how to set default apps on windows 11 via intune

TL;DR

Windows 11 default apps are set through Intune by deploying a default-associations XML file via policy. Build the XML on a reference machine, deploy it, and verify the defaults land. Users can still change them afterward unless you lock them.

The query

how to set default apps on windows 11 via intune

Use this when

• setting the corporate browser as default fleet-wide
• standardizing the PDF handler
• default mail client for new deployments

Not for

• unmanaged personal machines
• locking defaults so users cannot change them (separate policy decision)
• Windows 10 (different XML schema details)

Steps

1. On a reference Windows 11 machine, set the desired defaults manually. Expected output: reference machine configured
2. Export the associations with DISM to an XML file. Expected output: a valid associations XML file
3. Review the XML and trim it to only the associations you want to enforce. Expected output: a clean minimal XML
4. Deploy it through Intune using the default associations device configuration profile. Expected output: policy assigned to the target group
5. Check a pilot machine to confirm the defaults applied. Expected output: defaults verified on pilots
6. Decide and document whether users may override the defaults. Expected output: policy documented

Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_egyXpR6hzJPsAUhJqyCA0g