In today’s tutorial, we will learn “How to Change the Default Program for Opening Files”. Windows have a program to open each file on your PC. It already set which type of file can windows open. If the software isn’t installed, your system will tell you so and will ask for instructions on what software it should try to use to open it. Windows, macOS, and other platforms match certain file extensions to default programs. If the software isn’t there, the files can’t open.
The best example is the Default app for reading PDF files. In windows 10 or 11 the Default program for reading pdf files is Internet Explorer. Personally, I’m using Adobe acrobat for opening or editing pdf Files. So you need to change it yourself.
Change the Default Program for specific file types
- To do this, right-click the Windows Start menu and press the Settings option.
- In the Settings menu, click Apps > Default apps.
- The window that opens has a few of the more popular apps listed, like email and browser, but not one for opening PDF files.
- To change any of these, click on one of the options and select a replacement.
- To change the default program for pdf files, we need to configure some more settings.
- Scroll down and click the Choose Default Apps by File Type link.
- Windows will display a long list of known file types in the next menu.
- Scroll down to the file type for which you want to change the default program.
- Like for “.pdf” Click the icon for the current default program.
- A menu will open up that lets you select from programs installed on your computer that can open that file type.
- So select Adobe Acrobat Reader.
- That’s it, Next time when you double click on any pdf files, it will open with Adobe Acrobat Reader.
