my default apps,why do i feel like microsoft is making it impossible to have what i want in MY notebook?

Question

my default apps,why do i feel like microsoft is making it impossible to have what i want in MY notebook?

G Thomas 205

I do not know why we were not warned that microsoft would hijack every single thing we had when we downloaded windows 11 i definitely would never have i don't care what kind f doom and gloom they put out there.

I had my default app set for my browser, my photos, my documents and my video player and my pdf files etc and now i am having to go through every single little type of file and change it this is deliberate to make people just get exhausted and say oh to hell iwth it and use the microsoft one. Are you folks sure this is windows 11 pro? I had windows 10 pro and i was in charge of my stuff there i set what apps i wanted to be default etc. but this is frustrating. It isn't one thing it is another.

I use a third party app and I don't care if it is a third party a pp it is what i used and everything was in jpg and now it is all in png and I personally do not use that it is a matter of habit.

I am going through every little this and that to change to my video player which uses jpg and it is like the alphabet. I don't think people should be stressed out by microsoft and if this is what they think they are going to do to opeople they need to find others who don't care what they use. I just want to change back to my preference in one fell swoop but I don't see how i can. And why did this change delete my pdf files and then use them with little chrome icons? I don't get that.

and why for only ONE WEEK was the lighting light enough and the color of the lock screen photo nice and pretty and how do i get that back? It gets darker at night. I would rather change to antoehr photo but there i no other option as far as photos go, either the nail chewing graphic or this photo which looks great lighter. I look all over the area for personalization and colors etc. but to be honest i am afraid of doing anything lest i make it worse.

is there an easy fix to get rid of the darker and make it like it was before with no changing just lighter? I was trying to get my lock screen photo back and I am sure i accidently hit smething and oh the whole thing went dark.

Is there a quick easy way to set the defauls for all of the things in one fellswoop?

thanks again i appreciate this. I can't tell you how much so many of you have helped because i would not have known where to begin.

thanks again,

Mick 10 Reputation points

2025-10-19T00:20:57.16+00:00

That's easy -- because we keep letting them get away with their arrogant approach of thinking they know better than we do. We keep buying their stuff even though they keep going through the same cycle of forcing something out we told them we don't want, then being forced to "extend" the end-of-life date for corporate customers with big voices, and on and on. Also, their programmers obviously don't really use the products they produce (which is understandable since the developers are programmers, not business people, so they don't interact with products like 95% of their users). If they did, they would realize their default options are terrible and the changes to the UI often make it harder for us to work.

But, we keep buying their products so they keep shoveling out piles of you-know-what with some good innovation and needed/wanted technology mixed in. If they could just hose off the you-know-what from their products it would be great.

Not going to happen until we dump Microsoft for their competitors. Sadly, most of the competition isn't any better.

Answer accepted by question author

Ian-T 7,745 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi G Thomas

Thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A forum

First and foremost, I would like to sincerely apologize for the inconvenience you've experienced after upgrading to Windows 11. While changes to system behavior and default settings during major updates can be frustrating, please know that this was not intended to disrupt your workflow or preferences. I appreciate your detailed message and understand how important it is to retain control over your personal system setup. I will do my best to help you mitigate these issues and restore a smoother experience.

Based on your description, I understand that after upgrading to Windows 11 Pro, you noticed several unexpected changes: your previously set default apps (for browser, photo viewer, video player, PDF reader, etc.) were reset, some file types like JPG were changed to PNG, and the appearance of your lock screen photo became darker without explanation.

Additionally, after reviewing your message, I see you currently have the following main questions:

1.Is there a way to restore all your preferred default apps at once?

As far as I know, Windows 11 does not currently offer a built-in option to restore all default apps in one single step like in previous versions. However, here's how you can manage this more efficiently:

Go to Settings > Apps > Default apps
Search for the application you want to use (your preferred browser or video player)
Click on it, and you'll see a list of file types or protocols it can open.
You can then change each file type to your preferred app from there.

2.How to keep the lock screen image bright and prevent it from darkening automatically?

The darkening is likely due to Windows 11's automatic dimming effect on the lock screen (an overlay for better contrast with login elements), night light mode, or adaptive brightness. It doesn't affect your actual image file. To fix this issue, you can follow the instructions below:

Disable night light: Right-click the desktop > Display settings > Brightness and color > Turn off "Night light." Or search for "Night light" in Settings and disable the schedule.
Turn off adaptive brightness: In Settings > System > Display > Brightness, set "Change brightness based on content" to "Off." Also check Power & battery > Battery saver (turn off if active).
Disable lock screen dimming overlay (advanced): This targets the specific gray/dimming effect.
- Open Registry Editor (search for "regedit").
- Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\System.
- Right-click > New > DWORD (32-bit) Value > Name it "DisableAcrylicBackgroundOnLogon".
- Set value to 1 > Restart your PC. This prevents the acrylic blur/dim on login, keeping your image bright. Backup your registry first.

Set or change lock screen image: Settings > Personalization > Lock screen > Choose "Picture" and select your bright photo. Avoid "Windows spotlight" if it's causing issues.

3.Why were file types and associations changed (e.g., JPG to PNG, PDF with Chrome), and how to reverse them easily?

Based on my research, the shift from JPG to PNG or changes to default PDF applications may have occurred due to: New system defaults being applied during the upgrade or Certain apps (like browsers or image editors) re-registering themselves as default handlers.

To revert these changes:

For image files:

Right-click any .jpg or .png file > Select Open with > Choose another app > Choose your preferred app > Check "Always use this app"
For PDFs: Do the same as above for .pdf files, choosing your desired PDF reader.

These settings should "stick" after being set once, but note that updates to certain apps (including Chrome or Microsoft Edge) can occasionally override them, so it's a good idea to re-check after updates.

Hope my answer will help you, for any further concern, kindly let me know in the comment section.

If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

G Thomas 205 Reputation points

2025-10-08T10:59:04.2833333+00:00

Hi again. The night light was off, and i never use battery saver becuase I hate dimmness. I can't find some things exactly. they are not there as stated, or i am not able to find the right place.

the adaptive brightness i cannot fnd tht as you state it but what i see it is off. adaptive brightness should be right there but it is not said that way. i do't know if i am missing it or mine is just differently stated. it is that thing the adaptive that i wanted off, and i don't see anything that is on. I really hate this version of windows. is there a way to revert back to windows 10? These are my choices and this nervy company thinks it can impose itself on e. i paid for this notebook. Not microsoft.I followed all that registry stuff, but there was no way to set the value to and I couldn't do that. I don't know wht that will do but I hope it doesn't make things worse

so much of what you are telling me honestly I have already done but I hope there is somerhing here that will help this.

My settings already were on picture. they ahve been on picture in the lockscreen, why it changes to that nail biting graphic i do not know.

The photo is no longer brighter, and i wish i could just make it so or choose another but there are no other options, just graphis.

is there a way to find others or we have to create our own?

thanks for your help. I dont think any of these dimmed that photo there is something else that needs to lightening it. thanks so much

and i have set that ayone can email me i hope follow up is not a problem.
Ian-T 7,745 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-10-09T12:27:09.2+00:00

Hi G Thomas,

I completely understand and empathize with the challenges you're facing while getting accustomed to Windows 11. In fact, many users experience initial difficulties when transitioning to a new operating system.

Regarding your concern about reverting to Windows 10, my answer is yes, it is possible. If you wish to proceed, you can follow the instructions provided in the following link: Downgrade from Windows 11 to Windows 10 - ARTICLE - Microsoft Q&A

However, in my capacity as a forum moderator, I would not strongly recommend this approach. Please note that Windows 10 is scheduled to reach end-of-support on October 14, which means that any issues encountered during use may no longer receive critical updates or security patches.

I understand that this situation may be somewhat inconvenient for you, but I hope you’ll be able to adapt to using Windows 11 soon.

Best regards and wish you have a pleasant day

1 additional answer

Your answer

Mick 10 Reputation points

2025-10-19T00:20:57.16+00:00

That's easy -- because we keep letting them get away with their arrogant approach of thinking they know better than we do. We keep buying their stuff even though they keep going through the same cycle of forcing something out we told them we don't want, then being forced to "extend" the end-of-life date for corporate customers with big voices, and on and on. Also, their programmers obviously don't really use the products they produce (which is understandable since the developers are programmers, not business people, so they don't interact with products like 95% of their users). If they did, they would realize their default options are terrible and the changes to the UI often make it harder for us to work.

But, we keep buying their products so they keep shoveling out piles of you-know-what with some good innovation and needed/wanted technology mixed in. If they could just hose off the you-know-what from their products it would be great.

Not going to happen until we dump Microsoft for their competitors. Sadly, most of the competition isn't any better.
G Thomas 205 Reputation points

2025-10-08T10:59:04.2833333+00:00

Hi again. The night light was off, and i never use battery saver becuase I hate dimmness. I can't find some things exactly. they are not there as stated, or i am not able to find the right place.

the adaptive brightness i cannot fnd tht as you state it but what i see it is off. adaptive brightness should be right there but it is not said that way. i do't know if i am missing it or mine is just differently stated. it is that thing the adaptive that i wanted off, and i don't see anything that is on. I really hate this version of windows. is there a way to revert back to windows 10? These are my choices and this nervy company thinks it can impose itself on e. i paid for this notebook. Not microsoft.I followed all that registry stuff, but there was no way to set the value to and I couldn't do that. I don't know wht that will do but I hope it doesn't make things worse

so much of what you are telling me honestly I have already done but I hope there is somerhing here that will help this.

My settings already were on picture. they ahve been on picture in the lockscreen, why it changes to that nail biting graphic i do not know.

The photo is no longer brighter, and i wish i could just make it so or choose another but there are no other options, just graphis.

is there a way to find others or we have to create our own?

thanks for your help. I dont think any of these dimmed that photo there is something else that needs to lightening it. thanks so much

and i have set that ayone can email me i hope follow up is not a problem.
Ian-T 7,745 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-10-09T12:27:09.2+00:00

Hi G Thomas,

I completely understand and empathize with the challenges you're facing while getting accustomed to Windows 11. In fact, many users experience initial difficulties when transitioning to a new operating system.

Regarding your concern about reverting to Windows 10, my answer is yes, it is possible. If you wish to proceed, you can follow the instructions provided in the following link: Downgrade from Windows 11 to Windows 10 - ARTICLE - Microsoft Q&A

However, in my capacity as a forum moderator, I would not strongly recommend this approach. Please note that Windows 10 is scheduled to reach end-of-support on October 14, which means that any issues encountered during use may no longer receive critical updates or security patches.

I understand that this situation may be somewhat inconvenient for you, but I hope you’ll be able to adapt to using Windows 11 soon.

Best regards and wish you have a pleasant day

Answer 1

Thank you very much Ian for your help. I am tryig to make a screen shot to show you what I mean. I don't mean one overall change to my preferences but that long LONG ETERNAL LIST OF SPECIFIC FILES that windows/microsoft lists if you want to change one single app to say, a third party video player and not wndows media player.

I can't do that becuase God know how one works this snipping tool which used to be so easy and then to just get the shot in a picture but you can't, you know becuase it is a tv screen choice, or a camera choie and wqhatever else is there. I can't even getr it to open now to just choose a full screen shot. This is the utter outrageous frustration with this utter outrageous thing called windows 11. Is this a pro version? Also, can I just go back to windows 10?

I chose what default app i wanted but it doesn't end there, under that category it shows the endless list of very specific files i never saw nor would recognize and yet I can't get you a screen shot.

Okay i went on to the lighting and I appreciate this help more than you know. But, is that under personalization? I am goin gto look there but I have found these thigns are not often where you think they are. thanks, though, i 'm sure when i find it i can follow your very good directions and fix this.

as far as photos go: when i was pulling my hair out with this png file i was doing just that, from what I think you told me before and worked great. I was opning and lookig at properties to right click to see other options it would let me revert to but that was not working. i have one ping file i managed to make the others go to jpg only becuase i took photos with my phone so there was not choice.

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my default apps,why do i feel like microsoft is making it impossible to have what i want in MY notebook?

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