How do I set excel and word as my default apps

For excel:

Right-click any Excel file (like .xlsx). Click Open with → Choose another app. Select Excel. Check “Always use this app to open .xlsx files.” Click OK. Repeat for .xls or .csv files if needed.

For word:

Right-click any Word file (like .docx). Click Open with → Choose another app. Select Word. Check “Always use this app to open .docx files.” Click OK. Repeat for .doc or .rtf files if needed.

References:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/change-default-apps-in-windows-e5d82cad-17d1-c53b-3505-f10a32e1894d

Hello, thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A.

The easiest way is to right-click a Word document (.docx), select Open with > Choose another app, choose Word from the list, and then select Always to set it as the default.

You can follow the same steps to make Excel the default app for opening spreadsheets with the .xlsx file format.

To set Excel and Word as your default apps for documents and spreadsheets, follow these steps based on your version of Windows:

For Windows 10:

1. Open the Settings app by clicking the Start menu and selecting Settings.
2. Click on Apps, then select Default apps.
3. Scroll down and click on Choose default apps by file type.
4. Find the file types you want to associate with Excel (e.g., .xlsx) and Word (e.g., .docx).
5. Click on the current default app next to the file type and select Excel or Word from the list.

For Windows 8:

1. On the Start screen, type Control Panel and select it.
2. Click on Default Programs > Set your default programs.
3. Select Excel or Word from the list of programs.
4. Click on Set this program as default to make it the default for all file types it can open.

For Windows 7:

1. Click on Start > Control Panel.
2. Select Default Programs > Associate a file type or protocol with a specific program.
3. Find Microsoft Excel Worksheet and Microsoft Word Document in the list.
4. Click on each and select Change program to set them as the default.

After completing these steps, Excel and Word will be set as your default applications for their respective file types.