fix-browsertamer 1.1

Download it: from GitHub

PowerShell script to set BrowserTamer as your default browser on Windows 10/11.

It handles the modern Windows protections that stop default-browser changes from sticking, including the UCPD driver, UserChoiceLatest-related feature flags via ViVeTool, and correct hash-based association writes via PS-SFTA. It also registers BrowserTamer properly in Windows, fixes phantom browser discovery issues, and can now fully uninstall BrowserTamer and the script’s changes if needed. Fully idempotent — re-run after Windows updates to restore settings.

What it does

Modern Windows uses multiple protection layers to resist programmatic changes to default browser settings. Getting BrowserTamer — or any non-Microsoft browser — to stick as your default now requires several coordinated steps that are tedious to do manually and easy to get wrong.

This script handles them in sequence:

1. Installs or upgrades BrowserTamer via winget
2. Lets you choose whether to install the latest BrowserTamer release or the previous one (5.5.5)
3. Registers BrowserTamer as a virtual browser in Windows so its ProgIds can be used for defaults
4. Repairs broken third-party StartMenuInternet entries that would otherwise make BrowserTamer discover phantom/broken browsers
5. Configures BrowserTamer’s config.ini so the picker always appears and does not instantly close on focus loss
6. Disables the UCPD driver and the “UCPD velocity” scheduled task that can re-enable it at login
7. Uses ViVeTool to disable the feature flags tied to UCPD write protection and the newer UserChoiceLatest mechanism
8. Uses PS-SFTA to write valid hashed associations for http, https, HTML file types, and PDF
9. Verifies the written associations and BrowserTamer command registrations
10. Backs up relevant registry state before making changes

It now also uses the stable WinGet symlink path for bt.exe, which makes the registration more resilient across BrowserTamer upgrades.

Requirements

• Windows 10 or Windows 11
• PowerShell 5.1 or later
• winget (App Installer from the Microsoft Store)
• An internet connection (ViVeTool and PS-SFTA are downloaded automatically)
• Must be run as a normal user, not as Administrator — steps that require elevation self-elevate via UAC

Usage

You can run either the batch wrapper or the PowerShell script directly.

Batch wrapper

fix-browsertamer.bat

This opens a menu with:

• Install / fix (Manual mode)
• Install / fix (Semi-automatic)
• Uninstall BrowserTamer completely
• Uninstall without confirmation
• Quit

PowerShell

# Interactive mode — pauses at major steps so you can read the output
.\fix-browsertamer.ps1 -Manual

# Fewer prompts — runs with minimal pauses
.\fix-browsertamer.ps1 -SemiAuto

# Fully uninstall BrowserTamer and the script's changes
.\fix-browsertamer.ps1 -Uninstall

# Uninstall without confirmation prompt
.\fix-browsertamer.ps1 -Uninstall -SemiAuto

Running the PowerShell script without parameters now shows an interactive menu instead of just printing help and exiting.

Uninstall

Version 1.1 adds a full uninstall mode.

It can:

• stop running bt.exe
• uninstall BrowserTamer via winget
• remove leftover package files and WinGet symlinks
• remove BrowserTamer-related registry entries from HKCU
• clean UserChoice entries still pointing to BrowserTamer
• remove the startup entry added by the script
• delete %LOCALAPPDATA%\bt
• delete %LOCALAPPDATA%\BrowserTamer-Fix
• self-elevate for HKLM cleanup when needed

Persistence

Windows updates can undo parts of this fix. Quality updates may re-enable UCPD, feature changes may restore the velocity task or change association protections, and BrowserTamer upgrades may move the real executable path. If BrowserTamer stops intercepting links after a Windows update, re-running the script should restore everything. The script is designed to be idempotent.

Notes

• The script only elevates the specific steps that need elevation. Do not run the whole script from an elevated PowerShell or Command Prompt.
• The script sets protocol defaults for http and https, plus HTML-related file types and PDF.
• The script also works around a BrowserTamer edge case where broken third-party browser registrations can create persistent phantom entries and cause incorrect picker behaviour.

You can download it from here as well

Release Notes

This release improves reliability, cleanup, and recovery when BrowserTamer or Windows default associations get messy.

Added

• Full uninstall mode
• Interactive menu in both .bat and .ps1
• Option to install either the latest BrowserTamer release or the previous one

Improved

• More robust BrowserTamer path handling across winget upgrades
• Better picker configuration defaults
• Cleaner setup order for a healthier first run

Fixed

• Phantom browser sources imported from broken StartMenuInternet entries
• Invalid phantom browser entries in config.ini
• Stale BrowserTamer references left behind after updates or uninstall

Uninstall can now

• stop running bt.exe
• uninstall BrowserTamer via winget
• remove leftover package files and symlinks
• clean BrowserTamer-related registry entries
• clean UserChoice entries still pointing to BrowserTamer
• remove startup entries and local app data created by the fix

Disclaimer

This script modifies system-level registry keys, disables a Windows kernel driver, and changes internal Windows feature flags. I take no responsibility for any damage, data loss, misconfiguration, or unintended behavior that results from running it. I share it because it works for me and might work for you — but you run it at your own risk, on your own machine, with your own understanding of what it does.

If you are not comfortable with what is described above, read the full guide first, which explains each step and the reasoning behind it in plain language before touching anything.