Changing File Associations in Windows XP System

You can specify that you always use the same program to open files with a specific file extension. You can also modify an existing file type to change its association with the program. You can handle file associations in Windows Explorer or My Computer. This article describes how to change file associations in Windows XP.

How to change file associations

You may want to change the association of a file extension from one program to another. For example, you might want to open a text file (.txt) with your favorite word processor to format the text. By default, text files are associated with Microsoft Notepad. By default, file extensions for known file types are hidden.

View all file extensions

1. On the Tools menu in My Computer or Windows Explorer, click Folder Options.

2. Click the View tab.

3. Clear the "Hide extensions for known file types" checkbox.

Change File Associations

1. Right-click the file whose extension you want to change and click Open With.

2. In the Open With dialog box, click the program in which you want to open the file, or click Browse to locate the program you want.

3. Select the "Always use the selected program to open this file" checkbox.

How to Create File Associations for Unrelated File Types

You may need to create file associations for file types that have not been associated with a program on your computer. There are usually two reasons for doing this:

Some programs (such as databases) generate file extensions that are not registered in Windows XP.

You received an email attachment and the program that created the attachment was not installed on your computer, but you can read it using other installed programs.

To create a file association, follow these steps:

1. Right-click the file whose extension you want to change, and then click Open, or double-click the file.

2. Windows XP will display a dialog box stating that there are no programs associated with this file. This dialog provides two options for creating associations:

Use Web Services to find the appropriate program

Select a program from the list

Unless you need to find and download it Open the software of this file type, otherwise it is best to select the program from the list.

3. The Windows installed dialog box lists the programs that are installed on your computer. If the program to be used for this file type is not listed, click Browse to locate the appropriate software. Select the Always use this program to open this file check box.