Change the default app to open files on mac

#Change the default app to open files on mac how to
#Change the default app to open files on mac pro
#Change the default app to open files on mac mac

You can then select the one you want to use. You have the default at the top and other apps here. Then look for Open With and here you'll see a similar list that we saw in the Context Menu. To change it for all files of the same type select one of those files. It doesn't change it for other files of the same type. Changing the default for a file only changes it for that one file. But if I double click that that opens in Preview. Notice here I have a file with the same extension. So let's say I have this set to Always Open in Pixelmator Pro. Which still shows as the default cause it is the System default for opening this kind of file. To switch back I would simply bring up the Context Menu again, go to Open With, hold down the Option key and then choose the app that I want to use as the default. If I just double click it it will actually launch Pixelmator and open it up. The difference is that if I look again at this file, under Open With, you can see Pixelmator is now the default. Then I can select an application, like Pixelmator, and now it opens that up in Pixelmator as before. If I hold down the Option key, with this menu open, notice Open With changes to Always Open With. So bringing up the Context Menu, using Open With, is the best way to do it.Р”В«ut let's say I did want to change the default app for opening this kind of file.

The default isn't as important because the situation you're in is going to determine which app you want to use. After all, for something like an image you may want to open it up with different apps in different situations all the time. This may be the quickest way to deal with it. So I can select Acorn here and it will open it up in Acorn. But if I opened it up in PhotoShop, Acorn, Pixelmator, or Affinity Photo then I'm going to be able to edit and manipulate the image. If I open up the image in those I'm just going to be able to view the image. For instance here I see three browsers, Firefox, Chrome, and Safari. Now what each app does with the file may be different. Then you'll get a list of all of these different apps, starting with the default app at the top, but other apps that say they can handle this kind of file. You can also go to File and Open or Command O to do that. Open works just like double clicking the file.

For instance you can Control click on the file or two finger click on a trackpad or right click on a mouse to bring up the Context Menu. Drop onto Affinity Photo and it will open it up in that app.Р”В«ut there are more ways to do it. So I can drag this file down to the Dock. Add it in and now I can use that as the place to drag the file. Now to make this easier you can add the app to the Dock. I can simply drag and drop this to Affinity Photo and it will launch Affinity Photo and open up the image in that app. Like, for instance there's Affinity Photo. Here I'll find a variety of different apps. In that new window I'll go to the Application's folder. I could now select that file, open and now I've opened it up in Pixelmator even though it's not the default app and the one I get when I double click.Р”Р„nother way to do it would be to drag and drop it to the application. I can go to File, Open and then choose the file I want to open.

#Change the default app to open files on mac pro

So for instance I'll open up Pixelmator Pro here. One way to open up a document in any app that can handle it is to simply open up the app first.

#Change the default app to open files on mac mac

After all, I have many apps on my Mac that can handle image files. But what if I wanted it to open up in a different app. If I were to doubler click it it would automatically open up in the Preview app. But how does it know which app to use to open up the file and how can you choose another one? For instance, here I have four files. So often when we want to open up a document we simply find it in the Finder, double click it, and it will open up in its default app. Join us and get exclusive content and course discounts. There you can read more about the Patreon Campaign. MacMost is brought to you thanks to a great group of more than 800 supporters.

#Change the default app to open files on mac how to

Let me show you how you can choose which application is used to open up a document and how to set the default for that file type.

Video Transcript: Hi, this is Gary with. Check out How To Set the Default App For Opening Files On a Mac at YouTube for closed captioning and more options.