To change file associations in Windows 11, open Settings > Apps > Default apps, search for a file extension, choose its replacement app, and select Set default. These steps use Windows 11 menus and change the default for your current user. You can also start from a file in File Explorer and choose its default application through Open with.
The short version
- One file type: Search for its extension in Default apps, choose an application, and select Set default.
- From a file: Select Open with > Choose another app, choose an application, then select Always.
- Several file types: Open an application's page in Default apps and assign each extension separately.
- Browser downloads: Adjust browser viewing or download preferences separately when files still open differently inside your browser.
| Method or control | Use it for | Scope or condition |
|---|---|---|
| Extension search | Change one known file type | Current user's default |
| Application defaults page | Assign several extensions | Choose each extension separately |
| Choose defaults by file type | Browse registered extensions | Windows file associations |
| Choose defaults by link type | Assign protocols | Link handling |
| Open with | Choose from an existing file | Select Always when offered |
| Keyboard picker | Operate Open with | Same association controls |
| PDF Properties | Choose Acrobat or Reader | Chosen Adobe app installed |
| Automatic app chooser | Choose after installing a compatible app | Only when Windows displays it |
| Reset all default apps | Reset defaults broadly | More than one association |
| Search or Settings shortcut | Open Default apps directly | Opens the page only |
| Browser defaults page | Assign common browser associations | Additional types may need individual changes |
| Acrobat default handler control | Choose between Acrobat and Reader | Both apps installed |
| Firefox default browser control | Make Firefox your browser | Windows selection may follow |
| Firefox content actions | Choose download handlers | Firefox only |
| Firefox download menu | Use the system handler automatically | Supported downloaded content |
| Firefox download prompt | Remember a chosen application | Content configured as Always ask |
| Chrome PDF preference | Download or view website PDFs | Chrome only |
| Voice access | Operate existing controls by voice | Configured with a supported speech language |
| Group Policy | Deploy managed associations | Supported administrator environments |
| MDM or Intune policy | Apply associations at sign-in | Supported managed clients |
| DISM import | Prepare first-sign-in defaults | Deployment and new users |
assoc | Change file-type registrations | Does not override user-selected defaults |
ftype | Define an opening command | Does not override user-selected defaults |
Change a file extension in Settings
Open Settings, select Apps, then choose Default apps. Under Set a default for a file type or link type, enter an extension such as .txt. Select the matching result, choose your application, then select Set default. Repeat separately for other extensions.
For PDFs, you can change the default PDF viewer by selecting .pdf and choosing your preferred application. A browser's PDF preference is separate, so website PDFs may continue opening inside the browser until you adjust that preference.
To reach the page directly, search Windows for Default apps and select it from the search results. Alternatively, press Windows + R and enter this shortcut:
ms-settings:defaultappsPress Enter, then select the extension or application you want to configure. The shortcut opens the settings page without changing associations itself.
Choose a default from an existing file
In File Explorer, right-click a file and select Open with > Choose another app. Choose your application, then select Always to assign it to that file type. Selecting Just once opens only the selected file with that application.
If subsequent files still open in the previous application after you selected Just once, repeat the selection and choose Always. The persistent choice applies to ordinary file types that offer it. You can also configure the extension through Settings > Apps > Default apps.
For keyboard control, select the file and press Shift + F10. Use the Arrow keys and Enter to select Open with > Choose another app. Choose the application, use Tab to focus Always, then press Enter.
With Acrobat or Acrobat Reader installed, you can also change a PDF's association through its properties. Right-click the PDF, select Properties, then select Change beside its current opening application. Choose Acrobat or Acrobat Reader, select Set default, then select OK.
Assign file types to an application
Open Settings > Apps > Default apps. Under Set defaults for applications, search for or select an installed application. Its page shows the file types it has registered to support.
Select an extension, choose the application, then select Set default. Continue through the other extensions you want it to handle. Selecting the application's name alone does not assign every supported extension to it.
To browse registered extensions instead, open Choose defaults by file type from Default apps. Find the extension and select its current application. Choose the replacement, then select Set default.
If both Acrobat and Reader are installed, Acrobat also provides a control for choosing between them. Open Acrobat's hamburger menu, then select Preferences > General. Under Application Startup, select Select As Default PDF Handler and complete the Windows association selection if presented. Administrators can prevent users from changing this setting; you can also use the PDF association controls in Windows.
Change browser and link associations
With Chrome installed, open Settings > Apps > Default apps > Google Chrome. Beside Make Google Chrome your default browser, select Set default. Review Set default file types or link types for additional associations that need individual changes.
This browser action assigns common web-link and web-document associations, rather than every file the browser can open. Other registered browsers have corresponding application pages in Default apps. Use those pages to review the types your browser handles.
You can also open Firefox's menu and select Settings. Find Default browser under General, Account and sync, or Home and startup, depending on the interface shown. Select Make default or Make Default… as displayed. If Windows requires further action, open Settings > Apps > Default apps > Firefox and assign the required types.
For a protocol such as MAILTO or HTTPS, open Choose defaults by link type from Default apps. Select the protocol, choose an application, then select Set default. You can also search for the protocol at the top of Default apps. This changes link handling rather than a filename extension.
Fix files that still open inside your browser
Browser viewing and download preferences are separate from Windows file associations. If website PDFs or downloaded content still open differently from your Windows default, adjust the browser's handling controls. These preferences apply inside the browser.
In Chrome, open More > Settings > Privacy and security > Site Settings > Additional content settings > PDF documents. Select Download PDFs, then open the downloaded PDF to use its Windows association. Select Open PDFs in Chrome instead to retain browser viewing.
In Firefox, open its menu and select Settings > Downloads > Files and applications. In interfaces retaining the earlier layout, use General > Applications. Select the relevant Content Type and change its Action to Use other… to choose a helper application, or select the available system-default option. Close Settings to save.
Alternatively, right-click a downloaded file in Firefox's Downloads panel and select Always Open Similar Files. Firefox creates an action using the system's default application for that content type. The option may be unavailable for executable files or incorrectly identified content; review the available actions in the content-type settings instead.
For a content type configured as Always ask, download a file and select Open with in the prompt. Choose the application, then check Do this automatically for files like this from now on. Select OK to remember the Firefox download action.
Reset defaults for a broader change
For one unwanted association, choose its replacement through the extension search in Default apps. Resetting all default apps resets your application defaults broadly, rather than changing only one extension. To perform that reset, open Settings > Apps > Default apps, then under Related settings, select Reset beside Reset all default apps.
After the reset, use the extension or application pages to choose the defaults you want. For current Windows 11 changes, use Default apps or supported management policies instead of legacy Control Panel default-program procedures.
Prepare defaults for new users with DISM
For image deployment or new-user defaults, configure associations on a reference PC first. In an elevated Command Prompt, export those associations with this command:
Dism.exe /Online /Export-DefaultAppAssociations:C:\AppAssoc.xmlImported associations apply at each user's first logon, rather than immediately replacing an existing user's selected defaults. On the destination installation, run this command from an elevated Command Prompt:
Dism.exe /Online /Import-DefaultAppAssociations:C:\AppAssoc.xmlFor a mounted image, substitute /Image:C:\test\offline for /Online. Keep this deployment workflow separate from changes to your current account, which you make through Default apps.
Configure defaults on managed PCs
For an administrator-managed Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, or Education environment with Group Policy support, prepare an association XML file from a configured reference PC using the export procedure above. In Group Policy Editor, open Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > File Explorer > Set a default associations configuration file.
Select Enabled, then under Options, enter the XML file's location. Select OK to save the policy configuration.
For MDM or Intune, the association policy applies to supported Microsoft Entra-joined Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, Education, and IoT Enterprise clients. Configure defaults on a reference PC, then run this export command from an elevated Command Prompt:
dism /online /export-defaultappassociations:C:\appassoc.xmlEncode the XML as Base64 for SyncML and deploy it through ./Device/Vendor/MSFT/Policy/Config/ApplicationDefaults/DefaultAssociationsConfiguration. These managed defaults apply at sign-in, so account for the deployed policy when configuring a work or school PC.
Manage underlying file type registrations
The assoc and ftype commands change underlying registrations and opening commands. They do not override a Windows user-selected default. Use Default apps when your goal is to choose your account's preferred application.
For registration administration, run assoc changes in an elevated Command Prompt. This command associates .log with the registered txtfile type:
assoc .log=txtfileYou can also remove an underlying registration with assoc. The following command removes the .bak file-type registration:
assoc .bak=To define a file type's opening command, use ftype in an elevated Command Prompt with a correctly installed handler. Microsoft's example associates .pl with PerlScript and defines its opening command:
assoc .pl=PerlScript
ftype PerlScript=perl.exe %1 %*
Adapt that example only for a correctly installed handler. These commands run in Command Prompt; from PowerShell, invoke them through cmd /c assoc or cmd /c ftype.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Windows ask which application to use after you install another app?
Windows can display its application chooser when a newly installed application has registered to handle the file type you open. Choose your preferred application and select Always when offered. The prompt depends on the application's registration and Windows displaying the chooser.
Can you change associations using Voice access?
Yes, with Voice access configured and active in a supported speech language, you can operate the existing association controls. With the relevant Settings page or application picker visible, say Show numbers, then speak the number displayed on the desired control. Repeat to complete the selection.
Can you use Local Group Policy Editor on Windows 11 Home?
Windows 11 Home does not include Local Group Policy Editor. To change your own file associations, use Settings > Apps > Default apps.
Can administrators control whether an MDM association policy is reapplied?
Yes, the policy's Version and Suggested attributes control reapplication. Support for those attributes begins with Windows 11 22H2 on clients supported by the policy.
What should you use instead of an older default browser Settings shortcut?
Microsoft marks ms-settings:defaultbrowsersettings as deprecated. Replace it with ms-settings:defaultapps, then select the browser and configure its associations.