Windows 7 - Open With - Add or Remove "Always use selected program"

**Brink**

How to Add or Remove "Always use selected program" in Open With

Information

This will show you how to add (default) or remove the Always use the selected program to open this kind of file option from in Open with for only the current user or all users on the Windows computer.

Note

This will include all Open with windows in Windows. For example, when you right click on a file and select Open with, or through Default Programs.

Tip

When removed, this can be handy to prevent accidentally associating a program to always open a file extension type with that program when you only wanted to temporarily open the file with that program instead.

EXAMPLE: Open with
NOTE: This is with the Always use the selected program to open this kind of file option at default (added) and removed.

OPTION ONE

Apply to Current User Only

NOTE: OPTION TWO below will override this option.

1. To Remove "Always use the selected program"
A) Click on the Download button below to download the file below.
Remove_Always_Select_Current_User.reg

B) Go to step 3.

2. To Restore "Always use the selected program"
NOTE: This is the default setting.
A) Click on the Download button below to download the file below.
Restore_Always_Select_Current_User.reg

3. Click on Save, and save the .reg file to the desktop.

4. Right click the downloaded .reg file and click on Merge.

5. Click on Run, Yes, Yes, and OK when prompted.

6. When done, you can delete the downloaded .reg file if you like.

OPTION TWO

Apply to All Users on Computer

NOTE: This option will override OPTION ONE above.

1. To Remove "Always use the selected program"
A) Click on the Download button below to download the file below.
Remove_Always_Select_All_Users.reg

B) Go to step 3.

2. To Restore "Always use the selected program"
NOTE: This is the default setting.
A) Click on the Download button below to download the file below.
Restore_Always_Select_All_Users.reg

3. Click on Save, and save the .reg file to the desktop.

4. Right click the downloaded .reg file and click on Merge.

5. Click on Run, Yes, Yes, and OK when prompted.

6. When done, you can delete the downloaded .reg file if you like.

That's it,
Shawn

Related Tutorials

**TheCuriosity** · 10-31-2009

Thanks. There has been two too many times that I would go through so quickly that I would forget to uncheck the "Always" button only to mess up how a certain type of file acts giving me hours of headache trying to fix it (not knowing how). Ideally I would prefer it to still be there, but not defaulted as checked, but this is just as good for me.

**Brink** · 10-31-2009

Hello TheCuriosity,

Yeah, that would be a nice option to have. I'm happy this workaround will work for you though.

**nechan** · 01-22-2010

hi

is there any way to just permanently uncheck the checkbox?
in earlier windows versions it was possible to change a value in HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Unknown\shell\openas\command
(C:\WINDOWS\Rundll32.exe Shell32.dll,OpenAs_RunDLL %1) to %2 but it doesn't work with Windows 7. Hiding is good but I might need the option sometime where it is.

Cheers

**Brink** · 01-22-2010

Hello Nechan,

Not that I know of so far, but you could always use Default Programs to make it the "Always use" default program as a workaround.

**artinusa** · 01-12-2011

How to Add or Remove "Always use selected program" in Open With

This solves one of my problems.. thanks

**Brink** · 01-12-2011

You're most welcome Artinusa.

cybercontroler · 08-10-2011

Server Error

404 - File or directory not found.

The resource you are looking for might have been removed, had its name changed, or is temporarily unavailable.

**Brink** · 08-10-2011

Thank you Cybercontroler for letting me know. They have been restored.

nondisposable · 10-23-2011

To display the "Open with" with the box "Always use the selected program to open this kind of file" UNCHECKED by default but ACTIVE, I have found the solution on this page. Simply download the .zip file, extract the 3 files MyOpenAs_RestoreDefaults.reg, MyOpenAs.reg and MyOpenAs.dll (must be selected whether your PC is 64-bit or 32-bit) into your \Windows\System32 folder. Works perfectly.

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