• Add Default Application

Notice: Undefined variable: content in /home/eliza604/publichtml/wp-content/themes/magazine-pro/functions.php on line 1917When Microsoft introduced Windows 8 back in 2012, they also introduced a whole slew of apps that came pre-installed or that you could purchase from the Windows Store. These apps are more like ones you install on your smartphone or tablet than the desktop applications you used to install from.exe files on CDs (or downloaded from a software company’s website).

How to change the system language across your whole Windows 10 PC. How to change default system language on Windows 10. Settings app, File Explorer, Desktop, apps, browser and websites you.

But you could still install the latter, making your system a hybrid of traditional programs and new apps. Windows 10 continues this hybrid model, which isn’t a bad thing since it lets you choose which version of each program you prefer to work with.The problem arises when there’s a Windows 10 app that does the same basic function (e.g. Email, graphic design, video player etc.) as a traditional program and decides to make its own app the default for opening and using those files.

What do I mean by default programs?The best example for me is Microsoft’s Reader app for reading PDF files. I prefer to use Adobe Acrobat (or Adobe Reader if I’m on a computer where Acrobat isn’t installed) to read PDFs because I’m more familiar with it. And while I can just open Acrobat and then browse for the PDF file I want to read/work on, there are times when I just double-click on a PDF file to open it, e.g. When I get a PDF attachment in an email or from a link on a website.When I did that before it would automatically open Acrobat, but after I installed Windows 8 and then 10, it opened Microsoft’s Reader app instead.

That app would also open automatically when I create a PDF file from another program like Word.And it’s not just Reader. Most of the defaults are set to built-in Microsoft apps instead of third-party programs that you may prefer, e.g.

The Edge browser instead of Firefox, Chrome, Safari, etc. And it even happens with Microsoft’s own standalone programs—for example, I use Outlook for email but the default for Windows 10 is its Mail app.Ugh.

Changing the default program for specific file typesNote: The following instructions will only work if you have the program installed locally on your computer. If you’re using a cloud-based version of a program —including Microsoft’s own Office 365 applications— there doesn’t seem to be any way to make those the default. Update: I’ve since discovered that even though I’m using Office 365 (version 2016), I do have a local version of the program as well, but it does require one of the to make it the default.There are two ways you can change what program opens by default for any given file type.Click the Start button and start typing “Default”.After a few letters, “Default Programs” will appear in the search results. UPDATE: Thanks to several readers for bringing this to my attention, but unfortunately it looks like Microsoft has found a way to eliminate the Control Panel workaround as well as one I had explained previously using the Run command to get to the old File Association screen by having the relevant screens redirect to the standard Settings page. I have no idea why they’re so dead set against people choosing the programs they want as their defaults but they keep picking off solutions one by one.sigh.

Now what?I have a few final options to try that have worked for me to switch the default from Word 2016 (from Office 365) to Word 2010 and back again. I make no guarantees they will work for other applications or even these ones for everybody, but they’re worth a try, at least until Microsoft decides to break them as wellUse the Open With command.In File Explorer, right-click on a file whose default program you want to change. Select Open With Choose Another App.Check the box that says “Always use this app to open.file extension files.” If the program you want to use is displayed, select it and click OK.If the program isn’t listed, scroll down and click on More Apps.

If it.still. isn’t listed, scroll down and click on “Look for another app on this PC”.That will open a dialog box that will let you drill down to find the.exe file for the application you want to make the default.

Since the fall update last month, Windows 10 automatically keeps changing the default apps for certain types (mostly browser,pdf,mp3,jpg). I have tried changing them back from the Settings app as well as the Control Panel.I have observed that this happens mostly while unzipping files using WinZip.

Windows changes the default programs back to Microsoft recommended programs such as Edge, Photos, Groove etc.Is there a way to restrict this from happening? Has anybody else encountered a similar situation? I couldn't find similar question anywhere so I'm asking this here. I've had this problem frequently but randomly. I was finally able to track down one set of triggers for the issue, but not a direct fix. Only hackish, partial workarounds.Workaround:For example, 'Groove' or 'Movies & TV' will try to grab the associations of music and video formats.

Add Default Application

The only solution I have found is to uninstall these seemingly uninstallable programs.The above article describes how to use (admin)Power Shell to temporarily uninstall some Microsoft installed apps.For example: Get-AppxPackage.zunemusic. Remove-AppxPackageor Get-AppxPackage.zunevideo. Remove-AppxPackageAfter uninstalling these apps, Windows 10 has never tried to re-take these file associations. I was half expecting it to try regardless and break the associations completely, but was fortunate.Unfortunately this will not fix all of these problems. PDFs will continue to revert to Microsoft Edge because it cannot be uninstalled by this method.Trigger cause:I was able to track down a trigger that causes this to one of my programs. Though I'm not certain that it is the only one that does it as it only causes some associations to change.

So more likely it is certain actions that the program causes sets up the first trigger; and another program completes the trigger sequence.According to procmon, it does some registry snooping with file associations. The second trigger is to open a program that is associated with a file type that often reverts. That second program also snoops at file associations according to procmon.What I imagine happens is that the first program does something to corrupt the 'protection' Windows 10 has for programs changing file associations.

Opening the second program causes Windows to re-check its protection and when the hash/progid ends up being invalid, it gets reverted to Microsoft defaults.For example, I can see an old version of PhotoShop and Firefox doing this. They both look at the key HKCUSOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionExplorerFileExts.pdfUserChoiceProgram 1 messes up the hash/progid somehow, Program 2 which is associated with the type makes Windows re-check it and revert it. I'm a little mystified as to why it's deemed corrupted to begin with because the file association is correct before and after Program 1 does its thing. The association wasn't hijacked, so it didn't need Microsoft's overreach to begin with.Not all of my systems have the same programs installed, so I'm guessing there may be many esoteric old programs that cause the first trigger event. Aside from my original workaround above, I guess you could be mindful using the offending programs. An explanation and solution is given at.You can either use which was developed to stop this resettingor modify the registry by hand.So, here is what you need to do for that if you prefer the manual way:.

Tap on the Windows-key, type regedit.exe and hit the Enter-key. This opens the Windows Registry Editor. If you can, open a second Registry window for easier handling of the following operations. Navigate to the following key: HKEYCURRENTUSERSOFTWAREClassesLocal SettingsSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionAppModelRepositoryPackages. Locate the application you want to block from being the default, and open AppCapabilitiesFileAssociations there.

This displays the list of file associations of that particular application. Take note of the value in Data, it looks like a long random string: AppXsq3757nydv3f9bx6862hv0t4z7ennqqd. Please note that this string may be different for any of the file types or protocols listed there. Switch to the second Registry Editor window, and go to HKEYCURRENTUSERSOFTWAREClassesThatRandomString, e.g. HKEYCURRENTUSERSOFTWAREClassesAppXsq3757nydv3f9bx6862hv0t4z7ennqqd. Right-click on it, and select New String Value. Name it NoOpenWith, and keep its value empty.Repeat the process for any file association that you don't want that particular app to be ever associated with again.

Several apps like Edge, Groove or Photo took over control of your files when you upgraded to Windows10, you will then not be able to choose your own software of your liking to open your files. BUT this behaviour can be stopped if you add a setting to your registry to Exclude E.g. Edge as an 'available' file handler for PDF files.

Following will stop Edge for blocking the use of Acrobat to open PDF files and other software like FIREFOX to open HTM and HTML files (I use the word BLOCK because Edge acts like a VIRUS, it always resets the file association back to Edge, even my 20th attempt to associate Acrobat Pro or Reader was re-set after a few hours, sometimes seconds. ).Now to the Regedit setting.

You need to look-up the associated PROGRAM-ID inside the registry AND then create a new key for the FILE TYPE you want to exclude from that program.The following entry. Here's another cause of this, for me at least:SageThumbs 2.0.0.23All was working well when I installed the original version of Windows 10,But now when I recently re-installed:Microsoft Windows Version 10.0.15063SageThumbs did not work as expected and this problem appeared, I un-installed it, rebooted, set default apps, rebooted and problem is gone now:)here for that problem.By the way, it also appears that:Winamp 5.666Does not work well anymore, as it does not appear as an option to be the default app for music.