Setting default programs in Windows 7

You can associate certain file types with your favourite programs.

One of the features that we take for granted in Windows is that double-clicking on a file generally opens it in the appropriate program. It can be annoying, however, when you install a new application and it changes these associations so that it begins to open files you’d prefer to be handled by something else. Fortunately, it isn’t hard to set up Windows 7 with defaults so that you always get the program that you want for each task. It’s also a much easier and more flexible process than in earlier versions of Windows.

When you open the Default Programs screen you’ll see four options. You can make a program the default for all the types of files it’s able to open (useful for applications like media players that may need to handle lots of different items). Alternatively, you can associate a particular file extension with your preferred program. On the same screen you can set up the AutoPlay options that appear when you insert an optical disc or plug in a flash drive, and finally you can set access controls to limit who can use programs.

Unlike earlier versions of the operating system, Windows 7 streamlines the process of setting up defaults by allowing you to approach the issue from two directions. You can set a default program, which ensures that all of the file types that the application can handle are opened by it. Alternatively, you can view a list of file extensions and set the programs you want to open them individually. This allows you a greater degree of control by choosing a different application to open a particular file type if you want to. For example, you can set Windows Media Player as the default for all media files with a couple of clicks, but then override this by having another program open MP3s.

(For a full guide to Windows 7, order the Essential Windows 7 Handbook, on sale now from newsagents and online.)