When you double-click a file to open it instead of by using the File menu in a program, Windows XP examines the file name extension. If Windows XP recognizes the file name extension, Windows XP opens the file in the program that is associated with that file name extension. But what if you want to change the program that opens when you double-click a file that has a certain file name extension? For example, a text file that has a .txt file name extension typically opens in Notepad. What if you want to open the file in Microsoft Word instead? How would you do that? This article describes how to change which program starts when you double-click a file in Windows XP.

Note Depending on your Folder Options settings, you might open a file by single-clicking it, instead of double-clicking it.

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How to change which program starts when you double-click a file

Notes

•	You cannot use this method for a file that does not have a file name extension, or for a file that has a system extension, such as exe, .com, .bat, and so on.
•	It is a good idea to note the previous program for the file name extension before you change the program that is used to open that file type. Then you can easily restore the previous program for the file name extension if the file is not opened correctly in the program that you specify.

To change which program starts when you double-click a file whose file type is associated with a particular program, follow these steps:

1.	Open My Computer or Windows Explorer, right-click a file for which you want to change the program that opens that file type, and then use either of the following methods to change which program starts: • Click Open With to choose the program that you want. • Point to Open With, and then click Choose Program to choose the program that you want.
2.	Notice that theOpen With dialog box appears. Use one of the following methods to select the program that you want to use to open this kind of file: • In the Programs list, click the program that you want. • Click Browse, locate and then click the program that you want to use, and then click OK. • Click Look for the appropriate program on the Web to browse the Internet for the program that you want.
3.	Click to select the Always use the selected program to open this kind of file check box if it is not already selected.
4.	Click OK. Note From now on, Windows XP will open all files that have this file name extension in the associated program. To change this, you would have to follow these steps again and associate a different program with this file name extension.

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How to display all file name extensions for installed programs

Depending on your settings in Folder Options, you may be unable to see the file name extensions of your files. To display the file name extensions of your files if they are not displayed, follow these steps:

1.	Open My Computer or Windows Explorer.
2.	On the Tools menu , click Folder Options.
3.	Click the View tab.
4.	Click to clear the Hide extensions for known file types check box.

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More information for advanced users

This section is intended for advanced computer users. If you are not comfortable with advanced troubleshooting, you might want to ask someone for help or contact support. For information about how to do this, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

How to create file associations for unassociated file types

You may want to create a file association for a file type that is not associated with a program on your computer. There are two common reasons for this action:

•	A program such as a database program produces reports that have file name extensions that are not registered in Windows XP.
•	You receive e-mail message attachments that are created in a program that is not installed on your computer. However, there is an installed program that can read these files.

To create a file association, follow these steps:

1.	Right-click a file that has the extension that you want to change, and then click Open. Note If the Open command is not available, click Open with or double-click the file.
2.	Windows XP displays a dialog box that indicates that no program is associated with this file. The dialog box offers two choices for creating an association: • Use the Web service to find the appropriate program • Select the program from a list Unless you want to find and download software that opens this file type, the best choice is to select the program from a list.
3.	Click Select the program from a list, and then click OK.
4.	The Opens With dialog box appears. Use one of the following methods to select the program that you want to use to open this kind of file: • In the Programs list, click the program that you want. • Click Browse, locate and then click the program that you want to use, and then click OK. • Click Look for the appropriate program on the Web to browse the Internet for the program that you want.
5.	Click to select the Always use the selected program to open this kind of file check box if it is not already selected.
6.	Click OK.

Troubleshooting

If you change the program that Windows uses to open a certain kind of file, that file may not appear correctly in that program. Make sure that the program that you select to open a particular file type can handle that file type correctly.

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