- Documents open based on "file extension", pre-configured for some file types and programs. Some won't be able to launch until you install a handler application, or tell Windows which one to use.
- To open a file with a different program just once, right-click on it and choose "Open with": if the application you want isn't in the submenu, pick "Choose default program" at the bottom:
Either double-click on a listed app, or click Browse to find another one on your PC. To keep the file's default handler intact, uncheck the "Always use the selected program to open this kind of file" checkbox. Leave it checked to actually change the association - click OK either way. - To associate a program with an unknown file type, double-click on that file: Windows will show the new file extension dialog, with "Use the Web service to find the correct program" selected by default: this option opens a page on Microsoft.com to (try to) suggest programs for that file. If you know the app you want to use, pick "Select a program from a list of installed programs" instead.
Tip: type a file extension and click "Go" to see which app Microsoft recommends.
- Click OK either way.
- The second option launches the "Open with" dialog seen earlier, and lets you to describe this file type. Keep "Always use the selected program..." checked to make this association permanent.
- To manually associate file extensions with a program: in Windows 7, type "file extension" in the start menu's search field and click "Make a file always open in a specific program".
In Windows Vista, type "default", choose "Default Programs", and click "Associate a file type or protocol with a program" in the Control Panel. - Find the extension: click on the "Name" header to sort by alphabetical or reversed order. Double-click on the file type (or select it and click on the "Change Program" button).
Note: your programs are generally all installed inside the "
C:\Program Files" folder; if you are running a 64-bit version of Windows, they may be inside "C:\Program Files (x86)". - Click Close to exit the Control Panel - you are done!
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