How To Change Windows 10 File Associations?

When opening a file type in Windows Explorer, and having it opened in another program than the one you would like to, the solution is to change the Windows 10 file associations for these types of files, based on the file extension.


Change Windows 10 file associations

When opening a file type in Windows Explorer, and having it opened in another program than the one you would like to, the solution is to change the Windows 10 file associations for these types of files, based on the file extension.

Do to so, go to settings > apps > default apps > choose default applications by file type > select file extension > change application.

For example, when opening a docx file, which is supposed to be a Word Office document, and be opened with the corresponding Microsoft Word program, it is instead opened in a strange Office editor which is not MicrosoftWord.

It then opens in a program that is definitely not Word, have not been installed by the user, and should not ever even open at all.

How to change default file opener

In order to change the default file opener program in Windows 10, start by looking for Windows settings in the Windowse menu search, and open settings app.

After that, in the Windows settings, find the applications settings in the apps section. There, it will be possible to uninstall programs, or select defaults apps for file association.

How to set default apps in Windows 10

To set default apps for files in Windows 10, once in the apps settings, find the default apps sub menu with the left hand side options.

Select the menu choose default applications by file type in order to change Windows 10 file associations by file type.

Choose default applications by file type

A list of all the file extensions is displayed, with the corresponding file descriptions whenever available, as this might not be the case for all the file types.

To change a Windows 10 file association, scroll down to the file type for which the file association should be changed.

If you are not sure about the file type, check in Windows explorer, the last letters at the end of the file name. If the extension is not shown on Windows Explorer, it is because the display file extensions option hasn't been selected in Explorer options - change that by opening the menu View > Options > View > uncheck Hide extensions for known file types.

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When clicking on the program associated to a given file type, a list of programs with which the file extensions could be opened with will show up.

Simply select the right application, to have the file association changed from the previous program to the selected one.

How to set Microsoft Word as default program for .docx

To have MicrosoftWord set as default program to open the docx Microsoft Word XML documents, find the .docx file extension in the choose default applications by file type Windows settings, and select Word as the default opening program for the Word documents.

How to set Microsoft Excel as default program for .xlsx

To have MicrosoftExcel set as default program to open the xlsx Microsoft Excel Worksheet documents, find the .xlsx file extension in the choose default applications by file type Windows settings, and select Excel as the default opening program for the Excel documents.

How to set Microsoft Powerpoint as default program for .pptx

To have MicrosoftPowerpoint set as default program to open the pptx Microsoft Powerpoint Presentation documents, find the .pptx file extension in the choose default applications by file type Windows settings, and select Powerpoint as the default opening program for the Powerpoint documents.

Excel missing from list of available programs

Solve issue: I want to set Microsoft Excel as the default program for files. xls but it is not on the list, only Adobe and Wordpad - what to do to make MS Excel there to choose from. We're talking about Windows 10

To set Microsoft Excel as default opening program for .xls files, open the Microsoft Windows explorer on a folder that contains and .xls file. Right click on the files, select the open with menu, and select MS Excel from the list of available programs.

If Microsoft Excel doesn’t show up in the list of available programs, select the choose another app option. From there, use the more apps option, and select MS Excel from the app list.

In case the MS Excel app is not available, it means that there is a problem with  Microsoft Office   installation on your computer, in which case the best is to uninstall and install again the whole  Microsoft Office   suite on your computer, after what the file association should be available.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the detailed steps to modify file associations in Windows 10, allowing specific file types to open with chosen default programs?
To change file associations in Windows 10, go to Settings > Apps > Default Apps. Click on Choose default apps by file type to find the file extension you wish to change. Click on the current associated app or the Choose a default option next to the file type, then select the new program you'd prefer to open that file type with. This ensures files open with the software you find most suitable.

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Yoann Bierling
About the author - Yoann Bierling
Yoann Bierling is a Web Publishing & Digital Consulting professional, making a global impact through expertise and innovation in technologies. Passionate about empowering individuals and organizations to thrive in the digital age, he is driven to deliver exceptional results and drive growth through educational content creation.

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Comments (1)

 2020-03-20 -  Agnieszka
Chcę ustawić program Excell jako program domyślny dla plików. xls ale nie ma go na liście, jest tylko Adobe i Wordpad - co zrobić żeby znalazł się tam Excell do wyboru. Mowa tu o Windows 10

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