/file-association

Primary LanguageBatchfile

file-association

Set Default Applications in Windows

This repository provides a utility for managing file type associations in Windows using a batch script.

Requirements

  • Windows Operating System
  • SetUserFTA Utility
  • ProgID of the desired default application

Using the Batch Script

  1. Disable Command Echo: We use @echo off to prevent the command prompt from displaying the commands as they are executed.

  2. Change Directory: cd /d %~dp0 changes the active directory to the directory where the batch script is located.

  3. Set Default Applications: The lines using SetUserFTA.exe are where we set the default applications. Here's how the syntax works:

    SetUserFTA.exe <extension> <ProgID>

    • SetUserFTA.exe: This is the executable for the SetUserFTA utility.
    • <extension>: This is the file extension that you want to change the default program for. Examples include .mkv, .mp4, .avi, etc.
    • <ProgID>: This is the ProgID of the application you want to set as the default for the given file extension.

For example, SetUserFTA.exe .mkv Applications\vlc.exe sets VLC as the default program to open .mkv files.

Finding ProgIDs

ProgIDs are stored in the Windows Registry. They can be viewed using the Registry Editor (regedit.exe).

  1. Press Win + R to open the Run dialog.
  2. Type regedit and hit Enter.
  3. In the Registry Editor, navigate to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Applications.
  4. Expand the Applications key and browse through the list of applications.

You can also use PowerShell to extract ProgIDs:

Get-ChildItem HKLM:\Software\Classes -ea 0 |
    Where-Object { $_.PSChildName -match '^\w+\.\w+$' -and (Test-Path -Path "$($_.PSPath)\CLSID") } |
    ForEach-Object { $_.PSChildName }