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To change a default in Windows 10, open Start → Settings → Apps → Default apps. Choose a category such as Web browser or Email, or scroll to change an association by file type or protocol. You can also set a file’s default from File Explorer with Open with.
These instructions are for Windows 10; labels and available choices can vary by build and installed apps. Windows 10 support ended on October 14, 2025, so Microsoft no longer provides normal free software updates, technical assistance, or security fixes for it. Microsoft’s Windows support notice has details.
Change a category default in Settings
Use this route to choose a general-purpose app for web browsing, email, music, photos, or video. The app must be installed and registered for the category to appear as an option.
- Open Start, then select Settings.
- Select Apps, then Default apps.
- Under a category such as Web browser, Email, Music player, Photo viewer, or Video player, select the app currently shown.
- Choose the app you want to use.
For example, to make Outlook the default email program, select the current app beside Email and choose Outlook. See Microsoft’s Outlook instructions.
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A browser choice does not force every program to use that browser. Some apps open links in their own browser component or follow an internal preference.
Change the default for a file type
A file extension is the part of a filename after the final period, such as .pdf or .jpg. Windows uses it to determine which app to launch when you open the file; changing the default does not convert or alter the file itself. Microsoft’s file-extension guide explains common formats.
- Go to Start → Settings → Apps → Default apps.
- Scroll down and select Choose default apps by file type.
- Find the extension you want to change.
- Select the app beside it, then choose the replacement.
Examples include assigning a PDF reader to .pdf, an image viewer to .jpg or .png, a media player to .mp4 or .mkv, or an editor to .txt. The app list depends on what is installed and which formats each app has registered to handle. Microsoft documents this method on its default apps support page.
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Change the app for a link or protocol
Protocols tell Windows how to handle certain links or requests. For example, HTTP and HTTPS are used for web links, while mailto is used for email links. Protocol associations are separate from file extensions: changing .html does not necessarily change web links, and changing mailto does not change your browser.
- Open Start → Settings → Apps → Default apps.
- Select Choose default apps by protocol.
- Find the protocol, such as
HTTP,HTTPS, ormailto. - Select the app currently listed and choose the one you prefer.
If links still open unexpectedly, check the relevant protocol as well as the browser category. An email or messaging app may also have its own link-handling preferences. Microsoft describes file and link associations in its default apps guide and Windows app defaults documentation.
Set a default from File Explorer
For a quick change to one file type, use Open with on a file with the extension you want to associate.
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- In File Explorer, right-click a file and select Open with → Choose another app.
- Select the desired app. If it is not listed, select More apps; if needed, choose Look for another app on this PC and browse to the program.
- Check Always use this app to open [file extension].
- Select OK.
If you leave the checkbox unchecked, the app may open that file once without becoming the default for other files of the same type. Windows applies the permanent choice to the extension, not just the individual file. Browsing to an executable does not guarantee Windows will accept or retain it as a valid handler. Microsoft describes the File Explorer workflow in its File Explorer guide.
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Do not rename an extension to try to change which app opens a file. Renaming .jpg to .png, for instance, does not convert the image and can make it harder to open. If you cannot tell which extension a file has, in File Explorer select View → Show → File name extensions.
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If you want one program to handle several formats, use the app-oriented list rather than searching the full extension list one item at a time.
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- Open Start → Settings → Apps → Default apps.
- Scroll to Set defaults by app.
- Select the application and choose Manage, if shown.
- Review its listed file types and protocols, and change the ones you want it to handle.
Windows may require you to select associations individually. An app can only be assigned associations it registers as supporting; it may handle one video format without appearing for another. Microsoft’s association documentation describes managing registered file types and protocols.
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If several associations are wrong, the reset option at the bottom of Settings → Apps → Default apps restores Microsoft-recommended defaults. Select Reset under the reset-to-recommended-defaults option; wording can vary by Windows 10 build.
This is a broad reset, not an undo for only the last change. It can remove multiple custom choices, and it does not restore the preferences you or a previously installed app had chosen. Set your preferred browser, PDF reader, media player, and other apps again afterward. Microsoft discusses default associations and recommended settings in its default association guidance.
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If the app you want is missing
Windows generally offers apps that are installed and registered for the selected category, extension, or protocol. Try these checks:
- Confirm the app is installed and can open the file when you launch it directly.
- Use Open with → Choose another app → Look for another app on this PC to browse to the app. Windows may still not retain a program that has not registered itself as a suitable handler.
- Check the app’s settings for an option to become the default or associate file types. Some apps manage registration during installation.
- Repair or reinstall the app if its associations are missing, and verify that it supports the particular format.
- Make sure you are changing the specific extension or protocol rather than a broader category that the app does not support.
If Windows has not refreshed the file icon or association after a change, restart File Explorer or Windows and check again.
If Windows keeps changing the default
A choice can be displaced if an app update or another app installation reclaims an association, if the selected app is removed or no longer registers correctly, or if a managed computer applies an organizational policy. Windows can also show an “An app default was reset” notification when association data changes or becomes inconsistent; Microsoft documents that behavior in its default association guidance.
- Reapply the association in Default apps after the competing app updates.
- Review the competing app’s own default or file-association settings; uninstall it if you no longer need it and it repeatedly takes over.
- On a work-managed PC, ask the administrator about policy before trying to override the setting.
- Use the broad reset only when several associations are broken, not as a first response to one format.
A legacy Control Panel route may still be available on some installations: open Control Panel → Programs → Default Programs → Associate a file type or protocol with a program, select an association, then choose Change program. Settings is the primary Windows 10 route, and the older page may not behave the same on every build. See Microsoft’s explanation of default programs in Windows; Windows Central also documents this Control Panel fallback.
For IT administrators managing Windows images, DISM can export default associations with Dism /Online /Export-DefaultAppAssociations:"F:AppAssociations.xml". This is a deployment and managed-environment tool, not a normal consumer fix; see Microsoft’s export and import documentation.
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