Specifying Default Apps Based on File TypeĬhanging the default apps used to open certain file types requires a couple more steps, but they are straightforward. After a few seconds, it will then be displayed as the default app. Windows will then list the browsers currently installed on the computer as well as the option to look for an app in the Microsoft Store, as Figure 1 shows. Click “Web browser” in the “Default apps” section.Select “Default apps” in the pane on the left.Select the gear icon to open the Settings app.(If you click a link in a web browser, the new page will open in the same browser no matter which default app is specified.) If you want to change the default to Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or another browser, follow these steps: For example, in Windows 10, the Microsoft Edge web browser is opened by default when you click a link in a non-browser program, such as Microsoft Word or the Slack desktop app. Specifying Default Apps Based on FunctionĬhanging the default app used for certain functions such as web browsing and emailing is easy. Here is how to make these customizations in Windows 10. In other words, you can customize the app that Windows uses by default for certain functions and file types. However, if you do not like the choice it makes, you can tell Windows the app you want to use. When more than one app can be used for a certain task, Windows will decide which one to use. For instance, they can open PDF files with a web browser such as Google Chrome or a PDF program like Adobe Acrobat. Similarly, people often can open certain types of files with more than one program. For instance, people might have several web browsers or email apps. It is common for people to have multiple apps that perform the same function on their Windows 10 computers.

Discover how you can make Windows 10 use the app of your choosing. When more than one app can be used for a certain task, Windows decides which one to use. Having more than one web browser or email app on a computer is common nowadays.

Change default app for file type