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How do I DISassociate a file type?

Anonymous
2013-07-15T20:03:46+00:00

On Windows 8 64 bit:

I was using a .obj file as well as an .mtl file and I had to edit them. The normal way to edit those files would be to do so in Notepad and save as "all files" and keep the file's extension.

Windows 8 so "helpfully" has now associated the two file types as "Open in Notepad" by default now.

Question: How do I DISassociate notepad from those 2 file types? I don't want ANY programs/apps associated with them. They are files for 3D models and they are used in various programs/apps on the computer. They should NOT be associated with any programs at all!

This is another problem with that: Notepad does not show up in the Control Panel's "Associate File Types" feature. WHY?? Wouldn't it make it easier for the user to UNassociate a file type from a program by being able to use this feature for Notepad too?

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Files, folders, and storage

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  1. Anonymous
    2013-07-16T10:16:29+00:00

    Hi,

    When you open a file with a particular program, Windows automatically assigns that program as the default program for that file type for easy access. However, sometimes we might not want a particular file type to be associated with any programs. When I checked in Windows 8, I couldn’t find any option to unassociate a file type from its default program.  There are options to associate that file type with a different program but no option to remove an associated program for a file type completely.

    However, there is a workaround to unassociate a program for a file type completely. Refer to these steps:

    a)      Right click on your desktop, select new in the context menu and then select text document.

    b)      Now, a new text document will appear in the desktop. Rename the text document to “test.exe”.

    c)       Now, right click on the .obj and .mtl files, click “open with” and select “Choose default program”.

    d)      Now, you will get a list of program to choose from, click on “Look for another app on this PC” at the bottom of the list.

    e)      In the browser, navigate to desktop and choose “test.exe”.

    f)       Now, the .obj and .mtl files would be associated with the “test.exe” program.

    g)      Delete the “test.exe” file you created in the desktop. Now, the .obj and .mtl files will not be associated with any program.

    However, if you open the document again with Notepad, it might be associated with Notepad again. There is no work around top resolve this as of now.

    Hope you find this helpful. Feel free to use this forum for any other Windows related queries in the future; we’d be happy to help.

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  1. Anonymous
    2013-07-16T21:12:25+00:00

    Thanks Ben, that worked.

    That's annoying for Windows to automatically associate a file type with the particular program you open it with. Besides the .obj and .mtl files, if I remember correctly, some java files can be edited in a notepad type program too (I've had to do that on another computer which is not Win8). Windows 8's behavior would mess things up a lot.  I wish we could change that.

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  2. Anonymous
    2013-07-16T21:28:46+00:00

    I use a 3rd party tool for that matter

    Windows doesn't automatically associate files as I know

    Even when you manually select a program to open with a checkbox asks you whether or not to associate

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  3. Anonymous
    2014-08-14T04:02:44+00:00

    Hi, my answer applies to 8.1; I don't know if it's applicable to 8.  I'm responding because this was the answer that popped up when I googled it.

    I did a search for disassociate program.  A link came up which I clicked.  I took me to Control Panel: All Control Panel Items: Default Programs: Set Associations.  I was able to change the association (but you do need to know the extension to do so).

    Also, I agree with another poster: Windows doesn't "automatically" set the default.   There is a checkbox - which is, however, checked by default.  So if you're overly fast on the draw, will keep that as the default program by which to open that type of file.

    By the way, BACCbirds' suggested workaround didn't work at all in 8.1.  Even though I gave the text file an EXE extension, it knew it was a text document and so gave me a choice of Word or Notepad.  And when I tried to use another program type, it simply was going to allow me to pick one for text files!!!!

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  4. Anonymous
    2014-08-14T13:27:06+00:00

    My original problem was:

    [quote]

    I was using a .obj file as well as an .mtl file and I had to edit them. The normal way to edit those files would be to do so in Notepad and save as "all files" and keep the file's extension.Windows 8 so "helpfully" has now associated the two file types as "Open in Notepad" by default now. [/quote]

    So, Windows did the association after I had saved a file in a text editor, and it should not have associated the file as a txt, but should have simply saved the contents and left all else alone. 

    The .exe suggestion was not by me, but an answer to me. It did work at the time,  but I haven't had a need to do it again because when I recently edited an .mtl and an .obj file all seemed ok.

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