Windows 10: Can't choose default software / choices won't get saved

I agree it doesn't have anything to do with the account type. One of my three computers (all are using MS accounts) started this after the CU. The easy fix for me was to try to select the app I want (say Chrome instead of Edge), click Chrome, but the app stays Edge, click the app icon again, choose Edge, Edge is default, click the app icon AGAIN, choose Chrome, and then it saves as Chrome. Did it for all the apps I wanted to change default for. PITA.

 

I find this resetting defaults just another reason to return to Windows 7. Perhaps it'll be fixed by the time W7 expires for good? Every day I have to reset defaults--PDF from MS to Adobe, music from Groove Music to VLC or WMP, ZIPS from MS to WinRAR, movies from MS default to VLC, photos from MS default to my preferred program. EVERY DAY! Come ON Microsoft! This is sloppy software to the max!

I came here for help, but apparently there isn't any. Terrific. I'm getting closer and closer to turning this piece of garbage into a Windows 7 machines.

 

I can understand your frustration.

We - as users- help voluntarily where we can. We are not MS staff so can't solve all problems- nor can MS staff from what I've seen sometimes.

It is not my experience that defaults are continually reset (I still use the Anniversary Edition, however), and that's true for the majority of people.

It seems this has recurred for some after installing the Creator's upgrade.

This is a detailed and perhaps useful discussion, and suggests a couple of tools for analysis:
Windows 10 default programs keep changing - Super User

I also suggest you look carefully at the programs you have installed, and make sure they are up to date as past experience has shown a couple of programs have this effect if out of date.

Either changes to your registry aren't being saved, or they are being rewritten. You could try creating a new user for test purposes and see if the problem still applies then. Similarly you can try a clean boot and see what happens then. Likewise Safe Mode.

If you can find a scenario where this does NOT happen, you have a base against which to make comparisons.
However that may not be feasible if the problem exists at a lower level and is independent of what's running.

 

I haven't applied the Creator's Update (though I keep getting notifications to change my privacy settings so it can be applied), so that's not the problem. Is there more than one?

I do have some older programs that I refuse to update, as the newer iterations are horrible, so if that's what the problem is, I guess I'll have to live with it. I have noticed that sometimes the program gets reset not to MS default, but to "choose a default". What's interesting is that when I try to do that, sometimes it will not let me choose; or rather, I click on the program I want, and it doesn't show up as the new default, so I choose again, and this might go on for up to 20 times before it finally wakes up and says, "Oh! you're doing something here! I guess I'd better pay attention."

Thanks for the suggestion of creating another user and for the link to the other thread. I'll check that out as well. It didn't show up when I searched previously.