Open With - Change Default Program

How to Change the Default Program a File Type Opens With in Windows 7​

   Information

A default program is the program that Windows 7 uses when you open a particular type of file extension. This will show you how to change a file type to open with a different default program for just this one time or always using the context menu in Windows 7.

These Default Programs association settings are a per user setting and not applied to all users.

Here's How:
1. Right click on the file type (ex: .txt file) that you want to change the default program for, then click on Open with. (see screenshot below)

   Note

If you do not have Open with in the context menu, then this means this file does not have a program associated to open it with.

• Instead, click on Open.

• Select (dot) Select a program from a list of installed programs, and click on OK.
• Go to step 3.

2. To Select a Program that is Already Listed in Context Menu
NOTE: This option will only open the file type with this program for just this one time and not everytime by default.
A) After you have expanded Open with, select a listed program (ex: Notepad or Wordpad) that you want to open the file with for just this one time. (see screenshot below)

B) Go to step 4.
3. To Select a Program that is Not Listed in Context Menu
NOTE: This option will allow you to be able to select to have the file type to always open with the selected program by default if you like.
A) After you have expanded Open with, select Choose default program. (see screenshot below step 1)

B) Under Other Programs, click on the drop down arrow to the far right to exapnd it and see more programs to select from. (See screenshot below)

C) Select the program that you want to open the file with. (See screenshot above)
NOTE: If the program you wanted to select is still not listed, then click on the Browse button and navigate to the program's exe file. Select it, and click on the Open button to add it to be able to select it.


D) To Always Open this File Type with the Selected Program by Default

• Check the Always use the selected program to open this kind of file box. (See screenshot below step 3B)
• Go to step 3F.

E) To Only Open this File Type with the Selected Program for Just this One Time

• Uncheck the Always use the selected program to open this kind of file box. (See screenshot below step 3B)

F) Click on OK. (See screenshot below step 3B)
4. The file will now be opened by the selected program.
That's it,
Shawn

Related Tutorials

---

• How to Add "Open with" to Context Menu of URL Files in Windows 7 and Vista
• How to Add "Open with" to Context Menu of BAT Files in Windows 7 and Vista
• How to Associate a File Type or Protocol Default Program in Window 7
• How to Unassociate a File Extension Type in Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8
• Restore Default Windows 7 File Extension Type Associations
• 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 or Remove "Always use selected program" in Open with
• How to Have "Always use selected program" Always Checked or Unchecked in "Open with"
• How to Remove or Restore the Open With Context Menu Item in Windows
• 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 Add or Remove "Open with Notepad" from the Context Menu of Files
• How to Clean Up and Remove Programs from the "Open with" Context Menu
• How to Add a Program to "Open with" in Windows 7
• 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

 

[steephan]

What to do if I do this on shortcut? :]
I done this accidently and non of my shortcuts dosn't work anymore :/

 

[Brink]

Hello Steephan, and welcome to Seven Forums.

You can download and run this REG file below to restore the default lnk (shortcut) associations in Windows 7.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[steephan]

Thx for fast reply
wrrr dosnt work at all :/
I have enought of this problem

 

[Brink]

Steephan,

You can do a System Restore using a restore point dated before this happened to hopefully fix it then.

 

[steephan]

If I only made backup before :/
Any other options?
Reinstal system only?

 

[Brink]

I would do a repair install instead of a clean install instead. This way you will not lose anything.

 

[steephan]

SO i need boot from windows dvd and there is that option?

 

[Dwarf]

No, you do not boot from the DVD. Instead, boot into W7 and then insert the DVD. The following image is from the beginning of this Tutorial - you just need to follow the rest of the instructions from there.

 

[steephan]

made repair install and didnt help :/

 

[Brink]

Steephan,

See if creating new shortcuts directly from the source file (ex: .exe file) will have them work instead.

 

[steephan]

Not at all :/

 

[Brink]

I hate to say it, but you may need to do a clean install then.

 

[Dwarf]

Going back a few posts to the one where Shawn suggested a REG file, did you merge this using a standard account or one with administrative privileges? Try again, this time in an account with administrative privileges. If that doesn't work, then I'm afraid that a reinstall may well be your only option.

 

[steephan]

There is no option "run as admin.." on right click. How to login as admin in W7? In xp it was double "alt ctr del" then typing user, here dosnt work :/

 

[Dwarf]

Unless you have changed it into a standard account, the one you created when you first installed is the one you should use.

 

[steephan]

have default acc, so no hope for me :]

 

[dosucol]

This is a lot easier than with my previous Os,xp pro,notably the icon changes to reflect the new choice .As what i used to find previously ,is when i changed the default programme to what i wanted to use, the old icon would remain showing.

One more thing,how do you remove the old program from the right click "open with" list ?

 

[Brink]

Hello Dosucol,

In Regedit, you can navigate to these two locations for a file extension to see if it has the Open With item listed to be deleted. Be sure to create a restore point first in case you make a mistake and need to do a system restore to undo it.


HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts\(file extension)\OpenWithProgids

OR

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\(file extension)\OpenWithList

Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[dosucol]

Thanks for the help,but there's a but coming.There is nothing in the classes_root ,only in the first reg location,so i deleted the old software (from the reg) that was linked to it,(an .iso file)but when i close then re open and right click then open with,the old program is still in the list ,i it also re appears in the registry exactly where i deleted it's entry from !

So i have a feeling it is the software which has associated itself with the .iso extension and it's this that needs tinkering with !The only problem being that this piece of software is known for only working with one type of image file and .iso is not that type .