Take control of your file associations

If you’ve ever tried to open an image file, such as a JPEG, with your computer, you may have experienced the confusion of file associations. A JPEG may open with one program today but mysteriously open using a different one next week. Does this mean your PC is thinking on its own?

It may indicate that you’ve installed–intentionally or not–a program that automatically declared itself the default for opening these types of files. While this can happen with many types of files, it often occurs with audio files like MP3s and image files like JPEGs.

For example, a graphics program you recently installed to manipulate digital photos may now load every time you want to view a picture, even though you don’t need the program’s capabilities. This loading is time-consuming, and you’d like to have pictures open using Internet Explorer or another program that’s always running on your PC.

In many versions of Windows operating systems, you can restore file associations easily by right-clicking on the file of the type you want to change and choosing Open With > Choose Program. Select the program you want associated with this type of file from the list that pops up and check the box next to Always use this program to open these files.

Illustration © Artville.

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