Many a times when we install a software we usually choose the express option, If you choose this option the software automatically changes the types of files to be associated with itself. This can be good if you are installing your favorite software, but If you are just installing a software to try it out or because you read it somewhere then this gets a little annoying since you cannot open it in your favorite editor unless you go back and change the options.

The most common file association loses happen in the following categories

1. Browsers
2. Image Viewer
3. Video Player
4. Mp3 Player
5. Email Clients
6. Common files like text, html etc

In this post I will explain how to reclaim those files to open in you favorite editor. Here is an easy way to reclaim your file associations. It is easy and does not require much changes to reclaim your file associations back.

Sometimes when you install a software from Adobe it changes the default photo viewer to itself, now this is annoying as for me the Adobe software uses a lot of memory while opening even the smallest images. You may install various such software’s and thus lose your file associations to different software’s.

How do you reclaim your file associations?

Windows explorer maintains a list of files that the system can open and the editor that is associated with it, you can view this by clicking on the Tools -> Folder Option menu, see screenshot below.

Once you have clicked on the Folder Option menu you will see a new window open like the one below, in that window choose file types tab.

In the file types tab it will list the different types of files that can be opened by windows, choose the appropriate file type you want to change the association for, in my case it is JPEG image, you will see the default viewer that will be used to open the file in my case it is Firefox MX.

To change the association click on the change button, a new window will open up. There will be a recommended list which will list the applications that can be used to open the file. If you do not see your favorite editor here, click on the browse button below and navigate to your application executable.

This will usually be located in your Program Files folder, once you have chosen the appropriate editor, check the box that says, Always use the selected program to open this kind of file and click the Ok button.

You will be taken back to the other window and now your preferred editor will be shown as default to open the file type, click on Ok and your done. The file type will now be opened in your preferred editor.

You can use the above steps to reclaim all your files, even though some programs allow you to default themselves, this can be a very good alternative.

I am open to feedback and would like you to tell me more about things you would like to read here, if you have any suggestions and annoyances you want to solve do send me a mail at tips@techie-buzz.com.