# Brave not showing as Default Program in Windows 7 **URL:** \ **Category:** Desktop Support\ **Tags:** windows, bug\ **Created:** [February 5, 2019, 4:51pm UTC](https://community.brave.app/t/brave-not-showing-as-default-program-in-windows-7/44173 "2019-02-05T16:51:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dirkvanthillo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@dirkvanthillo](https://community.brave.app/u/dirkvanthillo)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2019, 4:51pm UTC](https://community.brave.app/t/brave-not-showing-as-default-program-in-windows-7/44173/1 "2019-02-05T16:51:58Z")
**Description of the issue:** I installed the new Brave but it is impossible to make it behave fully as default browser. I did install it using Admin privileges, but that does not help. I did click the “set to default browser button” when launching Brave. File mappings for .htm, .html etc were set to “Brave HTML document”, but Icons of files did not show Brave logo (no associated app). Double click did not work. When using Properties in Explorer, I set the Application to Brave. Now this at least works. But clicking Hyperlinks still does not work. Clicking a link in Outlook results in error message _**"General failure. The URL was: [http://xxxxx](http://xxxxx)".**_ When opening _Control Panel \> Default Programs \> Set your default programs_, then Brave is not listed (the other installed browsers are). In _Control Panel \> Default Programs \> Associate a file type or protocol with a specific program_ I can see that the file types are now OK: like “Name:.html, Description:HTML File, Current default: Brave Browser” But when looking at the protocols section it shows: “Name: HTTP, Description: Brave HTML Document, Current Default: Unknown application” So for some reason it does not register correctly as an application. When using the button “Change program…” I can only select Internet Explorer and Firefox (the other 2 installed browsers". I cannot add Brave… **Steps to Reproduce (add as many as necessary): 1. 2. 3.** Did a complete unistall (also trashing the AppData folders and reinstalled as Admin. No success. **Actual Result (gifs and screenshots are welcome!):** See above in Problem description. **Expected result:** Well, clicking a hyperlink should work… **Reproduces how often:** Always **Brave Version(about:brave):** Version 0.59.34 Chromium: 72.0.3626.81 (Official Build) (64-bit) OS: Windows 7 SP1 - 64 bit **Reproducible on current live release (yes/no):** yes **Additional Information:** ---
**Author:** ![Mattches](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/brave/user_avatar/community.brave.app/mattches/32/25189_2.png) [@Mattches](https://community.brave.app/u/Mattches)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2019, 6:00pm UTC](https://community.brave.app/t/brave-not-showing-as-default-program-in-windows-7/44173/2 "2019-02-05T18:00:32Z")
We have an open issue for this right now. If you read through the thread, you’ll see that some users have had success with a workaround for this issue: > ---
**Author:** ![dirkvanthillo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@dirkvanthillo](https://community.brave.app/u/dirkvanthillo)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2019, 8:10am UTC](https://community.brave.app/t/brave-not-showing-as-default-program-in-windows-7/44173/3 "2019-02-06T08:10:49Z")
Thanks. Following the other thread I checked the registry key for HKEY\_CLASSES\_ROOT\BraveHTML\shell\open\command but that points to the right Brave.exe… So that does not seem to be the issue. ---
**Author:** ![Mattches](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/brave/user_avatar/community.brave.app/mattches/32/25189_2.png) [@Mattches](https://community.brave.app/u/Mattches)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2019, 5:26pm UTC](https://community.brave.app/t/brave-not-showing-as-default-program-in-windows-7/44173/4 "2019-02-06T17:26:04Z")
Thanks for testing for me. We’ll have to look into this a bit deeper. Did you by chance upgrade from the Muon Brave? ---
**Author:** ![dirkvanthillo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@dirkvanthillo](https://community.brave.app/u/dirkvanthillo)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2019, 7:03pm UTC](https://community.brave.app/t/brave-not-showing-as-default-program-in-windows-7/44173/5 "2019-02-07T19:03:32Z")
Yes. I had previously installed an older version of Brave. Not sure which version… ---
**Author:** ![Mattches](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/brave/user_avatar/community.brave.app/mattches/32/25189_2.png) [@Mattches](https://community.brave.app/u/Mattches)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2019, 8:32pm UTC](https://community.brave.app/t/brave-not-showing-as-default-program-in-windows-7/44173/6 "2019-02-07T20:32:39Z")
Can you look in `\AppData\local\` and see if there’s a `brave` directory there (not `BraveSoftware`, just `brave`)? ---
**Author:** ![dirkvanthillo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@dirkvanthillo](https://community.brave.app/u/dirkvanthillo)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2019, 9:14am UTC](https://community.brave.app/t/brave-not-showing-as-default-program-in-windows-7/44173/7 "2019-02-11T09:14:05Z")
There is no “brave” directory there. Only BraveSoftware. ---
**Author:** ![Mattches](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/brave/user_avatar/community.brave.app/mattches/32/25189_2.png) [@Mattches](https://community.brave.app/u/Mattches)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2019, 5:18pm UTC](https://community.brave.app/t/brave-not-showing-as-default-program-in-windows-7/44173/8 "2019-02-11T17:18:01Z")
Do you have Brave set as your default browser _in-browser_? `Settings --> Default Browser --> Make Default` ---
**Author:** ![dirkvanthillo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@dirkvanthillo](https://community.brave.app/u/dirkvanthillo)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2019, 9:21pm UTC](https://community.brave.app/t/brave-not-showing-as-default-program-in-windows-7/44173/9 "2019-02-11T21:21:25Z")
In settings it states: `Brave is your default browser` I did another test: from a Hyperlink in MS Word I get different behavior than in Outlook. When clicking a link, it does activate Brave, opens a window, but displays the message: ``` Your file was not found It may have been moved or deleted. ERR_FILE_NOT_FOUND ``` in the address bar it shows: `file:///C:/Users/dvt/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/Temporary%20Internet%20Files/Content.IE5/KQUWCZ6R/ENZDGNX6.htm` but not the link I clicked on… ---
**Author:** ![Mattches](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/brave/user_avatar/community.brave.app/mattches/32/25189_2.png) [@Mattches](https://community.brave.app/u/Mattches)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2019, 10:03pm UTC](https://community.brave.app/t/brave-not-showing-as-default-program-in-windows-7/44173/10 "2019-02-11T22:03:11Z")
Click a link in any document works just fine for me using Win7. It looks like Brave is trying to open the file itself rather than the link you’re clicking on. Can I see what the link looks like as it appears in your Word doc. or Outlook email? ---
**Author:** ![dirkvanthillo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@dirkvanthillo](https://community.brave.app/u/dirkvanthillo)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2019, 12:18pm UTC](https://community.brave.app/t/brave-not-showing-as-default-program-in-windows-7/44173/11 "2019-02-13T12:18:54Z")
I did a few tests: links in Outlook, Word, Excel and good old Sticky Notes… Sticky Notes: nothing happens when I click a hyperlink (no message whatsoever). In Word and Excel I get the same behaviour: ![2019-02-13%2009_17_32-Document1%20-%20Microsoft%20Word](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/brave/original/2X/b/ba9a56cb14a92518cdb664b04dfcc196c0894070.png) When clicking on the link I get the following: ![2019-02-13%2013_16_09-file ____C__ Users_dvt_AppData_Local_Microsoft_Windows_Temporary%20Internet%20File](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/brave/original/2X/2/204be3d2ba5b3f673e5f03396c4eaafaecb0535a.png) Now the interesting thing is that the directory in the address bar does not exist: `C:/Users/dvt/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/Temporary%20Internet%20Files` The message I get in Outlook is: ![2019-02-13%2009_20_30-Microsoft%20Outlook](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/brave/original/2X/3/3c9f5e34eb581de56a0f81d37ec1c8952113a9e3.png) Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![dirkvanthillo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@dirkvanthillo](https://community.brave.app/u/dirkvanthillo)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2019, 4:34pm UTC](https://community.brave.app/t/brave-not-showing-as-default-program-in-windows-7/44173/12 "2019-02-21T16:34:39Z")
Well, as I did not make any progress on this issue, I tried to install the beta channel release of Brave (first removed release version completely). `Version 0.61.34 Chromium: 73.0.3683.39 (Official Build) beta (64-bit)` It works fine now! So apparently things were done in the beta version that fixed the problem. Thanks for the help! ---
**Author:** ![Mattches](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/brave/user_avatar/community.brave.app/mattches/32/25189_2.png) [@Mattches](https://community.brave.app/u/Mattches)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2019, 5:17pm UTC](https://community.brave.app/t/brave-not-showing-as-default-program-in-windows-7/44173/13 "2019-02-21T17:17:40Z")
Closed on February 21, 2019, 5:17pm UTC