Changing file association

- File association is the magic by which you can open a file in a specific program. For example, in this folder, you see text files, and there's a bunch of them. These files are associated with a specific program, Notepad in this case. When I open a file icon, double-click, the program automatically starts Notepad, loading the given file. This is the expected behavior, but it may not be what you always want. For example, suppose I want to use another program, the Vim editor, to edit text files. Here's how I would make this change. Right-click on any text file and choose the Open With command. As you can see, Notepad is up here at the top of the list, it's the default program, but I want to choose another app. Here you select an app already installed on the computer, or you can visit the Microsoft Store. I'll choose More Apps, and in the list, I'm going to choose the Vim editor. Because I want this program to open all text files. I will check this box, Always Use This App, to open what are text files. Click OK, and the file opens up in the given app. In some cases, you may actually see the icon for the given files change to reflect the new ownership. The files are now associated with the program and they show the program's icon. Text files will belong to, or be associated with, the program that opens them, now the Vim editor. Two types of files where this trick really pays off are graphic files and music files. Windows associates these file types with its own programs by default. New software you install may take over the association, but you can make the change as well. So I'm going to open this JPEG image, and it's opened in the Photos app. Now, if I prefer to use another app, and I'll choose Microsoft Paint, I will make the switch, right-click, choose Open With. Now, if I choose Paint here, it's a one-time thing. Instead, choose another app, choose Paint or whatever app from the list, Always Use This App to Open the File Type. You can try this same trick with music or other audio files. Specifically, if you have a specific program installed and you prefer to use it to open this type of file, here's the rule. It's your computer. Ensure that the programs you want are the programs that open those files automatically associated with a specific type.