## 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
```text
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