How to change which app opens a file on Windows 11

2 min read · 6 steps · Updated 3 October 2026

Short answer

Open Settings, Apps, Default apps. Type the file extension, such as .pdf or .jpg, into the search box at the top, select the result and choose the app you want. Or select an app in the list below to see every file type it can open, and change them one at a time.

Every file type on a PC has a default app, the one that opens when you double-click. PDFs open in the browser, photos in the Photos app, music in Media Player, until you decide otherwise. Windows 11 sets these per file type, which is more work than before, but precise.

These steps are for Windows 11. The pictures are simplified diagrams, not screenshots, so colours and spacing on your PC look a little different.

Step by step

  1. For one file, right away

    Right-click the file in File Explorer, choose Open with and then Choose another app. Select the app and click Always. That changes the default for this file type.

  2. – ▢ ✕SettingsSystemBluetooth & devicesNetwork & internetAppsAccountsTime & languageAccessibilityWindows UpdateAppsInstalled appsAdvanced app settingsDefault appsStartup

    Open the Default apps settings

    Open Start, Settings, Apps and click Default apps.

  3. Set the default by file type

    Type the file extension into the box at the top, with the dot, for example .pdf, .jpg or .mp3. Click the result underneath, choose an app from the list and confirm with Set default.

  4. Set the default by link type

    The same box accepts link types. Type MAILTO to choose which app opens email links, or HTTPS for web links.

  5. Set the defaults by app

    Scroll through the list of apps and click one, for example VLC or Adobe Acrobat. Windows shows every file and link type that app can open. Click a type and choose the app.

  6. Make a browser the default in one step

    Click the browser in the app list. At the top, next to Make this your default browser, click Set default.

Good to know

If the app you want is not offered, it is not installed correctly, or it cannot open that type. Install it again, then return to this setting.

After a large Windows update, some defaults are occasionally reset to Microsoft apps. Check PDF and browser first.

More detail on browsers: how to change the default browser on Windows 11.

To see the endings of file names in the first place: how to show hidden files and file extensions on Windows 11. On a Mac: how to change which app opens a file type on a Mac.

In short: Settings, Apps, Default apps. Type the extension, pick the app, Set default. Or right-click a file, Open with, Choose another app, Always.

Sources
  • Microsoft Support: Change default apps in Windows

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