Default File Type Associations - Restore

Restore Default Windows 7 File Extension Type Associations​

   Information

The downloads below will allow you to restore the Windows 7 default registry entries and program associations of the selected file extension type.

   Note

This can be helpful for example when a file extension type opens with the wrong program by default, has the wrong icon, or is missing or corrupted in the registry. Downloading the .reg file for the selected file extension in the tutorial below, will restore that file extension back to default for all of these items above.

Since there are so many default file extension types in Windows 7, it may take a bit to have a complete list of them below. If the file extension type you need to restore is not listed below yet, then please post a request for it. I'll be happy to add it to the list.

   Warning

Default program associations for file extensions are a per user setting by default, so you will need to be logged on to the effected user account to be able to restore the default associations of the file extension for that specific user account.

If you are logged in as a standard user and this still does not help, then have the administrator also merge the needed .reg for the file extension below while logged into their administrator account.

These default file extensions should only be used in Windows 7.

:note: For Windows 10, please see here - Restore Default File Type Associations in Windows 10 - Windows 10 Customization Tutorials


Here's How:
1. Click on a listed file extension below the blue NOTE box that you would like to restore the default associations of. This will be for the downloadable .reg file for the listed file extension.

2. Save the .reg file to your desktop.

3. Right click on the downloaded .reg file, and click on Merge.
NOTE: If you wish to see what changes will be made by the REG file, then you can right click on the extracted REG file and click on Edit to see the default registry entries that will be added. REG files are just text files. The "Edit" function just opens them in Notepad.

   Tip

If you do not see a Merge option when you right click on the REG file, then you will need to check in Default Programs to set the reg file extension to have it's Current Default program set as Registry Editor (C:\Windows\regedit.exe). Afterwards, try merging the REG file again.

4. If prompted, click on Run, Yes (UAC), Yes, and OK.
NOTE: If you are logged in a standard user account, then you will get a Cannot import type error. Just click on OK for it. This is normal since what cannot be imported can only be done so by an administrator account instead. It will still restore the default association of the file extension though.

5. When finished, you can delete the downloaded .zip or .reg files on the desktop if you like.

6. Log off and log on, or restart the computer to apply.




Default Windows 7 File Extension Types:

   Note

To download all available file extension fixes below in one ZIP folder, click on the Download button below and save the ZIP file to your desktop. Open the ZIP file, and extract (drag and drop) the REG file for the file extension you want to restore to your desktop. Now you could just pick up at step 3 above.


Download

3GP - Audio and video container format developed by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP); designed as a multimedia format for transmitting audio and video files between 3G cell phones and over the Internet; commonly used by mobile phones that support video capture. The default program is Windows Media Player.

3GPP - Audio and video container format developed by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP); designed as a multimedia format for transmitting audio and video files between 3G cell phones and over the Internet; commonly used by mobile phones that support video capture. The default program is Windows Media Player.

aac - ADTS audio file. The default program is Windows Media Player.

ai - AI file.

ani - Windows animated cursor file.

aspx - A file with the ASPX file extension is an ASP.NET Source file.

asf - Advanced Streaming Format (ASF) is an open file format specification for streaming multimedia files containing text, graphics, sound, video, and animation. The default program is Windows Media Player.

asx - Advanced Stream Redirector (.asx) play list files, also known as Windows Media Metafiles, are text files that provide information about a file stream and its presentation. The default program is Windows Media Player.

AudioCD - Audio CD protocol associations.

avi - Audio Video Interleave files. The default program is Windows Media Player.

bas - BASIC source code file.

bak - Usually used to rename a file extension with to make it a backup copy. bak as no associations by default, so this will remove all associations for the bak file extension.

bat - Batch files.

bin - Binary file. By default in Windows 7, .bin files are not associated to be opened by a default program.

bmp - Bitmap image files. The default program is Windows Photo Viewer.

Briefcase - New Briefcase file.

cab - Cabinet files.

cer - Security Certificate file

chm - Microsoft compiled HTML help files.

cmd - Windows command script files.

com - MS-DOS application files.

Contact - Contact file. Default program is Windows Contacts.

cpl - Control Panel item.

cpp - Program source code written in the C++ programming language; may be a standalone program or one of many files referenced within a programming project; can be viewed with a text editor, but most software development programs will display the text with helpful syntax highlighting

crl - Certificate Revocation list file

crt - Security Certificate file

css - Cascading Style Sheet Document file. The default program is Notepad.

cur - Windows File Cursor animation files used for the Microsoft Windows mouse pointer image.

dat - Generic data file created by a specific application; typically accessed only by the application that created the file; may contain data in text or binary format; text-based DAT files can be viewed in a text editor.

der - Security Certificate file

db - Data base file.

dic - The .DIC file extension is a Dictionary file (text file) which can be used as an alternate dictionary on top of the Microsoft Windows Dictionary and may contain an optional set of personalized words which the user has opted to add for spell- checking purposes.

Directory - Directory protocol associations

dll - A Dynamic Link Library (dll) file is a support file used by one or more programs.

drive - Drive protocol associations.

dvr-ms - Microsoft Recorded TV Show file. The default program is Windows Media Center.

exe - Executable application files.

folder - Folder protocol associations.

gif - GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) image files. The default program is Internet Explorer.

gz - Usually associated with Gzip. By default, there is no associated program for this in Windows 7.

h - C or C++ program language header file normally with .C or .CPP file. In computer programming, particularly in the C and C++ programming languages, a header file or include file is a file, usually in the form of source code, that is automatically included in another source file by the compiler. Typically, header files are included via compiler directives at the beginning (or head) of the other source file.

hlp - Help file

hta - HTML (Hypertext Mark-up Language) application. The default program is Microsoft (R) HTML Application host (mshta.exe)

htm - HTML (Hypertext Mark-up Language) document files. The default program is Internet Explorer.

html - HTML (Hypertext Mark-up Language) document files. The default program is Internet Explorer.

ico - Icon files. The default program is Windows Photo Viewer.

img - CD or DVD image file, essentially equivalent to an ISO file.

inf - Setup information files. The default program is Notepad.

ini - The INI file type is primarily associated with 'Initialization/Configuration File'. These files are typically ASCII text with various configuration options set into sections.

iso - Image file.

jnt - Journal document file. Default program is Windows Journal.

jpe - JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) image files. The default program is Windows Photo Viewer.

jpeg - JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) image files. The default program is Windows Photo Viewer.

jpg - JPG (Joint Photographic Group) image files. The default program is Windows Photo Viewer.

js - Java Script file. The default program is Microsoft Windows Based Script Host (C:\Windows\System32\wscript.exe).

JSE - JScript encoded script file. The default program is Microsoft Windows Based Script Host (C:\Windows\System32\wscript.exe).

library-ms - Library folder.
NOTE: To restore the default icons, you may need to do these as well.

• How to Change a Library Icon in Windows 7
• How to Change the Default Libraries Icon in Windows 7

lnk - Shortcut link (LNK) files.

log - LOG is a file extension associated with Log files. It is a text file.

M2T- High-definition video recording format used by many HD camcorders; commonly referred to as "HDV;" uses MPEG-2 compression to store HD video data on DV or MiniDV tapes; supports resolutions of 720p and 1080i.

M2TS - Blu-ray BDAV Video File. Video file saved in the high-definition Blu-ray BDAV format; used for saving video data on Blu-ray discs; based on the MPEG-2 transport stream and supports 720p and 1080i formats. BDAV stands for "Blu-ray Disc Audio/Visual," while the M2TS extension refers to "MPEG-2 Transport Stream."

m3u - The M3U file type is primarily associated with 'MP3 Playlist File'. Generally known as a "Winamp" Playlist file, this format has been adopted by a wide variety of MP3 players. The default program is Windows Media Player.

m4a - MPEG-4 audio file. The default program is Windows Media Player.

M4V - MPEG-4 file extension used for videos downloaded from the Apple iTunes store; includes TV episodes, full-length movies, and music videos; similar to an .MP4 file, but may be copy-protected using Apple's FairPlay DRM copyright protection.

manifest - A XML file that contains information about accompanying files in the same archive.

mapimail - Mail service.

mhtml - MHTML document file. The default program is Internet Explorer.

mkv - A Matroska Multimedia Container file is a video format similar to the .AVI, .ASF, and .MOV formats. By default Windows 7 does not have support for opening this file type and has no association. DivXPlayer is a good free program to install that does support playing this file extension. This download will set this file extension back to the default unassociated state in Windows 7.

mov - Movie file. The default program is Windows Media Player.

mp3 - MP3 sound format file. The default program is Windows Media Player.

mp4 - MPEG-4 movie file. The default program is Windows Media Player.

mpa - MPEG audio file. The default program is Windows Media Player.

mpe - MPEG movie file. The default program is Windows Media Player.

mpeg - MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group) video file. The default program is Windows Media Player.

mpg - MPEG video file. The default program is Windows Media Player.

msc - Mirosoft Common Console document files.

msi - Microsoft Windows Installer installation package file.

msp - Microsoft Windows Installer Patch file.

MTS - MadTracker 2 Sample File. High-definition MPEG Transport Stream video format, commonly called "AVCHD" (Advanced Video Codec High Definition); used by Sony, Panasonic, and other HD camcorders; based on the MPEG-2 transport stream and supports 720p and 1080i HD video formats. MTS files can typically be opened and edited using the software included with Sony and Panasonic HD camcorders. The default program in Windows 7 is Windows Media Player.

nfo - System Information File

obj - Object file.

otf - Open Type Font file. The default program is Windows Font Viewer.

Package - Package protocol.

pbk - Dial-Up Phonebook file. The default program is Remote Access Phonebook.

pdf - Portable Document Format (PDF) is a file format created by Adobe Systems. By default, Windows 7 does not support reading this file type. Using this to restore the default PDF association in Windows 7 will remove all associations for the pdf file extension. You will need to install a 3rd party program like Adobe Reader or Foxit Reader to be able to open and read pdf files in Windows 7.

png - Portable Network Graphics (PNG) is a bitmap compression method for image files. PNG supports 16.7 million colors, it is lossless and also supports index color, grayscale, true color, transparency, and is streamable. It is thus the best compression method (better than GIF or JPEG) for use on the web.

ps1 - Microsoft Windows PowerShell command line shell and scripting language file. The default program used to open with is Notepad.

psd - The PSD file format, created by Adobe, contains graphics/photos created by image editing software such as Adobe Photoshop.

reg - Registry file.
NOTE: You may need to set the default program as Registry Editor (C:\Windows\regedit.exe) for reg file extensions, or enable regedit before you will be able to use this REG file.

rtf - Rich Text document files. The default program is WordPad.

scr - Screen Saver files.

Search - Windows Search protocol.

svg - SVG document. The default program is Internet Explorer.

swf - Shockwafe Flash Object.

sys - System file.

tar - Tape Archive file. By default, there is no associated program for this in Windows 7.

theme - A Windows theme file.

themepack - A .themepack file is a Windows Theme Pack file used to share themes with others.

tif - Tagged Image files Format. The default program is Windows Photo Viewer.

tiff - Tagged Image files Format. The default program is Windows Photo Viewer.

tmp - Temp file. By default, this file extension does not have a program associated with it.

TS - Video Transport Stream file used for storing video on a DVD; compresses video data using standard MEPG-2 (.MPEG) video compression. TS files are often saved as multiple files on a DVD, i.e. "moviename1.ts," "moviename2.ts," "moviename3.ts," etc. They can be played back by various software DVD players and video editing tools

ttf - True Type font file. The default program is Windows Font Viewer.

TTS - A .tts file is a text file (an ini file) that corresponds to your book. The ToolBook Translation System (TTS) creates the .tts file for you when you set the book's TTS Identifier through the Setup Sources window.

txt - Text document files. The default program is Notepad.

Type - To remove association with blank file extension.

Unknown - Unknown file types.

url - Internet website shortcut link. The default program is Internet Explorer.

vbs - Visual Basic Script files. The default program is Microsoft Windows Based Script Host (C:\Windows\System32\wscript.exe).

vob - Movie data file from a DVD disc, typically stored in the VIDEO_TS folder; contains the majority of data stored on the disc including video, audio, and subtitles; usually formatted as an MPEG-2 system stream and can be opened by various video playback programs.

wav - Wave audio file. The default program is Windows Media Player.

wma - Windows Media Audio files. The default program is Windows Media Player.

wmv - Windows Media Audio/Video file. The default program is Windows Media Player.

wsf - Windows Script Files. The default program is Microsoft Windows Based Script Host (C:\Windows\System32\wscript.exe).

xml - Excel Macro files. The default program is Internet Explorer.

xps - XML Paper Specification document files. The default program is XPS Viewer (C:\Windows\System32\XPSViewer\XPSViewer.exe).

xsl - A eXtensible Stylesheet Language file that defines the style of text, tables, and other objects within a XML document; similar to a .CSS file used by .HTML documents. The default program is Internet Explorer.

zip - ZIP file extensions is a archival and data compression format used to compress one or more files to reduce the size of the file. The default program is Compressed Folders.

Related Tutorials

---

• How to Associate a File Type or Protocol Default Program in Window 7
• How to Set Default Associations for a Program in Windows 7
• How to Hide or Show Known File Type Extensions in Windows 7
• How to Add "Show/Hide Known File Extensions" to Context Menu in Vista and Windows 7
• How to Change the Default Program a File Type Opens With in Windows 7
• How to Rebuild the Icon Cache in Windows 7
• How to Change the Default Icon of a File Extension in Windows 7
• How to Create a Default Programs Shortcut in Windows 7
• How to Fix Manage "File does not have a program associated with it" Error
• How to Unassociate a File Extension Type in Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8
• How to Create a "Set Program Access and Computer Defaults" Shortcut
• How to Enable or Disable the "Set Program Access and Computer Defaults" Page
• How to Fix "Open with" Opening with Notepad or Error Message
• How to Restore Default Services in Windows 7

 

[Brink]

hello brink,

*just a heads up (i'm not very computer savvy)*

i seem to have a problem with some .sb files in one of my computer games directories
i accidentally opened the .sb file with notepad which in return it will not launch
if there's anyway you could either put .sb on the list ( i think it's a small basic file)
or possibly point me in the right direction with how to troubleshoot this, it would be most appreciated.

cheers.

Hello Shane, and welcome to Seven Forums.

I'm sorry, but .sb files are not associated with anything by default in Windows.

If you like, you could do a system restore using a restore point dated before you changed the default associations of .sb files to undo it.


If you wanted to unassociate .sb files, then the .reg file below will do so for you.


Hope this helps,
SHawn

 

[shaneMfeeney]

thank you for the info,

bare with me here please..
i looked into doing a system restore but it only gave me two dates to choose from both which were after the fact of the .sb incident i had (when i opened the .sb file in notepad that is)
if i were to un.associate the file what, what would that do exactly?
and hypothetically speaking, if i did un.associate the file and don't get the results i needed
would there a way to bring it back to it's previous state?

apologies if this is off topic by the way.

 

[Brink]

Unassociating the file would set to no longer have a default program set to open it with.

You could create a restore point before merging the .reg file to unassociate. This way you could just do a system restore with the restore point if it was not what you were looking for.

 

[shaneMfeeney]

I see..
So I kind of already went ahead and unassociated the file earlier.. which now I don't think I should have done, is it possible to reverse this?

 

[Brink]

A system restore would undo it, or you could use "Open with" to select a program you wanted to set as the default to open it with.

 

[bennywhite]

You Saved my Bacon!

This fix was the only thing that was going to save me. Thank you, thank you.

I had used Windows Explorer in an attempt to change the default file association for an *exe file. That caused every *.exe in the computer to be changed to the selected application, in the first instance Excel.

Then to make matters worse I eventually changed the default association to Windows Explorer in an unwise attempt to be able to see my file structure. When I did this every *.exe was associated with Explorer. When this is the case starting any application would start an infinite loop of Explorer processes and there was no way to stop it or start any other application because everything started another Explorer process. Thus, I did not have access to the Desktop or anything else.

So. I used another computer to download the Default_Exe.reg file. I copied it to a USB key. Then I started the computer with the problem in a Safe Mode with Command Prompt. I then ran the Default_Exe.reg file by entering the file name at the drive command prompt, e.g., G:> default_exe.reg. I did not know that *.reg files would run when you typed in the name at the command prompt but they do. When the file ran I got a screen that asked if I really wanted to change the Registry and warning that it could cause all sorts of problems. Since I was already having all sorts of problems I did not think I had anything to lose.

It seems like what the executable file does it to delete the existing FileExts value in the registry that is associated with the *.exe extension. I was able to find ways to modify the Registry itself but since I had screwed up the *.exe file association default there was no way for me to access regedit.

Long story but I just wanted to say thanks and inform the subscribers that there are workarounds available if you change the defaults on the *.exe file extension to Explorer. Moral of the story: NEVER, EVER under any circumstances change the default association for the *.exe file extension to Windows Explorer.

 

[Brink]

You're most welcome Benny, and welcome to Seven Forums.

I'm sorry that you had such a rollercoaster of a ride there, but glad to hear this helped you get it sorted.

 

[chinapoesy]

thank you so much!

thank you so much! if fixed my big problem.

Some days ago,I changed the open method of .bat file(window7 64x) . I can't change it back!

it's so hard for me to fix this issue.

 

[x3braindmg]

Thanks a lot for the tutorial
Fixed my problem with lnk

 

[mwu]

Hello everybody,

I've registered on this forum because I believe this is the place where I can learn if my computer is truly screwed.

Like most I have an issue of files association, however this is massive, I get the famous "this file does not have a program associated with it blablabla" for everything I do on my computer (control pannel for exemple)

• if I try to access my documents, I get absolutely nothing (no message error, no symbol nothing)

• If I try to go to for the task manager i get "no task supported" ...

• If I try to type "regedit" (or about anything) in the search tab of the start menu, I get nothing, no reaction.

By some luck, clicking on my garbage, open C-Cleaner, which has a "online help" button, which allow me to launch firefox (if I try directly i get the " this file doesnt not have a program associated..." message.

I've downloaded some reg files , but I do not have the "merge" option when I right click on them.
Refering to the first page I can see :

If you do not see a Merge option when you right click on the REG file, then you will need to check in Default Programs to set the reg file extension to have it's Current Default program set as Registry Editor (C:\Windows\regedit.exe). Afterwards, try merging the REG file again.

But in my case I cannot access to the control panel...

So is there a possibility to enable this "merge" option for .reg files on the right click, given my situation ?

Or do I basically have to order a new computer ?

Thanks for your help

 

[Brink]

Hello mwu, and welcome to Eight Forums.

Was this a result of your computer being infected by a virus or malware, or done by mistake?

If you are not sure that I would recommend to do a full scan your system at boot with Windows Defender Offline to help make sure it's clean.


You might see if you may be able to right click on the .reg file, click on Open with, and click on Registry Editor if listed. If not listed, then click on Choose default program instead, and browse to and select the C:\Windows\regedit.exe file.

Afterwards, you'll hopefully be able to merge the needed .reg files. I would say you need at least the .exe and .lnk (LNK) ones.

If you are still unable to merge them, then you might see if doing a system restore at boot using a restore point dated before you had this issue may be able to undo and fix this.

Hope this helps for now,
Shawn

 

[mwu]

Hi Shawn,

I was running a Spybot scan, I had to restart my computer "et voila"...

Thanks for the reply and the welcome ^^

WIth my right click I don't have an option to "open files with", and I cannot directly open then when I download them,
In another place I found some reg files, which I can either download or open, I tried to open following C:windows/regiedit.exe and I get the following message : "no such interface supported"

As for the system reset boot I cannot do one, (if i go to system restore in the menu and click on it (the icon is blank) nothing happen, same story for every program.


Hypothetic question, If I were to buy windows 8 "update" for windows 7, and use it on this computer, would it erase all my data ?

 

[Brink]

Did you try doing a system restore at boot instead of from the Control Panel? This is not for doing a factory recovery.

 

[mwu]

How can I do that ? F8 at the start ?

 

[Brink]

See Option Two: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/700-system-restore.html

 

[mwu]

Well I should have mentionned I do not have the installation CD (or any CD) for Windows 7...

Hence question about update to windows 8

 

[Brink]

You can download the latest official Windows 7 with SP1 ISO file for your edition at the link below on another computer.
Microsoft: Windows 7 Direct Download Links
Afterwards, you could use the program in the tutorial below on the other computer to create a bootable Windows 7 installation USB/DVD that you can use to boot from on your computer.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/31541-windows-7-usb-dvd-download-tool.html

 

[mwu]

Alright

Now I just need to find the other computer ^^

Thanks

 

[Brink]

Call a good friend, and bring beer.

 

[mwu]

Ok I was able today to burn the bootable CD as advised

However when I tried to go to system repar, step 3 of option 2, I got the message, that there was no restore point (big error message) and I couldnt do much else.

Do you have an option?

Merry Christmass