Why you might want to change the default program

When you double-click a file, your computer opens it with whatever program you set as the default — the one assigned to that file type. Sometimes that default is not the program you actually want to use. You might have installed a new photo editor but photos still open in the old one. Or you might want Word documents to open in Google Docs instead of Microsoft Word. Changing the default takes two minutes and works the same way on Windows and Mac.

The process is different from opening a file with a different program just once. When you right-click a file and choose "Open With", you are making a one-time choice. Changing the default means every file of that type will open in your chosen program from now on, until you change it again.

Key Takeaways

  • Right-click any file of the type you want to change, then select "Open With" to see all programs that can open it.
  • Look for a checkbox or option that says "Always use this app" or "Set as default" — check it before you open the file.
  • On Windows, you can also go to Settings > Apps > Default Apps and search for the file type directly.
  • On Mac, right-click the file, choose "Get Info", find "Open With", select your program, then click "Change All".
  • If the program you want does not appear in the list, you may need to install it first or look in the program's own settings.

Changing the default on Windows using right-click

Right-click any file with the extension you want to change. For example, if you want all .jpg photos to open in a different program, right-click a .jpg file. A menu will appear. Look for "Open With" — it may say "Open With >" with an arrow pointing to a submenu.

Click "Open With" and you will see a list of programs that can open this file type. Find the program you want to use. Before you click it, look for a checkbox or link that says "Always use this app" or "Set as default for this file type". Check that box, then click the program name. From now on, files with that extension will open in the program you chose.

If the program you want does not appear in the list, scroll down or look for an option that says "Choose another app" or "More apps". If it still does not appear, the program may not be installed, or it may not be registered to open that file type. In that case, move to the Settings method below.

Changing the default on Windows using Settings

Open Windows Settings by pressing the Windows key and typing "Settings", then press Enter. Click "Apps" in the left sidebar, then click "Default Apps".

You will see a list of file types and the programs currently set to open them. Scroll down to find the file type you want to change — for example, ".pdf" or ".docx". Click on it. A window will open showing you all the programs that can open that file type. Click the program you want to use as the default. The change takes effect when ready.

If you do not see the file type you are looking for, use the search box at the top of the Default Apps page. Type the extension (like "pdf" or "jpg") and the matching file types will appear.

Changing the default on Mac

Right-click the file you want to change the default for. Click "Get Info" — it will be near the top of the menu. A window titled "Info" will open.

Look for the section called "Open With". Click the dropdown menu under it and select the program you want to use. You will see a button below that says "Change All". Click it. This tells Mac to open all files of this type with the program you chose. Close the Info window and you are done.

If the program you want does not appear in the dropdown, it may not be installed. Install the program first, then repeat these steps. If you installed it and it still does not appear, open the program itself, look in its settings or preferences for an option to set it as the default, and follow the instructions there.

What to do if the program you want is not in the list

If you have installed a program but it does not appear when you try to set it as the default, the program may not have registered itself with your operating system. The solution depends on which program it is.

First, make sure the program is actually installed. Open your Applications folder (on Mac) or Programs folder (on Windows) and look for it. If it is there but still does not appear in the default apps list, open the program itself. Many programs have a settings or preferences menu — look for an option that says "Set as default" or "Associate file types". Click it and follow the prompts.

If the program still does not appear and you cannot find a settings option, the program may not support being set as a default for that file type. In that case, you can still open files with it by right-clicking and choosing "Open With" each time, but you cannot make it the automatic choice.

Changing defaults for multiple file types at once

If you want one program to open several file types — for example, making a photo editor the default for .jpg, .png, and .gif files — you can do this on Windows through Settings. Open Settings > Apps > Default Apps, then look for an option that says "Set defaults by app" or similar. Click on the program you want, and you will see checkboxes for each file type it can open. Check the boxes for the types you want, and the changes take effect when ready.

On Mac, you have to change each file type one at a time using the Get Info method described above. There is no way to set multiple file types to one program in a single step.

Changing back to the original default

If you change the default and later want to change it back, follow the same steps you used to change it the first time. Right-click a file of that type, choose "Open With", select the original program, and check the "Always use this app" box. On Mac, use Get Info and click "Change All" after selecting the program.

On Windows, you can also reset all defaults to what they were when you first installed Windows. Open Settings > Apps > Default Apps, scroll to the bottom, and look for "Reset" or "Reset to recommended defaults". Click it. This will change all file types back to their original programs, so use this only if you want to undo many changes at once.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I set a web browser as the default for opening links?

Yes. On Windows, go to Settings > Apps > Default Apps and search for "http". You will see options for which browser opens web links. Click the browser you want. On Mac, right-click any link in a document or email, choose "Open URL", select your browser, and click "Change All".

What if I want to open a file with a different program just one time?

Right-click the file and choose "Open With", then select the program you want. Do not check the "Always use this app" box. The file will open in that program this time only, and the default will not change.

Does changing the default affect files I already have, or only new files?

Changing the default affects all files of that type, whether you created them yesterday or years ago. The change takes effect when ready for every file with that extension.

Why does a program I installed not show up in the "Open With" list?

The program may not have registered itself with your operating system during installation. Try opening the program and looking in its settings or preferences for an option to set it as the default or associate file types. If that does not work, try uninstalling and reinstalling the program.

Can I set different defaults for the same file type on different drives?

No. The default is set for the file type itself, not for files in a specific location. All .pdf files on your computer will open with the same program, regardless of where they are stored.