AMD 9070 XT
Sound Card
built-in
Monitor(s) Displays
Dell 24"
Hard Drives
Sabrent 1 TB NVMe, 4 x SSD (need to check models), 4 x 3.5" HDD, 8-16 TB, all WD
PSU
Seasonic 850
Case
Fractal Design North XL (which I likw)
Cooling
Corsair AIO for CPU, fans for case
Keyboard
Das Keyboard 4
Mouse
Corsair M65 (white)
Internet Speed
1 TB download
Browser
Firefox
Antivirus
Bitdefender
Other Info
Also have Lenovo T14S laptop (me) and Lenovo Slim 71 (wife)
Widgets are part of the Windows, they always open in Microsoft Edge for compatibility reasons. It is the same reason why you couldn't open Windows Update site in other browsers back in XP era and why until recently could not download from Microsoft Update Catalog using another browser. Yes, I know now you can but this wasn't always the case.
 

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  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 (7584), 26H2 (9550)Mobile DualCore Intel Core 2 Duo T7250, 2000 MHz4GBMobile Intel(R) GMA 4500M (Mobile 4 series)
    OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 (7584), 26H2 (9550)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Extensa 5630EZ
    CPU
    Mobile DualCore Intel Core 2 Duo T7250, 2000 MHz
    Motherboard
    Acer Extensa 5630
    Memory
    4GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Mobile Intel(R) GMA 4500M (Mobile 4 series)
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC268 @ Intel 82801IB ICH9 - High Definition Audio Controller
    Monitor(s) Displays
    1
    Screen Resolution
    1280x800
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250GB SATA Device (250 GB, SATA-III)
    Internet Speed
    802.11g wireless 54 Mbps
    Browser
    MICROSOFT EDGE
    Antivirus
    WINDOWS DEFENDER
    Other Info
    Legacy MBR installation, no TPM, no Secure Boot, no WDDM 2.0 graphics drivers, no SSE4.2, cannot get more unsupported ;) This is only my test laptop. I had installed Windows 11 here before upgrading my main PC. For my main PC I use everyday see my 2nd system specs.

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro 26H2 (build 26300.9550)Intel Core-i7 3770 3.40GHz s1155 (3rd generat...2x Kingston Hyper-X Blu 8GB DDR3-1600GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3050 WINDFORCE OC V2 6GB...
    Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 26H2 (build 26300.9550)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom-built PC
    CPU
    Intel Core-i7 3770 3.40GHz s1155 (3rd generation)
    Motherboard
    Asus P8H61 s1155 ATX
    Memory
    2x Kingston Hyper-X Blu 8GB DDR3-1600
    Graphics card(s)
    GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3050 WINDFORCE OC V2 6GB (GV-N3050WF2OCV2-6GD)
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD audio (ALC887)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Sony Bravia KDL-19L4000 19" LCD TV via VGA
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900 32-bit 60Hz
    Hard Drives
    WD Blue SA510 2.5 1000GB SSD as system disk, Western Digital Caviar Purple 4TB SATA III (WD40PURZ) as second
    PSU
    Thermaltake Litepower RGB 550W Full Wired
    Case
    SUPERCASE MIDI-TOWER
    Cooling
    Deepcool Gamma Archer CPU cooler, 1x 8cm fan at the back
    Keyboard
    Mitsumi 101-key PS/2
    Mouse
    Microsoft Compact Optical Mouse
    Internet Speed
    802.11ac 5GHz wireless 260Mpbs
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Windows Defender
    Other Info
    Legacy BIOS (MBR) installation, no TPM, no Secure Boot, WDDM 3.0 graphics drivers, WEI score 7.4
@PhilB

All the ancient secrets for Firefox...

Firefox... taming the beast part 2 !! - Windows 10 Help Forums

First things first... stop Firefox from automatically updating. Simply unzip and drop this "distribution" folder into... C:\\Program Files\\Mozilla Firefox After manually updating Firefox this folder will be erased, so save a copy somewher
www.tenforums.com www.tenforums.com
 

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    Win 11 Home ♦♦♦26300.9550 ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦26H2AMD Ryzen 7 3700XG.Skill (F4-3200C14D-16GTZKW)EVGA RTX 2070 (08G-P4-2171-KR)
    OS
    Win 11 Home ♦♦♦26300.9550 ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦26H2
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    PC/Desktop
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    Built by Ghot® [May 2020]
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
    Motherboard
    Asus Pro WS X570-ACE (BIOS 5302)
    Memory
    G.Skill (F4-3200C14D-16GTZKW)
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA RTX 2070 (08G-P4-2171-KR)
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC1220P / ALC S1220A
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U3011 30"
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1600
    Hard Drives
    2x Samsung 860 EVO 500GB,
    WD 4TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    WD 8TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    DRW-24B1ST CD/DVD Burner
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    PC Power & Cooling 750W Quad EPS12V
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    Cooler Master ATCS 840 Tower
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    CM Hyper 212 EVO (push/pull)
    Keyboard
    Ducky DK9008 Shine II Blue LED
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-100
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Browser
    Firefox (latest)
    Antivirus
    Bitdefender Total Security
    Other Info
    Speakers: Klipsch Pro Media 2.1

  • At a glance

    Windows XP Pro 32bit w/SP3AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ (OC'd @ 3.2Ghz)TWIN2X2048-6400C4DHX (2 x 1GB, DDR2 800)EVGA 256-P2-N758-TR GeForce 8600GT SSC
    Operating System
    Windows XP Pro 32bit w/SP3
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® (not in use)
    CPU
    AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ (OC'd @ 3.2Ghz)
    Motherboard
    ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe Wireless Edition
    Memory
    TWIN2X2048-6400C4DHX (2 x 1GB, DDR2 800)
    Graphics card(s)
    EVGA 256-P2-N758-TR GeForce 8600GT SSC
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ViewSonic G90FB Black 19" Professional (CRT)
    Screen Resolution
    up to 2048 x 1536
    Hard Drives
    WD 36GB 10,000rpm Raptor SATA
    Seagate 80GB 7200rpm SATA
    Lite-On LTR-52246S CD/RW
    Lite-On LH-18A1P CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad EPS12V
    Case
    Generic Beige case, 80mm fans
    Cooling
    ZALMAN 9500A 92mm CPU Cooler
    Keyboard
    Logitech Classic Keybooard 200
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-BT96a
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Browser
    Firefox 3.x ??
    Antivirus
    Symantec (Norton)
    Other Info
    Still assembled, still runs. Haven't turned it on for 15 years?
spapakons said:
Widgets are part of the Windows, they always open in Microsoft Edge for compatibility reasons. It is the same reason why you couldn't open Windows Update site in other browsers back in XP era and why until recently could not download from Microsoft Update Catalog using another browser. Yes, I know now you can but this wasn't always the case.
Click to expand...

That was because the catalog relied on an ActiveX control. They dropped that like 10 years ago.
 

My Computer My Computer

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Win11 Ent. 25H2
OS
Win11 Ent. 25H2
glasskuter said:
AFIK widgets will always open in Edge. .
Click to expand...
Outside the European Union that statement is correct. However the EU has something called the "Digital Markets Act" which means that everything that's clicked on in the Widgets panel will respect the user's choice of default browser.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11
OS
Windows 11

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two

  • At a glance

    Win 11 Home ♦♦♦26300.9550 ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦26H2AMD Ryzen 7 3700XG.Skill (F4-3200C14D-16GTZKW)EVGA RTX 2070 (08G-P4-2171-KR)
    OS
    Win 11 Home ♦♦♦26300.9550 ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦26H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® [May 2020]
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
    Motherboard
    Asus Pro WS X570-ACE (BIOS 5302)
    Memory
    G.Skill (F4-3200C14D-16GTZKW)
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA RTX 2070 (08G-P4-2171-KR)
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC1220P / ALC S1220A
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U3011 30"
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1600
    Hard Drives
    2x Samsung 860 EVO 500GB,
    WD 4TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    WD 8TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    DRW-24B1ST CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling 750W Quad EPS12V
    Case
    Cooler Master ATCS 840 Tower
    Cooling
    CM Hyper 212 EVO (push/pull)
    Keyboard
    Ducky DK9008 Shine II Blue LED
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-100
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Browser
    Firefox (latest)
    Antivirus
    Bitdefender Total Security
    Other Info
    Speakers: Klipsch Pro Media 2.1

  • At a glance

    Windows XP Pro 32bit w/SP3AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ (OC'd @ 3.2Ghz)TWIN2X2048-6400C4DHX (2 x 1GB, DDR2 800)EVGA 256-P2-N758-TR GeForce 8600GT SSC
    Operating System
    Windows XP Pro 32bit w/SP3
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® (not in use)
    CPU
    AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ (OC'd @ 3.2Ghz)
    Motherboard
    ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe Wireless Edition
    Memory
    TWIN2X2048-6400C4DHX (2 x 1GB, DDR2 800)
    Graphics card(s)
    EVGA 256-P2-N758-TR GeForce 8600GT SSC
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ViewSonic G90FB Black 19" Professional (CRT)
    Screen Resolution
    up to 2048 x 1536
    Hard Drives
    WD 36GB 10,000rpm Raptor SATA
    Seagate 80GB 7200rpm SATA
    Lite-On LTR-52246S CD/RW
    Lite-On LH-18A1P CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad EPS12V
    Case
    Generic Beige case, 80mm fans
    Cooling
    ZALMAN 9500A 92mm CPU Cooler
    Keyboard
    Logitech Classic Keybooard 200
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-BT96a
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Browser
    Firefox 3.x ??
    Antivirus
    Symantec (Norton)
    Other Info
    Still assembled, still runs. Haven't turned it on for 15 years?
I have set most browser protocols file types to Brave. Will see what happens.

1786259912446.webp
 

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two Other systems

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro 26H2 26300.9550AMD Ryzen 7 5825U with Radeon Graphics16GB
    OS
    Windows 11 Pro 26H2 26300.9550
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acemagic LX15PRO
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 5825U with Radeon Graphics
    Motherboard
    BIOS CT_BI_AMI_LX15PRO_AB8139_A-004
    Memory
    16GB
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    SSD 2TB
    Internet Speed
    30 Mbps
    Browser
    Brave
    Antivirus
    Webroot SecureAnywhere Complete beta

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 22631.2506Atom N450 1.66GHz2GB
    Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 22631.2506
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Mini 210-1090NR PC (bought in late 2009!)
    CPU
    Atom N450 1.66GHz
    Memory
    2GB
    Browser
    Brave
    Antivirus
    Webroot
  • Acer Swift SF114-34 laptop
    OS Windows 11 Pro 26200.8894
    CPU Pentium Silver N6000
    RAM 4GB
    BIOS v1.17
    SSD Samsung 970 EVO Plus SSD 2TB (an upgrade)
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