Can't make Vivaldi my default browser

bellist

I installed the latest version if Vivaldi browser yesterday. It was the 64 bit version. I'm running Windows 7 (yes, I know it is obsolete, but 10 crashed my computer).

When I start Vivaldi it asks whether I want to make it my default browser. I click yes. But when I close it and start it again it asks again. Also, clicking a link in email brings up my previous browser, which was Firefox.

I also tried a reboot in there. The problem persists.

I searched the forum and saw a suggestions to go into the control panel -> Turn Windows featuers on or off, then turn of Internet Explorer 11. I did so. It made no difference.

The other parts of Vivaldi I've used (including streaming) work well.

Pathduck

@bellist Hello and Welcome to the Vivaldi Community

When you installed, what option did you choose for Vivaldi - All Users, Single user or Standalone?
I think maybe Vivaldi is not able to register itself as default app if installed as Standalone.

Have you checked in Control Panel, Default Programs if Vivaldi is available?

There was a thread about the exact same issue a couple days ago:
https://forum.vivaldi.net/topic/70592/vivaldi-unable-to-be-set-as-default-browser-in-win7

mib2berlin

@bellist
Hi, iirc a 7 user report the same and Vvaldi was installed "For user" not for "All users".
Windows 7 cant recognizes Vivaldi as installed software and therefor it is not in the list.
Remove Vivaldi, don´t delete user data, and install it for all users should solve the issue. The path to Vivaldi executable change to C:\Programms.

Cheers, mib
EDIT: Argh, @Pathduck was faster.

bellist

Didn't realize I would not be notified of updates to this page by email. Now that I know that's fine.

Vivaldi is indeed installed under users\Owner\AppData, so installed for me, not all users. An uninstall -- reinstall is in order.

But if my computer doesn't know about Vivaldi in any of its program registries, how does one do an uninstall? Is there an "uninstall" feature in Vivaldi somewhere?

And when I do the uninstall how do I protect all the tabs I've already opened in Vivaldi?

Pathduck

@bellist Vivaldi does not show up in Control Panel > Programs and Features?

In the installation folder under the Installer dir, you can run try:
setup.exe --uninstall

A dialog should pop up asking if you want to also delete your profile data, do not check this and your profile will be kept. But make a backup in any case. If you do not know where the profile folder is, it can be seen in Help > About. Usually under User Data same place Vivaldi is installed. Do NOT delete this folder after uninstall. But if folder Application still exists it can be deleted in case it wasn't properly removed.

bellist

The Control Panel does not list Vivaldi

I don't see an Installler folder. I don't see a file named setup.exe. To add the -uninstall option to the program is that implying I do this through a DOS command prompt?

Perhaps that uninstall option is used on the program I downloaded to install Vivaldi?

Pathduck

@bellist said in Can't make Vivaldi my default browser:

DOS command prompt?

Yes, I guess this wasn't clear

I don't think you can run the downloaded installer to uninstall.

bellist

And the folder with that setup program?

Thanks for sticking with me.

Pathduck

@bellist

You find that folder in Help > About. Then below it is a version numbered folder, then the Installer folder with setup.exe.

But in fact you can run the uninstall argument directly on the Vivaldi exe. So easiest way is open cmd prompt, then type:
%localappdata%\Vivaldi\Application\vivaldi.exe --uninstall

Correction - the above does not work, you will need to find setup.exe and run it from there.

If you have an updated install, it should be:
%localappdata%\Vivaldi\Application\5.0.2497.35\Installer\setup.exe --uninstall

As always a good idea to check if the Application folder is gone after uninstall, if not delete it. But again, do not delete User Data.

bellist

In a command prompt window I worked my way down to the Installer folder, found the setup.exe, and successfully ran the uninstall.

Ran the install. This time I clicked on "Advanced" -- so that's how I can make the choice between "for user" and "All users." That choice wasn't presented during the first install. I doubt I would have known which option to select when I first installed.

The install finished without incident. Vivaldi opened with all tabs in place. Yay! I clicked on the button that says make Vivaldi the default browser (even though that was checked when I installed). Clicking on a link in another program opened a tab in Vivaldi.

So all looks good now. Thanks for your assistance.

Pathduck

@bellist That's great

I think the problem here is that in Win7 an application needs to be installed with admin privileges to be able to register itself as a default application. In Win10 I think even Standalone or Per User installs are able to do so. The standard for most users is "Per User" install so there would be a lot of these reports, but it appears to be only for Win7 users.

Come to think of it, you might have been able to avoid the uninstall if you ran Vivaldi just one time as Admin for it to register properly, but just a theory I thought of. And anyway installing for All Users is much better for a multi-user OS, that way all users can share the same binaries.

bellist

Since I'm the only person on this computer I'm sure I am admin. I've done everything on this computer and never specifically signed in as admin.

Pathduck

@bellist Well, even if you're a member of the Administrators group, it does not mean you automatically run all processes with full system-level access. In fact that would be very bad, and that's what UAC solves. Unless you've disabled UAC, which is also a Very Bad Idea... or always log in as the Administrator (which is even worse).

For more explanation:
https://serverfault.com/a/673307/6831
https://www.techspot.com/guides/1718-run-as-administrator-explained/

The thing is that if the "Per User" install for Vivaldi is selected, then there's no need for elevated privileges through UAC, so it does not even prompt. But it also seems to lose the ability to register applications as default apps. In Win10 this seems to work differently, possibly because more settings being on a user-level.

The downside to installing as "All users" is of course that now it'll need to invoke UAC every time you update Vivaldi, because it's installed in a protected location (Program Files).

mwun

In case anyone else has the same problem and comes here, all you have to do is close Vivaldi, right-click its shortcut, and select "Run as Administrator".

That will give it the rights needed to change the default browser, so the next time you click a button to make it the default, it will work.

cdross

@mwun

Your method is so simple and WORKS! Thanks!!

Breneka

@mwun - great advice! Big THANK YOU!