How to change which app opens a file type on a Mac
2 min read · 6 steps · Updated 2 October 2026
Select a file of that type in Finder and choose File, Get Info. Click the arrow next to Open with, choose the app you want and click Change All. From then on, every file of that type opens in the chosen app.
Every file type has a default app: PDFs open in Preview, pictures too, music in the Music app. If you would rather use another app, you can change that for one file, or for all files of the same kind.
Menu names are from recent versions of macOS, where the settings app is called System Settings.
Step by step
To open a file once with another app
Control-click (right-click) the file, choose Open With and pick an app. You can also drag the file onto the icon of the app in the Dock. The default stays as it was.
Select a file of the type you want to change
For example any PDF, if you want all PDFs to open in a different reader.
Choose File, Get Info
Or press Command + I. An information window opens.
Open the Open with section
Click the small arrow next to Open with if the section is closed.
Choose the app
Pick the app from the menu. If it is not listed, choose Other and find it in the Applications folder.
Click Change All
Confirm with Continue. All files with the same ending now open in this app. If you only want this one file to open in the app, do not click Change All: the choice then applies to this file alone.
Good to know
File types are set one by one. Changing JPG files does not change PNG files.
The default web browser and mail app are chosen elsewhere: how to change the default browser on a Mac.
To go back, repeat the steps and choose the original app, for example Preview.
If a file has no ending or the Mac does not know it, see what kind of file it is with Quick Look: how to use Quick Look on a Mac.
In short: Select a file, File, Get Info, Open with, choose the app, Change All.
- Apple Support: Choose an app to open a file on Mac
Rules and prices change. Check the official source before you act.