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

 

[Brink]

Hello David, and welcome to Seven Forums.

What program is the .exe file? Someone may already have a solution for it.

Have you tried using compatibility mode on the exe file for what Windows OS it was made for to see if that may help.

Hope this may help for now,
Shawn

 

[quas]

Hello,

I have been having this problem for some time: I can't change the default program for video files. I try to make vlc the default program, but every time I restart the PC, winamp gets right back and every file opens with it.
I didn't want to open a new thread, so I figured that I'd get an answer here. Any suggestions to a permanent change?

Thanks

 

[Brink]

Hello Quas,

Are you selecting the VLC exe file, and checking the Always use the selected program to open this kind of file box?

If so, then you might download the file extension(s) in the tutorial below for the video file(s) that this is happening with to reset them back to their default associations. Afterwards try setting them to VLC again.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/19449-default-file-type-associations-restore.html

Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[erikaM47]

please help...

i accidentally set WordPad as my default program when opening word documents. I got so close to changing it to Microsoft word but i wasn't able to find Microsoft word in the suggested list of programs in my computer. But i have Microsoft Office 2010 (Word, Excel...etc) installed in my laptop. I tried browsing, i found the 'Microsoft office' folder, i clicked it, and found another folder named 'Office14'. So, there, i clicked it again but i just found the folder empty. Please help. I really want to make Microsoft Word my default program when opening word documents. Thank you so much!

P.S.

i'm really not that expert with computers.

-erikaM47

 

[Brink]

Hello Erika, and welcome to Seven Forums.

The location of the exe file for Word should be the one below. Selecting it using "Open With" or in Default Programs for .doc files should set Word back as the default program.

C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office14\WINWORD.EXE

Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[erikaM47]

hey brink!!! yey! fixed it, finally. thank you! really appreciated it. God Bless! you're great. )))

 

[Brink]

You're most welcome Erika.

 

[Marshall2k6]

Having some issues after virus removal...

This topic might have been touched-on in another thread, but you guys seem pretty well-informed here.

I recently had an experience with a rogue anti-virus ploy called Win 7 Home Defender 2012. Initially, my Webroot Internet Security Essentials couldn't locate it. After reading around on their site, I discovered that I could restart in Safe Mode, and then it would be found in a sweep. I did this, and it appears to be successfully removed (I'm actually able to get online with this computer now).

THE PROBLEM

Upon rebooting, I removed the virus from quarantine. All appears to be working, except when I click on any icon, Windows brings up an "Open With" dialogue. It took quite some time just to be able open a working Firefox window. All of the programs that I have tried to open seem to do this. Additionally, the information is not saved. Everytime I open Firefox, I have to locate the .exe file.

THE QUESTION

Is there something I can do to solve this? I thought about attempting a System Restore, but I'm not really familiar with that process, and I was also afraid it may restore to a point where the Trojan was still installed, thus creating the same series of events.

I really don't want to have to dig for files every time I want to run an application.

Any suggestions?


Thanks,
Matt

 

[Brink]

Hello Matt, and welcome to Seven Forums.

This sounds like your exe file extension association has gotten changed to a unsupported default program. Downloading and merging the exe and lnk (LNK-shortcuts) options in the tutorial below will restore their default associations and hopefully fix this for you.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/19449-default-file-type-associations-restore.html

Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[Marshall2k6]

Yes!!

Thanks Shawn!!!

It worked great, and everything is back to normal.

Next time you're in Omaha, I'll buy you a beer.



Thanks again,
Matt

 

[Brink]

You're most welcome Matt. Sounds like a plan.

 

[Symphony]

Greetings,

I have already figured out how to do this, the issue I face is on another level and I find myself utterly annoyed by it:
At every reboot (shutdown/restart), all those settings regarding which app should open which file type, reverts to default. Every, single, time.

How to make it stick ?

My computer is an HP mini and so the default ones are the HP apps which are heavy on it and slows it down; therefore I made alternative choices for each file type and don't have time to re-enter this information every time I turn on the computer..


Thank you


(Note that I do make sure that "always use this app" is ticked before confirming my selection with "apply" and closing the window with "ok".)

 

[Brink]

Hello Symphony,

You could also set the default program using this method below instead for it to stick.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/9154-default-programs-associate-file-type-protocol.html

Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[jerusalemnun]

File and Program association doesn't work

Hello,
I want to change association files (.indd) from Adobe InDesign CS4 (a later version) to Adobe InDesign CS.
When I follow the steps above, InDesign CS is not on the list. I click on "browse" and select it, but it doesn't appear on the list.
I tried to change the file association both from start-default programs and from "open with", same result.

How to change file association in this case?

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[Brink]

Hello Jerusalemnun, and welcome to Seven Forums.

You could use the tutorial below to add that program to be listed in "Open with".

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/178066-open-add-program.html

In addition, you could also use the tutorial below to change the default program association of a file extension to this program.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/9154-default-programs-associate-file-type-protocol.html

Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[dsim]

Can't correctly open a folder

I have saved a TechRepublic article in Documents, but it does not open as an article.

When right clicking , seeking the Open with option, this was not shown. In this forum , the advice when it is not shown is to click on Open -
"Instead, click on Open, select (dot) Select a program from a list of installed programs, and click on OK" -but when done the list shown in the attachment is displayed, not a list of installed programs.

I have checked the list of default programs, and .htm shows as having Internet Explorer as the default.

I can not find a way to get the saved folder to open in Internet Explorer.

Can anyone suggest what to do?

 

[Brink]

Hello dsim,

Do you mean when you try to open the .htm file and not a folder??

If so, then you could download and merge the htm and html option in the tutorial below to restore the default associations for these file extensions to be opened with Internet Explorer again.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/19449-default-file-type-associations-restore.html

Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[dsim]

Can not correctly open folder

Apologies to anyone who has tried to make sense of the first post.

I saved the same article on another computer and found that two files were saved - one a "File folder" and the other with an Internet Explorer icon. The latter opened the article.

Then scrolled down below all the folders to the files, and found the IE flagged file, which of course I could open.

Tried deleting one the "file folder", but that deleted both.

Thank you Brink for replying, but as you can see the problem was me - nothing in the system.

 

[Brink]

No problem dsim. I'm just happy that you got it sorted.

 

[leeroycooley]

Hi, i accidently set for all the '.lnk' programs to open in notepad, so now i cannot access them. I tried using system restore, but it is just stuck on the 'starting system restore' window. Please could you help sort this out?