Use by file type when you know which extension or link type needs a new default. Use by app when you want to review the types a particular app can open and change selected ones. Both options are in Settings > Apps > Default apps; neither route is universally better.
Which route should you choose?
| What you know or want to do | Choose | Why |
|---|---|---|
| You know the extension or link type whose default is wrong | Search by file or link type | It takes you directly to that association. |
| You want to review what a particular app can open, or change selected associations for it | Select the app | You can inspect its listed file and link types and adjust individual entries. |
| You are already looking at a file in File Explorer | Open with | It lets you choose an app from the file itself; choosing Always sets the default for that file type. |
The first two are alternative ways to manage defaults in Settings: start with the type if you know what needs changing, or start with the app if you want to see its coverage. Microsoft documents the File Explorer option as a convenient file-level starting point. Microsoft’s default-app instructions apply to Windows 11 and Windows 10.
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Set a default by file type or link type
- Open Settings > Apps > Default apps.
- Search for the file extension or protocol, such as
.txt. - Select the matching result.
- Choose an available app.
This route is useful when a specific kind of file or link opens in the wrong app. Search for the relevant type, not just the name of the app you hope to use.
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Set or review defaults by app
- Open Settings > Apps > Default apps.
- Select the app.
- Review the file types and link types listed for it.
- Select a type you want to change, then choose the preferred app.
This route is suited to checking an app’s listed associations and changing particular ones. Microsoft also gives Edge as an example of an app page with a Set default action; the available controls can depend on the app.
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Change a default from File Explorer
For a file you are already viewing in File Explorer, use its Open with option and choose an app. Select Always to make that app the default for that file type. Microsoft describes this workflow in its File Explorer navigation guidance.
What changing a file association does—and does not do
A file extension is the part of a filename after the period, such as .txt. It indicates the file type, and more than one installed program may be able to open a given type. Changing the default app changes which program Windows uses to open that type; it does not change the file’s contents.
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Renaming an extension is not file conversion. For example, changing a filename’s ending does not transform its contents into another format. To learn more, see Microsoft’s guide to common file name extensions in Windows.
Windows version scope
The cited Microsoft instructions cover Windows 11 and Windows 10. They do not specify differences among Windows 11 builds, editions, or regions, so the routes above should be read as Microsoft’s general instructions rather than a guarantee that every app presents identical options.
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