How to remove "Open with" option

The "open with" is working as designed

If you have a number of applications that are capable of opening a file type then these will be listed in the "open with" dialogue in addition to the actual default application set to open the file type. The "Open With" dialogue is populated by registered applications and ordered by usage. In order to remove an option from the list you would need to De-Register the application. Quite often the only way to do this is to uninstall them, although even this does not always work. With the untouchable status of Edge in Windows ten ( it's microsoft's Blue eyed child ), I think you have somwhat lower than zero chance of removing it from the list, (and at times resetting itself as the default)

SightUp said:

I do not think you are following.

Here is the order of events.

I downloaded a .pdf. Without changing the default open with, I opened it. The default is Edge. When you open it for the first time though with Edge, it adds the option to open with menu. I have since change it so that it is FireFox that opens my .pdf files 100% of the time.

My problem is that Edge is still listed and displayed as one of the options if I right click and click open with.

Ah, it's the right click that's doing you in. To open a .pdf file, click (I have my computer set to single click) or double click it and it will open in the app you set as default. As a f'r instance, I have Acrobat Reader as my default. I click on it (no right click and no open with) and it opens in Acro Reader.

FreeBooter said:

Yes you are correct!

But why use open with, when a simple click/double click on the .pdf file will open it in your chosen default app?

SightUp said:

I am super OCD and like to keep the settings like a fresh install as much as possible which is why I am on this witch hunt to find a way to remove it.

Good luck, but I'm inclined to take Barman's assessment of the situation. How to remove option - Page 3 - Windows 10 Forums. It doesn't look like you're going to have any success at this time.

You might want to have a read here: The history of PDF | How the file format and Acrobat evolved

As you can see, Adobe first introduced .pdf files at Comdex Fall 1992. At that time, the only way to open a .pdf file was with an Adobe Acrobat Reader app (I think it's had several names since that time).

Browsers didn't have the ability to read .pdf files until some twenty plus years later when Firefox announced a built-in Browser PDF Viewer in February 2013: Firefox introduces PDF viewer to browse the Web without interruption - The Mozilla Blog.

For me, whether I'm going to use Adobe Acrobat Reader, or a browser to open a .pdf file, by making my choice the default .pdf reader, I'm going to take the shortest route; click/double click on the file to open it.

BTW, if I right click on a photo and choose "open with", I'm going to be shown every app on my computer that will open it; Paint, Paint 3D, Photos, Sketchbook ... I can search the store or choose another app. I have Paint set as my default, so it's highlighted. That's just the way Windows 10 works. The same thing will happen with text files.