Computer How To's
Change File Associations
Windows uses the file extension of a file to determine what program it should open to view the file when you open it. For example, if a file has the name "letter.doc" the ".doc" portion of the name is the file extension that tells Windows to open either MS Word (if it is installed) or Word Pad to view the file. If the file association is changed, whatever program is associated with the file extension will open. Sometimes these file associations can be in error if the program associated with the extension is damaged or uninstalled. When that happens, you can change the file association to a another compatible program. By "compatible" I mean a program capable of running the particular file type. In order to view a graphic file, you need a graphic program, which is able to read the code the file is written in. This problem most generally occurs with graphic files.
These are the steps necessary to change a file association:
Select your file by right-clicking on it.
Left click the menu option "Open With". Note: If you see the "Windows cannot open this file" dialog box, choose "Select the program from a list" if you know what program you want to use. If unsure, look the file up on the Web to see what program you will need. *See below for more on this.
If you don't get the "Windows cannot open this file" dialog box, on the Open With menu, choose "Choose Program".
Then select the Program you wish to use to view the file.
Check the option; "Always use this program to open this type of file".
Now, whenever you double click on a file of this type, the program you chose to view files of this type will open.
*Sometimes, it is hard to know what program you can use to open a particular file type. This page lists "Every File Type". It will show you the program(s) you can use to open or view the file (where appropriate)
http://www.file-extensions.org/
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This page last updated:
June 30, 2009
