Comments on: HOWTO: Set The Default Program To Open Certain File Types in Mac OS X (EG: jpg, gif, etc)

By: Todd

Todd — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 17:57:25 +0000

I had the Standard CS5 suite installed on a Mac. I just installed Illustrator CS5.1 Middle East version.
The regular CS5 and the ME versions look identical to the user. I renamed the new app to Adobe Illustrator CS5.1-ME.

Now, all Illustrator docs want to open in ME.

I have tried Method 1 and get the same results as some others…the change doesn’t stick after clicking “Change All”…….I change it to Adobe Illustrator CS5…I click Change All and it reverts to Adobe Illustrator CS5.1-ME.

HELP!
The ME was installed last. How do I make it default

By: SM

SM — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 08:30:21 +0000

Currently my MS word docs are opening with Word 2011 (which I recently installed but am not comfortable working with yet). I’m trying to change the open all MS Word with Word 2008 as stated in solution 1, but it keeps going back to Word 2011. Any help would be most appreciated.

By: Rosco

Rosco — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 06:11:55 +0000

Hi C. Gilbert,

The easiest (and safest) way is to use a free utility called RCDefaultApp.

You can get it here: http://www.rubicode.com/Software/RCDefaultApp/

This will install a new Preferences Pane which has an Extensions tab. Scroll to .dat and set to .

Rosco

By: C. Gilbert

C. Gilbert — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 01:15:11 +0000

Hey, is there a way to change the default application to “” with “.DAT” files?
Thanks!

By: Mike

Mike — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 16:24:53 +0000

Thanks a lot! I tend to forget about all of the programs Mac’s come with to make your life easier. I went with door #2 and it is definitely helping. It’s like I took Excedrin for a really bad hangover and it’s starting to kick in. It did take some massive organization on my part, but it’s always good to be organized. Thanks again. I will definitely be coming back to this site if I have another question.

By: Rosco

Rosco — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 18:16:44 +0000

Hi Mike,
I love a good brain twister.

I’ve come across this problem before with other file types and there are a number of possible solutions.

Option 1. You can manually change the application that an individual file opens with (as opposed to the application a file type opens with). To do this simply right click a file, click Get Info and select the App in the drop down box “Open With:”.
Option 2. As you say you have quite a number of these files I’m guessing this won’t suit you so another option is to use Apple Scripts and Workflows. These are easier to set up then it sounds. Open the Automator App (click Spotlight and type Automator) > at the welcome screen choose Folder Action > on the right side, choose the folder containing the files you always want to open with say Illustrator > on the left side in the library choose Files & Folders > then to the right, drag the item ‘Set Application for Files’ to the right side and drop it there > now select Illustrator from the Application drop down field > click File, Save and give your Workflow a name. Now anything you keep in your nominated folder will automatically be associated with Illustrator.
Option 3. The 3rd option and my fav is to ‘invent’ a new extension. For example, for text files I use both .TXT and .TXTS extensions and I associate them with two different applications. It’s clean and easy. The only hitch is that you need to give them the proper extension if you’re ever sharing the files with anyone else!

Hope this helps!

Rosco

By: Mike

Mike — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 17:18:07 +0000

Here’s a brain twister. I have the adobe suite package. I have thousands of eps files, some that need to open in photoshop and some that need to open in illustrator. When I “change all” eps files to open in photoshop, both my photoshop and illustrator eps files open in photoshop and vice versa. How do I get photoshop eps files to open in photoshop and illustrator eps files to open in illustrator?

By: Rosco

Rosco — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 08:58:41 +0000

Hi Olivia,

Have you tried using the ‘Change All’ button as in Step 4 in Solution 1?

You will need to do this for each affected file type but not every file! So for example, open the Info inspector (Right Click > Get Info) for any Word file (i.e. doc) on your Mac, select Microsoft Word in the Open With…. section and then click Change All button. This will make all Word files open with Microsoft Word. You can repeat this process for any other file type on your Mac that isn’t opening correctly. So for text files, select the TextEdit application and then click Change All.. and so on.

Hope this helps.

By: Olivia

Olivia — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 01:44:25 +0000

Here’s my dumb question: for some reason, most of the files I open, open in QuickTime Player — even though they’re word docs or text/image scans and I can’t actually see the whole doc with QTP. I wonder if I inadvertently did something to set QTP as the default open with application…? Is there a way to “undo” it one time, instead of file by file? Thanks!

By: Rosco

Rosco — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 05:55:32 +0000

Hi Sarah…

To Undo the Always Open With you would simply overwrite the setting by setting Always Open With to another Application.

Would that achieve what you want to do or is it something more complex?

By: Sarah

Sarah — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 00:29:07 +0000

Your explanation is great. Here’s my problem, and maybe you can help. I need to undo the “Always Open With”. Can’t find a thing about doing this! So if you know, I’ll be very appreciative.

By: Hunter

Hunter — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 21:30:03 +0000

Except now it works for some reason.

By: Hunter

Hunter — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 21:27:02 +0000

Option one doesn’t work on my computer, because the Change All button shows up as non-pressable.

By: Mike

Mike — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:07:41 +0000

I go through the motions for solution 1, but after I go back from the confimation window it has changed back.