Microsoft uses file associations to set default programs for opening different file types on all its operating systems. As a result, when you open a file, be it text, image, or document, on your ...

Microsoft is making it easier to change your default file associations by adding a new search feature that lets you quickly find the extension you wish to modify. When a program is installed in ...

If you open a file on your computer, it will launch in whatever application is set as the default program. A text file will open in Notepad or WordPad; a photo can be displayed in Preview or Photos; a ...

Windows 11 (and Windows 10, which reached end of support in October 2025) lets you assign default apps for file types, protocols, and links. But a persistent and frustrating bug causes these settings ...

What steps do I need to take to change the default action on Windows XP and Windows 7 when someone tries to open a CHM file? I want the file extension to be associated with notepad.exe for ALL users.

Every file on your hard drive (.jpeg, .html, and the like) can be associated with a compatible program, which will open that file format by default. Some applications will change a format’s default ...

WordPad is a basic word processor that ships free with Windows. Lacking features such as a spellchecker, it's inferior to packages such as Word for most business-related correspondence. WordPad is ...

The type of file format that the current data will be saved to if no other file type is selected. For example, in a graphics program, the default file might be a JPEG or GIF. In Microsoft Word, the ...