Windows 10: cannot change file association

Suddenly, I cannot change my file association to the program I want.

For example, I want to change ".txt" to use "notepad2.exe", not the default "notepad". Recently I was able to do that.

If I right-click, properties, and choose my "notepad2", the change won't take effect. It will still stay the default notepad.

And using windows 10 "choose default applications by file type", I can only choose app from App store. I do not want that. I want to use my simple "notepad2.exe".

:)

 

Change file association back to unknown program in Windows 10

Hi,

Thank you for posting in Microsoft Community.

We understand how you feel about the situation. We're sorry for the trouble.

I suggest you to follow the below steps and check if it helps.

1) Create a new file with any extension and save it on any location.

2) Next Open Control Panel (icons view), click/tap on the default programs icon.

3) Click/tap on the Associate a file type or protocol with a program
link.

4) Either double click/tap on the file extension or protocol, or click/tap on the file extension or protocol and click/tap on the
Change Program button of the one you want to change the "current default' program association of.

5) If the program you want to associate is not listed, then click/tap on the
More Options link if available.

6) Click/tap on a listed program that you want to associate.

7) If you associated a program, then you will see this below as "Set Associations" updates and reloads.

8) Once it is done go back to the file which you have created and delete the file.

9) Go to default programs and refresh the set association programs. It should show as other unknown.

Hope this helps. Please reply to us with the status of the issue.

Thanks.

 

How to change HTML File Associations from Edge to IE in Windows 10?

Hi,

I realize that you want to change HTML File Associations from Edge to Internet Explorer in Windows 10. I will try to help you with this issue.

Follow these steps to make changes in the Control Panel and check if that helps:

• 
  Open Control Panel and click on Default programs.
  
• 
  Click on Associated a file type with a program.
  
• 
  Scroll down to select HTML file and click on change program.
  
• 
  Select Internet Explorer and click ok.
  

Keep us informed to help you further.

 

File Association Helper in Startup

from another forum on May 6, 2018:
You can uninstall File Association Helper in less than 5 minutes. Here are the steps to follow:

Step 1 — Uninstall File Association Helper via Control Panel

Simply go to Start > type Control Panel > double click the first result to launch Control Panel.
Then go to Uninstall a program > locate File Association Helper in the list and select it
Select Uninstall > wait until Windows completely removes FAH from your PC.
Restart your PC.
Step 2 — Clean the Registry Editor

Now that you removed the program, you also need to remove any traces or file changes associated with it. To do that, you need to open the Registry Editor.

Go to Start > type “regedit” > launch the Registry Editor
Locate the following keys and delete them:
KEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareFile Association Helper
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareFile Association Helper

Step 3 — Check all the hidden files and folders

File Association Helper may have left behind various hidden files and folders. In order to completely remove the software, you can also need to delete these files. Here’s how to do that:

Simply go to Start > type Control Panel > double click the first result to launch Control Panel. On Windows 10, you can also type “Show hidden files and folder” in the search box. Then simply check Show hidden files, folders and drives and jump straight to step number 3.
RECOMMENDED: Click here to fix common PC issues and speed up your system
Go to Folder > select Show Hidden Files and Folders
Locate the following folders:
Crogram FilesFile Association Helper
C*Biggrinocument and SettingsAll UsersApplication DataFile Association Helper
C*Biggrinocuments and Settings%USER%Application DataFile Association Helper

4. Delete them and then restart your PC.

Step 4 — Empty Temp Folder

The final step is to clean the Temp folder where all the temporary files are stored. To empty the folder, go to Start and type the %temp% command.

This will open the Temp folders. You can now empty them. If the system displays an error message when deleting some files, leave them. The files might be in use by Windows services or some running software.

Step 5 — Use a dedicated tool to remove software leftovers

After you performed all the steps listed above, you have removed 99.9% of all the files and folders left behind by File Association Helper. However, there may be a few file that escaped your scrutiny. In order to make sure that you have removed all of them, you can also use a dedicated software uninstaller.

These applications are specially designed to remove the selected application along with all of its files and registry entries. As a result, the application will be completely removed from your PC.

There are many great uninstaller tools available on the market, but the best are IOBit Uninstaller and Revo Uninstaller so feel free to try any of these tools.