A: File associations determine what programs automatically open specific file types on your computer. For example, in Windows 7, Microsoft Notepad opens .TXT files by default. If you prefer to use another program to open plain text files, you can change the file association. Instead of Notepad, you can associate a different program, like Microsoft WordPad, with all files that have a '.txt' extension.
Each file in Windows, has an extension as part of its filename, such as.txt,.doc, etc.These extensions are used to identify the default program with which to open this file when you double-click on the file. You can set or change these file type associations in Windows 7. In Windows XP, this capability was available in Folder Options.However, it was removed from that location in Windows 7. Jan 09, 2015 The Question. SuperUser reader Christothes writes: I somehow have set the default file type association for a file type in Windows 7. It doesn’t appear to be possible to delete it from the “Change the file type associated with a file extension” options screen. Q: How do I change file associations in Windows 7? A: File associations determine what programs automatically open specific file types on your computer. For example, in Windows 7, Microsoft Notepad opens.TXT files by default. If you prefer to use another program to open plain text files, you can change the file association.
In Windows 7, there are two methods you can use to change file associations.
Managing File Associations: Then (Windows 7) and now (Windows 10) using Group Policy (Part 1 of 3). Then you would be presented with the “File Extension” (to fill in), the “Associated Program,” and optionally “Set it as Default,” as seen here. Attempts by an application to. Aug 31, 2016 Learn how to change the programs Windows 7 uses to open certain types of files. Change which programs Windows 7 uses by default. Content provided by Microsoft. Applies to: Windows 7. You cannot change an association for a file type or protocol and leave it blank or disassociated. You must select a new program.
Method 1: Right-click an individual file
To change the file association for a specific file type, right-click on a file and select Open With → Choose default program. In the screenshot below, Microsoft Notepad is currently associated with '.txt' files since it appears at the top of the list.
When you select 'Choose default program..', the following 'Open with' dialog box appears. This window allows you to select a default program for the selected file type. If you do not see your preferred program in the list, you can click the ' button to locate the program you want to use. Once you have selected a program, click '.
In the example below, clicking OK would set WordPad as the default program for all '.txt' files.
NOTE: To permanently change the file association, make sure to select the option 'Always use the selected program to open this kind of file.' If you do not check this box, the file will open once in the selected program, but the file association will not be changed. Now the file association for text files is set to Microsoft WordPad, so each time you double-click a text file with the “.txt” file extension, it opens in Microsoft WordPad.
Method 2: Use the 'Set Associations' Control Panel
This method allows you to view and modify the full list of file associations available in Windows 7. To access this list, select Start → Default Programs.
Next, select 'Associate a file type or protocol with a program,' as shown below. Vmware vsphere download.
The resulting window displays a list of all the file associations configured for Windows 7. Each item in the list includes the file extension, a basic description of the file type, and the current default program associated with the extension. To change a file association for a specific file type, select the file type in the list and click the ' button.
The 'Open with' dialog box appears, similar to the one in Method 1. This window allows you to select the default program for the selected file type. Once you have selected your preferred program, click ' to change the file association.
NOTE: The 'Always use the selected program to open this kind of file' option is automatically selected in Method 2 and cannot be unchecked. This is because the Set Associations control panel is used to make system-wide file association changes.
While these two methods allow you to manually change file associations, they can be modified in other ways as well. For example, when you open a Web browser, it may ask if you want it to be the default program for all Web-related files. If you select 'Yes,' the program will update all the corresponding file associations for you. Similarly, some software installers automatically configure the newly installed program as the default program for each file types it supports. If either of these changes occur, you can use one of the two methods above to override the changes and choose your preferred program for each file type.
Updated: June 14, 2011
The option to delete a file association is conspicuously absent from file associations user interface in Windows 7, so how can you delete file associations you no longer want? Read on as we explore how to remove a default file association.
Today’s Question & Answer session comes to us courtesy of SuperUser—a subdivision of Stack Exchange, a community-driven grouping of Q&A web sites.
The Question
SuperUser reader Christothes writes:
I somehow have set the default file type association for a file type in Windows 7. It doesn’t appear to be possible to delete it from the “Change the file type associated with a file extension” options screen. Is it possible to remove it?
While the tool for doing so definitely moved, certainly the option to remove a file association hasn’t vanished completely.
The Answer
SuperUser contributor Peter Mortensen offers the following solution:
Find the file extension in question under this key in the registry:
HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionExplorerFileExts
Deleting the sub-key with the same name as the extension you want to un-associate will delete the default program association. You’ll have to kill and restart explorer.exe for this to take effect.
You may also need to remove the same sub key from HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT as well.
![Association Association](/uploads/1/2/4/8/124878203/532048522.jpg)
It takes a little longer to root through the registry in search of the file association key than to use the old file association user interface, but it gets the job done.
Have something to add to the explanation? Sound off in the the comments. Want to read more answers from other tech-savvy Stack Exchange users? Check out the full discussion thread here.
Default File Type Associations Determine
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