How to Choose and Change the Default Programs in Windows 10

Set your program preferences

What to Know

• Easiest way: Go to Start >Settings >Select Apps >Default Apps. Select a current default to change it, then choose a new option.
• Or, go to Control Panel >Default Apps >Set defaults by app. Select an app and choose Set this program as default.
• Or, go to Start >Settings >System >Default apps >Choose default apps by file type. Choose a file type and associate an app.

This article explains how to change your default program preferences in Windows 10 from Settings or the Control Panel.

Defaulting to Settings

Using the Settings app to change your default program preferences is easy and quick. Microsoft recommends using this method, as the Control Panel is being phased out.

Go to Start and choose Settings.

Select Apps > Default apps.

Under Choose Default Apps, you’ll see a list of basic default apps, including email, maps, music player, photo viewer, video player, and web browser.

This list doesn’t include your default PDF reader.

To change a selection, click on the current default app. A panel will pop-up with all the various programs that are eligible to replace your current default. Select the program you want.

For example, change your default web browser from Firefox Microsoft Edge, Chrome, Internet Explorer, Opera, or you could search the Windows Store for a new app.

Fall Back to the Control Panel

Sometimes, however, changing your web browser or email program just isn’t enough. For those times it’s easiest to use the Control Panel for swapping defaults.

Scroll down to the bottom of the Default apps screen and you’ll see three choices you can click on:

• Choose default apps by file type.
• Choose default apps by protocol.
• Set defaults by app.

Unless you know what you’re doing, don’t mess with the option to change your programs by the protocol. Instead choose to change your defaults by app, which will launch the Control Panel version.

Let’s say Groove Music is your default music player and you’d like to switch to iTunes. Scroll through your list of programs in the Control Panel and select iTunes.

Next, you’ll see two options:

• Set this program as default
• Choose defaults for this program

The former sets iTunes as the default for every file type the program can open. The latter lets you pick and choose if you just want to select a specific file type such as M4A or MP3.

Settings for File Types

To choose a default program by file type, it might be easier to do that in the Settings app. Go to Start > Settings > System > Default apps > Choose default apps by file type.

This will open a screen with a long list of file types and their associated programs. If you wanted to change the default PDF reader, for example, you’d scroll down to .pdf in the list, click on the current default program, and then a list of possible default programs will appear. Choose the one you want.

Control Panel’s Fate

Microsoft’s method for setting defaults in Windows 10 is a little annoying since you end up bouncing between the Settings app and the Control Panel. The good news is this won’t be the case forever as Microsoft intends to replace the Control Panel with the Settings app. That way you’ll have a universal settings experience across all Windows device types including PCs, tablets, and smartphones.

When that will happen is unclear. Even though the Settings app is getting better, some key functionality still resides in the Control Panel, such as the ability to uninstall programs and manage user accounts.

For now, we’ll have to muddle through with a dual world where some settings are changed in the Control Panel while others are taken care of in the Settings app.

How to change or set Default Programs in Windows 10

The Windows operating system allocates a program by default for opening certain file types, but you can easily change and open them in the program of your choice. For example, pictures in Windows now open with a new Photos app – but you may prefer opening them with other programs such as the Picture Manager which load quickly – or Paint, which even provides instant editing features at hand.

Of course, you can right-click on a file and select the program that you would like to open it with. However, you can use this method for a single file type only. For more than one file type at a time, you will be required to make the changes through the Control Panel. Let us see how to do it in Windows 10/8/7.

Change Default Programs in Windows 10

Press Win+X to bring up the Power Tasks Menu and choose ‘Control Panel’ from the list of options displayed. Once in the Control Panel screen, choose ‘Programs’.

Then, click on the ‘Default Programs’ link.

The Default Programs screen will request you to choose the program that you would like Windows to use by default. Click on ‘Set your default programs’ link.

Choose a program to open all file types and programs by default and click on ‘Set this program as default’ option and click on ‘OK’.

Another alternative and very short way to choose the default program is to right-click on any file which you want to open and choosing the ‘Open with’ option to display Choose default program option from its menu.

This alternative method opens a window wherein you can select a program and make it as your default program for opening certain file types.

In Windows 10, to set default apps you will have to go to Settings > Apps > Default apps.

You can even choose defaults by

1. Apps
2. File type
3. Protocol

and set the defaults.

Date: September 5, 2019 Tags: Default Programs

Can’t change default programs in windows 10 (Resolved)

Now that «upgrading» to windows 10 has changed my file associations back to windows programs I don’t want to use, I can’t change file associates back. Right clicking on files to change association displays the option to choose another app, but clicking on this doesn’t do anything. Then control panel’s method of associating a filetype with a program freezes whenever I use it, and the set your default programs control panel option leads to a bar that has been loading all morning.

So I’ve tried three ways and none of them are responsive. Are there any other ways to change this? Is there a patch coming to fix this and the nonfunctional search bar?

I don’t know what did it, but it’s fixed now.

Replies (220) 

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Sorry for the delay in reply.

We would like to know what program are you trying to make a default one?

Please let us know the answer to the question asked to help you further.

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Sorry for the delay in reply.

We would like to know what program are you trying to make a default one?

Please let us know the answer to the question asked to help you further.

I am having the same issue. It isn’t that I can’t choose a specific program to act as a default for a file type it’s that this option does not seem to exist anywhere.

I don’t care which media player acts as the default at this point as long as one of them does.

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Now that «upgrading» to windows 10 has changed my file associations back to windows programs I don’t want to use, I can’t change file associates back. Right clicking on files to change association displays the option to choose another app, but clicking on this doesn’t do anything. Then control panel’s method of associating a filetype with a program freezes whenever I use it, and the set your default programs control panel option leads to a bar that has been loading all morning.

So I’ve tried three ways and none of them are responsive. Are there any other ways to change this? Is there a patch coming to fix this and the nonfunctional search bar?

I don’t know what did it, but it’s fixed now.

Why is this topic marked «(Resolved)» on the postings page, when it ISN’T even addressed?

I have the same question and the title gave me hope that I had found the answer, It’s BS.

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Which browser is the current default? What happens when you double-click a website shortcut or a html file?

To change the defaults, try via classic UI:

Right-click Start, click Control Panel, Default Programs, Set your default programs.

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Which browser is the current default? What happens when you double-click a website shortcut or a html file?

To change the defaults, try via classic UI:

Right-click Start, click Control Panel, Default Programs, Set your default programs.

Microsoft Edge is the one that will open some of the time, but I don’t want it.

20 people found this reply helpful

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I am also experiencing this issue as of the latest update.

When I try to use:

Start -> Settings -> System -> Default Apps

To select the apps I want as the default, none of them actually accept any changes.

For example, my default mail client is currently blank («Choose default»), regardless of which I choose, it still remains blank and does not save any choices.

The UI does not even show I made a selection. The moment I click my desired e-mail client for the list, the item immediately returns to blank («Choose default») as if I never made a selection. This behavior is also present with the other default apps. For example, my default browser is currently Edge, regardless of any selection that I make, it remains on Edge as if I never made a choice.

This has only been happening as of the latest update from what I can tell.Searching has been entirely unhelpful in providing any insights into the cause.

Looking forward to a solution.

Classic UI is a Band-Aid workaround, but certainly not a viable continuous solution.

How to set default programs in Windows 10

Need to get your BMP files to automatically open in MS Paint? Here’s how.

You have hundreds of different types of files on your PC, and probably multiple programs that can open each one. Windows makes it easy for you to open up these files by setting up default programs for each file type — images files, for example, will open by default in the Windows 10 Photos app.

But what if you’re not a fan of Windows 10’s default programs, or you install a program that automatically sets itself to be a default program and you want to switch it back? You’ll need to go into the Settings menu to change the default programs and apps for different file types and protocols.

1. To change the default programs for files and protocols, you’ll need to open the Settings menu and go to System > Default apps.

Sarah Jacobsson Purewal/CNET

2. Here, you can change the programs you want to use for your calendar, email, maps, music player, photo viewer, video player and Web browser. Just click the current default app to see a pop-up menu with other possible apps you can use, or a link to the Windows Store. If you don’t see the app you want to use (and it’s not an app from the Windows Store), you’ll need to go into the Control Panel to set that program as the default. For more information on how to do this, skip to step 5.

Sarah Jacobsson Purewal/CNET

3. To set defaults for individual file types (e.g. instead of using one program to open all photo files, you want to use different programs to open JPEGs and PNGs), click Choose default apps by file type. Find the file type you want to change the default app for, click the current default app, and choose the app you want to use from the pop-up menu.

Sarah Jacobsson Purewal/CNET

4. To set defaults for individual protocols (e.g. you want to set up your PC so that Gmail opens when you click an email address on a Web page), click Choose default apps by protocol. Find the protocol you want to change the default app for, click the current default app, and choose the app you want to use from the pop-up menu.

Sarah Jacobsson Purewal/CNET

5. If you didn’t see the app you wanted to use in the Settings menu, or if you’d like to set certain apps to be the default programs for all the protocols and files they can open, you will need to go into the Control Panel. Click Set defaults by app to open the Set Default Programs Control Panel window. Find the program you want to use and click it to select it. Once the program is selected, click Set this program as default to set the program as the default program for all file types and protocols it’s capable of opening, or click Choose defaults for this program to pick out individual file types and protocols from the list.

Editor’s note: This How To article was originally published on July 14, 2015, and was updated on February 11, 2016.