Default App not saving

whyttedragun · 16 Oct 2018

I'm trying to have all image files open in Windows Photo Viewer instead of the new Photos app. I already edited my registry to get the option to use WPV, and have successfully associated .jpg files with it. I have tried many times to associate other extensions, too, but none of them have saved. I have even removed Photos (the app) from my system, in the hopes that it would allow me to select a new default app, but it just opens in Paint 3D instead.
The default apps settings page doesn't give me the option to use WPV, nor does "Choose default apps by file type" or "Set defaults by app". Right-clicking and selecting "Open With" does give me the option to open with WPV, but even if I check the "Always use this app to open _____ files" checkbox, the next time I double click another file with the same extension, it opens in Paint 3D again.

Default App not saving-choose-default-apps-file-type.png

Default App not saving-set-defaults-app.png

Brink · 16 Oct 2018

Hello whyttedragun, and welcome to Ten Forums.

Did you use the .reg file from step 2 or 3 of Option Two below to restore Windows Photo Viewer?

Restore Windows Photo Viewer in Windows 10 | Windows 10 Tutorials

dalchina · 16 Oct 2018

Hi, a number of people have reported difficulty assigning new file type associations with builds later than 1709.

Which build are you using?
Windows key + R, winver

As you can see from my specs I'm using 1709, and Open With has, as you'd expect, succeeded in assigning PhotoViewer as the default for png.

I think the question may be whether the change is successfully written to the registry.

Here's a way you could experiment with this.

Download and install Filetypesman (free).

This is what I see after using Open With to assign Photoviewer as the default handler for png.

Now Filetypesman allows you to open Regedit (rt click the extension or the Open command, Open Action in Regedit.

What is interesting is the question of when the changed data is written to the registry (and whether it actually is).

What I found was that immediately after I assigned Photoviewer as default for png, attempting to open Regedit as above for png failed to give a meaningful outcome.

I could however succeed with jpg (already assigned).

I restarted the appropriate instance of file explorer (task manager, rt click, restart) - the desktop and task bar go blue, then reappear. This is a crude way of forcing the new data to be written to the registry.

After that, I could open regedit from Filetypesman, rt click on png or png Open in the lower pane successfully.

See what you find, and whether restarting file explorer like that forces the assignment.

whyttedragun · 16 Oct 2018

Brink: I had used a similar .reg, but not that specific one. I just ran that one, and that seems to have corrected the issue!
dalchina: thank you very much for your quick reply, but since your solution was a bit more complicated than Brink's, I decided to try theirs first. I will definitely try yours if I ever find another app that won't save associations.

dalchina · 17 Oct 2018

I'd assumed Photoviewer was working for you - what I posted was a suggested approach for investigating the problem - a rather typical one with setting defaults people with 1809 sometimes report.

Brink · 17 Oct 2018

whyttedragun said:

Brink: I had used a similar .reg, but not that specific one. I just ran that one, and that seems to have corrected the issue!
dalchina: thank you very much for your quick reply, but since your solution was a bit more complicated than Brink's, I decided to try theirs first. I will definitely try yours if I ever find another app that won't save associations.

I'm glad it was able to help.