How to Restore the Original Settings for File Associations in Windows 11

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The article provides a guide on how to reset and restore all default apps for file and link types in Windows 11. Default apps are the programs assigned by Windows to open certain file or link types, and changes can be made without affecting other accounts on the computer. The user-specific app preferences are stored…

This article explains how to reset and restore all default apps for file types or link types in Windows 11.

A default or preferred app is a program that Windows has assigned to open a file or link type by default. For example, you can choose Google Chrome as your default browser to open browser links and files.

Google Chrome will be your default or preferred app for all file or link types for browser operations.

The default apps you choose will only apply to your account and will not affect other accounts on the computer.

The default app a user selects for a file or link type is stored in the Windows registry UserChoice key for that specific account in the following location:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts\<file type>\UserChoice.

Reset and restore all default apps in Windows 11

As described above, Windows users can choose which app they want as their default or preferred for file and link types.

The default app you choose will only apply to your account and not impact others on the PC. If you have changed Windows default app settings, use the steps below to reset and restore all defaults.

First, open the Windows Settings app.

You can do that by clicking on the Start menu and selecting Settings. Or press the keyboard shortcut (Windows key + I) to launch the Settings app.

When the Settings app opens, click the Apps button on the left.

On the right, select the Default apps tile to expand it.

On the App -> Default app settings pane, scroll down to the bottom of the page and select the tile “Reset all default apps.” Then click the Reset button.

When you click the Reset button, you will be prompted to confirm that you wish to change to Microsoft’s recommended default apps.

Click OK to confirm, and you are done. You will see a checkmark to the right of Reset all default apps to indicate when the reset has finished.

That should do it!

Conclusion:

This post showed you how to reset and restore all default apps to Microsoft recommended. If you find any errors above or have something to add, please use the comments form below.

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