I cant change my default programs in Windows 10

Hi DavZarek,

Click start, and type “Control Panel” - open it, and look for Default Programs.

When you launch that, all of those listed, you’re not able to change?

What about:

Choose default apps by file type

Choose default apps by protocol

Set defaults by app

Are you able to go into any of those and make changes?

let me know, we’ll figure this out!

• C

none of the choices works. It seems Microsoft wants us to use their "photo viewer" and nothing else. This is extremely frustrating.

Hi DavZarek,

Click start, and type “Control Panel” - open it, and look for Default Programs.

When you launch that, all of those listed, you’re not able to change?

What about:

Choose default apps by file type

Choose default apps by protocol

Set defaults by app

Are you able to go into any of those and make changes?

let me know, we’ll figure this out!

• C

I even went as far as adding two extensions [file types-.gpx and .rmp.] to the list, and that did not work. Seems that many of the "software" from the past is leading up to an app, and most of those are getting found at the "Microsoft store". Well, that would clean up the waste of plastic disc shipped with hardware, but gee wiz.

Tried several methods and Windows 10 is just ignoring my changes.

Tried to uninstall

UPDATE: solved some issues, at least

I managed to change some of the problematic extensions using the fix described here: 

https://superuser.com/questions/841497/windows-open-with-application-not-appearing-as-an-option/1020255

For a couple of them, the assoc command returned the correct application, but Windows still refused to use it to open files of that type.  For those, I updated the assoc to point to the application anyway.  For the really stubborn ones, I had to go edit registry keys as well HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT.{ext type} (edit default keys, OpenWithProgids, etc)

Original post:

I want to hit that "me too" link a hundred times! (update: disable cookies and you can!)

So far, I have:

• set Apps and features to "Allow apps from anywhere"
• used right-click -> open with -> "always use this app to open..."
• used Properties -> change (several times per attempt, because apparently it never works on the first attempt)
• used Control Panel -> Set your default programs
• used Settings -> Default apps

Tried using default apps by file type, by app and even by protocol

NOTHING STICKS!

Most of the time, it doesn't even bother registering the change.

I've tried resetting to default and then reselecting the desired apps.

I've tried changing registry settings

I've tried using the apps themselves to register the desired extensions - some of them even work, unless there's a "preferred" MS app, in which case those particular settings are ignored (jpeg, png, xml, log, txt)

The apps I want to use for the different extensions all show up on the context menus, but are glaringly absent from the list of available apps in the "Default apps/Choose default apps" and "Set defaults by app" interfaces.

They are sometimes available in the "Choose default apps by file type" interface, but selecting them does nothing - Windows REFUSES to change the app that *it* selected as the default.

I didn't have this problem before the last update; however, that update did seem to kill pretty much all known extension settings (including MS ones like Office!).  Most of them, I was allowed to reset (to MS apps, natch), but the ones where I want to use something else - not gonna happen.  I mean seriously: who wants a choice between Paint and Paint 3d for jpeg files?!??!!

Like Ryan, I have to manually select the desired app every.single.freaking.time  and it's gotten past a joke.

PS.  This is a brand new machine, brand new install - all of a week old at time of writing.  I did switch to a local account rather than a Windows Live account (or whatever it's called) because I frequently don't have internet access.  I found a recommendation somewhere to remove the Windows Live account as it is sometimes known to interfere with file associations (ie forces a per-account association), and have done that, too.

PPS. Store access is disabled by policy, because the prompt was irritating me - I have all the apps I need (or wish to use) locally installed.