In this tutorial I have shown you how you can change the default application to open certain file types. For many the basic Mac setup may be just fine, but for those more advanced users who work in Photoshop for example may wish for all PNG files to bring them there, rather than Preview. Finally, while Mac OS X will usually set Photoshop as the default app for opening PSD files (since PSD is. In the Mac OS it is possible to change the default program the operating system will use to open a file when you double-click on it. After you have changed this file association, though, you may want to reset this file association back to.
OS X Yosemite lets you specify the application in which you want to open a document in the future when you double-click it. More than that, you can specify that you want all documents of that type to open with the specified application. “Where is this magic bullet hidden?” you ask. Right there in the file’s Info window.
Assigning a file type to an application
Suppose that you want all .jpg files that usually open in Preview to open instead in Acorn, a more capable third-party image-editing program. Here’s what to do:
Opening a file with an application other than the default
Here’s one more technique that works great when you want to open a document with a program other than its default. Just drag the file onto the application’s icon or alias icon or Dock icon, and presto — the file opens in the application.
If you were to double-click an MP3 file, for example, the file usually would open in iTunes (and, by default, would be copied into your iTunes Library). But if you frequently want to audition (listen to) MP3 files with QuickTime Player, dragging the MP3 file onto QuickTime Player’s icon in the Applications folder or its Dock icon (if it’s on the Dock) solves this conundrum quickly and easily.
If the icon doesn’t highlight and you release the mouse button anyway, the file ends up in the same folder as the application with the icon that didn’t highlight. If that happens, just choose Edit→Undo (or press Command+Z), and the mislaid file magically returns to where it was before you dropped it.
Just remember — don’t do anything else after you drop the file, or Undo might not work. If Undo doesn’t work, you must move the file back to its original location manually.
Only applications that might be able to open the file should highlight when you drag the file on them. That doesn’t mean the document will be usable — just that the application can open it. Suffice it to say that OS X is usually smart enough to figure out which applications on your hard drive can open what documents — and to offer you a choice.
One last thing: If all you want to do is open a file with an application other than its default (and not change anything for the future), the techniques just described work fine, but an even easier way is to right-click the file and choose another app from the contextual menu.
You can also change the default application to open this file by pressing Option after you right-click the file, and the Open With command will magically transform into Always Open With. Alas, you can’t change the default application for all files of this type; for that, you’ll have to visit the Info window.
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AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
January 2023
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