Select “open with” and choose the application you want the file to be opened with. Now click on “Change all”. In the appeared window click on “continue” to confirm the Now, if you click “Get info” on another video file, you can see that it will be opened with the previously selected default program. Mar 9, 2018 - Changing from the default apps to others acquired from the Mac App. Right-click a file that you want to change the default app that opens,.
The Default Apps setting is not exclusively new to Windows 10 but, much like many of the other Control Panel staples of previous versions, Microsoft has worked in an almost total rehaul of the old system in favor of something a little more streamlined and a lot more functional.
Here’s how to configure which programs open which files, links, and protocols in the Windows 10 OS.
Entering Settings
The first step to getting your default applications configured properly is to enter the Settings app through the revamped Start Menu.
In Settings, click on the “System” icon, and scroll down to “Default Apps” in the left-hand side menu.
Configure Stock Default Apps
On the splash page of the Default Apps section, you’ll see several different applications which have already been pre-selected to automatically use integrated Windows applications for seven of the main activities you’ll participate in while using the OS. At stock config, any email links clicked on or offline will launch using the default Windows Mail app, web links will open in Microsoft’s new web browser Edge, photos will be routed through the internal Photo Viewer, movies and video files will open in the Video Player app, and Map requests will automatically route to Bing Maps (from within a new tab of Edge).
The only command left up to you by default is Calendar links, which can be tied to your email provider or a third-party scheduling application that’s been installed at a later date.
Though these are the original options you’ll find on a fresh install of Default Apps, you can always use the following options to customize exactly how Windows 10 will handle different requests based on the file type, the program, or an underlying launch protocol.
Choose Default Apps by File Type
Overall, how you choose to organize your app commands is a matter of personal preference, but certain options such as “Default Apps by File Type” can usually tend to be a bit easier to manage for the average everyday user.
To choose which apps launch which types of media or link by the type of file, select the “Choose Default Apps by File Type” option. Here you’ll be greeted by a two-tiered menu, the first containing every file type that Windows 10 is designed to handle, and the second with the list of apps you currently have installed on the machine.
Say for example you want to launch .mkv files in Windows Media Player rather than the in-house Movies app. To change this, just scroll down to “.mkv” on the left, and once selected, choose the corresponding application on the right that you’d like to set as the default.
RELATED:How to Choose Your Default Applications on an iPhone or iPad
And that’s it! In theory you could customize all the possible app combinations from this section alone, but in case you prefer a different system of app management, Microsoft has included two other pathways to keeping your default launch instructions in check.
Manage Launch Options by Protocol
Back in the Default Apps section, you’ll find a second section directly underneath the first option, labeled “Choose default apps by protocol”.
In this section, you’ll find a greater level of control over exactly how your computer handles specific requests from global programs and networked devices like Xboxes, remote desktops, and external email clients.
In general, the types of options included here are commands that you would want routed to Windows applications anyway, unless you have a specific need for URL links to launch in separate programs. Examples of protocol configurations include actions like a specific keyboard command launching into the Windows Search feature, links that contain content from MSN channeling into Windows apps, or .zip files being extracted via the stock archive reader instead of third-party software like WinRar or 7Zip.
Last, But Not Least
Finally, if all these new app settings are a little too jarring for you and you’d rather manage your default apps the old fashioned way, Microsoft has been kind enough to still include the original Windows 7/8 configuration interface for anyone who prefers to keep it old school.
“Set defaults by app” is the last, but also most extensive method of managing which files are handled by the apps installed on your computer. Here you’ll find a familiar face with the list of programs available on your machine pinned to the left, and the list of various commands that will open them individually buried under the “Choose defaults for this program” button.
RELATED:Beginner Geek: 7 Ways You Can Change Default Applications and File Associations in Windows
If you want to make things easy, all you’ll need to do is click “Set this program as default”, after which Windows will automatically set that program as the go-to for any protocols, links, or files it’s designed to open on its own. I.e- Microsoft Edge will swoop up any HTTP links, FTP commands, or attached PDFs.
If you want to dig in and get more particular about these commands, you can click the “Choose defaults for this program” option, which will take you to this prompt:
Here you’ll find a list of all the protocols and extensions that the app has been coded to recognize on its own. As an example, you can see below that the Edge browser is already set to look out for any links that contain the HTTP or HTTPS protocol, as well as files ending in .htm or .html. You’re free to pick and choose from these at your own discretion, in case you have multiple web applications that you’d like to spread responsibility around to based on personal preference or daily working requirements.
Reset Default Apps
And as always, if your configurations get a bit too convoluted or you just want to send your account back into the same state as it was when you first booted up, resetting any changes is a quick and painless operation.
In the main Default Apps window, scroll down to the bottom of the sub-menu, and find the “Reset to Microsoft recommended defaults” option. Click the Reset button, and any alterations you’ve made to the options above will be undone in an instant.
Microsoft has made a lot of changes to the way we manage our applications for the release of Windows 10, but thankfully there isn’t anything too confusing about making sure that your files open flawlessly in the programs you want them to every single time.
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Ever open a file only to have it launch in the wrong program, or in a program that you don't want to use?
Many file types, especially common video, document, graphics, and audio file types, are supported by many different programs, several of which you may have installed on your computer at the same time. Some uncommon formats, like CAP files for DirectX, may not open with any program on your computer.
Windows can only open one program for a particular file extension automatically, so if you like to work with your PNG files in Photoshop Elements, for example, and not Paint, then changing the default file association for PNG files is what you need to do.
Follow the easy steps below to change a file type's program association in Windows. Depending on your version of Windows, you'll want to follow the first set of instructions for Windows 10 or the next set for Windows 8, Windows 7, or Windows Vista. Directions for Windows XP are further down the page.
Time Required: It'll take less than five minutes to change the program that's associated with a particular file extension, no matter which Windows operating system you're using or what file type we're talking about.
Setting a program's default file association does not restrict other programs that support the file type from working with them in other situations. More on this at the bottom of the page.
How to Change File Associations in Windows 10
Windows 10 uses Settings instead of Control Panel to make changes to file type associations.
Right-click the Start button (or hit the WIN+X hotkey) and choose Settings.
Choose Default apps on the left.
Scroll down a little and select Choose default apps by file type.
Locate the file extension you want to change the default program for.
If you're not sure what extension the file is using, open File Explorer to find the file and use the View > File name extensions option to show file extensions.
In the Choose default apps by file type window, select the program to the right of the file extension. If there isn't one listed, select Choose a default instead.
In the Choose an apppop-up window, pick a new program to associate with that file extension. If there isn't one listed that you want to use, try Look for an app in the Store.
Windows 10 will now open the program you chose each time you open a file with that extension from File Explorer.
When you're done, you can close any windows you opened to make these changes.
How to Change File Associations in Windows 8, 7, or Vista
Open Control Panel. In Windows 8, the Power User Menu (WIN+X) is the quickest way. Use the Start menu in Windows 7 or Vista.
You'll only see this link if you're on the Category or Control Panel Home view of Control Panel. Otherwise, choose Default Programs instead, followed by Associate a file type or protocol with a program link. Skip to Step 4.
Select Associate a file type or protocol with a program on the following page.
Once the Set Associations tool loads, which should only take a second or two, scroll down the list until you see the file extension that you want to change the default program for.
If you're not sure what extension the file in question has, right-click it (or tap-and-hold) the file, go to Properties, and look for the file extension in the 'Type of file' line of the General tab.
Choose the Change program button, located just above the scroll bar.
What you see next, and the next step to take, depend on what version of Windows you're using. See What Version of Windows Do I Have? if you're not sure which set of instructions to follow.
Windows 8: From the 'How do you want to open this type of file [file extension]?' window you see now, look through the list and select the program you'd like to open when you double-click or double-tap these types of files. Try More optionsfor the complete list.
Windows 7 & Vista: From the 'Open with' window that popped up, look through the programs listed and choose the one you'd like to open for this extension. The Recommended Programs are probably the most applicable, but there may be Other Programs listed, too. Use Browse to manually locate a program.
Select OK if you see it, and Windows will refresh the list of file associations to show the new default program assigned to this file type. You can close the Set Associations window if you're done making changes.
From this point forward, when you double-click or double-tap on any file with this particular file extension, the program you chose to associate with it in Step 8 will automatically launch and load the particular file.
How to Change File Associations in Windows XP
Go to Start > Control Panel to open Control Panel.
You'll only see that link if you're using the Category View of Control Panel. If you're instead using the Classic View, choose Folder Options instead and then skip to Step 4.
Select Folder Options near the bottom of the window.
Under Registered file types:, scroll down until you find the file extension that you want to change the default program association for.
Choose the extension to highlight it.
Select Change in the lower section.
From the Open With screen that you're now looking at, choose the program you'd like to open the file type with by default.
If you don't see that screen, choose Select the program from a list, and then OK.
The most common programs that support this particular file type will be listed under the Recommended Programs or Programs list, but there may be other programs that support the file as well, in which case you can manually select one with the Browse button.
Select OK and then Close back on the Folder Options window. You can also close any Control Panel or Appearance and Themes windows that might still be open.
Going forward, any time you open a file with the extension you chose back on Step 6, the program you chose in Step 8 will be opened automatically and the file will be loaded within that program.
More About Changing File Associations
Changing a program's file association doesn't mean that another supporting program can't open the file, it just means that it won't be the program that opens when you double-tap or double-click on those types of files.
To use another program with the file, you'll just need to start that other program manually first, and then browse your computer for the particular file to open it. For example, you can open Microsoft Word and use its File > Open menu to open a DOC file that is normally associated with OpenOffice Writer, but doing so doesn't actually change the file association for DOC files as explained above.
Also, changing the file association doesn't change the file type. To change the file type is to change the structure of the data so that it can be considered to exist in a different format. Changing the file's type/format is usually done with a file conversion tool.