Change the Default Application Associated with a File Type



Windows


  1. Right-click on the file you want to open.
  2. Mouse over the Open With... menu option, and select Choose Program...
  3. Select the desired program from the list, or browse for a program if it is not listed.
  4. Check the "Always use the selected program..." checkbox.
  5. Click OK.



macOS



Method 1 (Recommended):
  1. Right-click on a file and select "Get Info". (The shortcut is command-I)
  2. In the file info window, under "Open with", select the application you want as the default from the drop-down menu.
    1. If the application you want to use is not listed,
    click the "Other..." button.
    2. If the application you want to use is greyed out in the
    "Choose and application to open the document ________ "
    window, change the "Enable" setting from "Recommended
    Applications" to "All Applications".
    3. Check the "Always Open With" check box and click "Add".
  3. Once you have selected your application, you have the choice to make this change affect all files of this type, or just this one. To have this change affect just this one, simply close the window. For the change to affect all files of this type, press the "Change All..." button.
  4. When you are prompted to "Change all similar documents to open in the application _________ ", click the "Continue" button.
  5. The selected file type should now open using the application selected in the steps above when the file is double-clicked.

Method 2:
  1. Right-click on a file, point to "Open With" and select "Other..."
  2. Browse to your Applications directory and select the application you want to open the file type by default, check the "Always Open With" check box and click "Open". (NOTE: If the application you want to use to open the file is greyed out, change the "Enable" setting from "Recommended Applications" to "All Applications".)
  3. The selected file type should now open using the application selected in the steps above when the file is double-clicked.

Revision #1
Created 14 February 2019 19:12:38
Updated 17 June 2019 18:16:05