Opera automatically sets itself as the default browser on installation (Windows)

[Cadill]

Cadill last edited by

I noticed that Opera automatically sets itself as the default browser on installation in Windows, without asking the user, with no interaction from the user at all.

I just wanted to voice the fact that I think is not a good practice and I am hopeful that Opera will either discontinue the behavior, or at least ask the user if it's OK to set Opera as the default during the installation process.

Thank you for your consideration.

[leocg]

leocg Moderator Volunteer @Cadill last edited by

@cadill You can disable that option during the installation.

[holmes8888]

holmes8888 last edited by

This happens to me as well. I can't disable this during the installation, because the installation happens silently when Opera updates itself.

[leocg]

leocg Moderator Volunteer @holmes8888 last edited by

@holmes8888 Opera doesn't change it during automatic updates.

[holmes8888]

holmes8888 last edited by

Well, actually it does. I understand that Opera isn't supposed to change the setting, but that doesn't mean that there isn't a bug.

Opera just kept updating itself as usual, and one day it started setting itself as default browser after each update. Every time I have to manually revert the default browser using 'Default Apps' settings in Windows 11. This started happening around the same time as the splash screen and the startup sound were introduced.

[burnout426]

burnout426 Volunteer @holmes8888 last edited by burnout426

@holmes8888 I can't reproduce that.

I would download the Opera installer, goto the URL opera://about, take note of the "install" path and close Opera. Then, uninstall Opera (do not choose to delete your data when uninstalling). Then, delete the install folder (it will be left behind after the uninstallation). Then, delete everything in "C:\Windows\temp" and "C:\Users\yourusername\AppData\Local\temp".

Then, launch the Opera installer, click "options", uncheck the option to make Opera the default browser, review everything else, and install.

Hopefully that will fix things where the updater won't try to pull a fast one.

[giannitrib]

giannitrib last edited by

i am on the verge of uninstalling opera because after just updating it today it not only add itself to the taskbar yet again without authorisation (this has been happening for a long time and i manually remove it from the task bar) but also set itself as the default browser
I have it as like my 3rd browser and i don't expect this sort of behaviour and it doesn't happen with any other browser i use
Sort it out opera - not acceptable

[giannitrib]

giannitrib @leocg last edited by

@leocg that may be the case but the default when updating with winget (microsoft's package manager of choice now) it sets it as a default browser. It should be that when going through that route it doesn't change the default browser settings

[burnout426]

burnout426 Volunteer @giannitrib last edited by

@giannitrib

Haven't messed with winget and don't really know how it's all set up, but there might be a way to pass --setdefaultbrowser=0 to the winget upgrade command you use to upgrade Opera. Or, if you do winget upgrade --all, there might be some file that you can put --setdefaultbrowser=0 in for Opera so its upgrade command passes that to Opera's installer.

But, that's assuming winget makes use of the Opera installer at all. If the Opera winget package is just Opera's install files that winget just extracts or something, winget would need to support not making Opera the default browser on upgrade.

Something to investigate though.

[holmes8888]

holmes8888 @burnout426 last edited by holmes8888

@burnout426 Thank you, I just completed the steps to reinstall Opera. Will now wait for the next Opera update to see if the issue is resolved.

[holmes8888]

holmes8888 @burnout426 last edited by

@burnout426 Unfortunately, the reinstallation steps didn't help. Opera updated itself again and set itself as the default browser.

It looks like this is done not by the installation itself, but by Opera when you run it the first time after it updates. When I ran Opera after the latest update, I got multiple Windows prompts telling me that Opera wants to make changes to my device. I allowed the changes and then checked 'Default Apps' in Windows and confirmed that Opera became the default browser again.

[burnout426]

burnout426 Volunteer @holmes8888 last edited by

@holmes8888 Still strange. None of my Operas I have installed do that on update.

[jatinsanghvi]

jatinsanghvi last edited by

Same behavior for me since a few months. I am using Opera as my primary browser on both PC and cellphone since 2010, but nowadays because of my company SSO policy, I need to open local files and links in other apps in a different browser. Opera keeps making itself the default browser around once or twice every week and I need to go to Windows Default Apps and reset the settings over and over. Also, I am not sure what is the deal with frequent popups from Windows about allowing Opera to give access to Public/Private network. No other browser requires any such accesses. The only way forward I see at this point to open links in different browser for sure is to delete Opera from my PC.

I tried uninstalling Opera and reinstalled it with 'Make Opera your default browser' deselected, but the moment it got installed, it was the default browser again. I didn't delete user data at the time of uninstalling but the way Opera is behaving these days, not sure even that is going to help it.

[JoohnDooe]

JoohnDooe @jatinsanghvi last edited by

Desinstalling completly Opera and using another browser solved the problem.
There are enough alternatives available, there is no need to waste time trying to find a workaround.
I'll check in a year if this behavior is corrected.

[Labna]

Labna last edited by

@burnout426 said in Opera automatically sets itself as the default browser on installation (Windows):

Haven't messed with winget and don't really know how it's all set up, but there might be a way to pass --setdefaultbrowser=0 to the winget upgrade command you use to upgrade Opera. Or, if you do winget upgrade --all, there might be some file that you can put --setdefaultbrowser=0 in for Opera so its upgrade command passes that to Opera's installer.
But, that's assuming winget makes use of the Opera installer at all. If the Opera winget package is just Opera's install files that winget just extracts or something, winget would need to support not making Opera the default browser on upgrade.
Something to investigate though.

For Winget you have to use the --override parameter.

For example : > winget update --override "setdefaultbrowser=0 desktopshortcut=0 startmenushortcut=0 pintotaskbar=0 launchbrowser=0" Opera.Opera

The installer parameter copyonly=[0|1], is usable too but not sure of what append after this kind of install.
: If true, the installer will only copy the files to the installation folder and will otherwise not perform any modification on the system.

For the > winget update --all I use > winget update --silent --accept-package-agreements --accept-source-agreements --all --wait --disable-interactivity --override "setdefaultbrowser=0 desktopshortcut=0 startmenushortcut=0 pintotaskbar=0 launchbrowser=0" and as many installer ignore unknown parameters it works most of the time.

[burnout426]

burnout426 Volunteer @Labna last edited by

@Labna Thanks.

The installer parameter copyonly=[0|1], is usable too but not sure of what append after this kind of install.

See the "--singleprofile=1|0" section at https://reddit.com/r/operabrowser/wiki/opera/installer_commands/ for one example of copyonly.