How to choose default program to open pdf files ?

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On my new W10 machine, I downloaded SumatraPDF which I always used on my old W7 machine to view PDFs. The .exe file is sitting in the folder C:\Program Files\SumatraPDF

In Settings > Default Apps > Choose Default Apps by file type, the options for pdf files are Edge, Firefox or Look for an app in the Microsoft Store.

How do I get pdf files to open automatically using SumatraPDF ?

Thanks.

Windows 10 Home 22H2, Acer Aspire TC-1660 desktop + LibreOffice, non-techie

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Alex5723

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See SumatraPDF documentation / Setting Sumatra as default PDF reader

Windows 11 Pro version 22H2 build 22621.1778 + Microsoft 365 + Edge

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samak

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Thanks! Problem solved.

Windows 10 Home 22H2, Acer Aspire TC-1660 desktop + LibreOffice, non-techie

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b

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It begs the question, why isn’t the option “Look for another app on this PC” available on the Settings > Default Apps > “Choose Default Apps by file type” screen? Sigh.

Windows 10 Home 22H2, Acer Aspire TC-1660 desktop + LibreOffice, non-techie

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DriftyDonN, Mele20, Charlie

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Yes. It is on Windows 11:

Choose Default Apps in Windows 11

(Finally; a reason to upgrade? 😉)

Windows 11 Pro version 22H2 build 22621.1778 + Microsoft 365 + Edge

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samak

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Let’s hope the next version of 10 fixes the problem since they’ve obviously identified it.

Windows 10 Home 22H2, Acer Aspire TC-1660 desktop + LibreOffice, non-techie

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[Charlie]

An excellent question samak.  You shouldn’t have to spend time searching through that documentation to find the way to make your program default.  I’m willing to bet you did not have to do that with Win 7.

Edit:  And you shouldn’t have to install Windows 11 to make your program default either!

Experience is that marvelous thing that enables you recognize a mistake as soon as you make it again.

• This reply was modified 1 year, 7 months ago by Charlie.

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samak

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I am using Portable Sumatra PDF as my default PDF app.

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Charlie wrote:

I’m willing to bet you did not have to do that with Win 7.

No, you didn’t.

Windows 10 Home 22H2, Acer Aspire TC-1660 desktop + LibreOffice, non-techie

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samak wrote:

It begs the question, why isn’t the option “Look for another app on this PC” available on the Settings > Default Apps > “Choose Default Apps by file type” screen? Sigh.

Right click on the file – open with – choose another app… and set that app as default.

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DriftyDonN

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Yes, that’s what the Sumatra documentation said. As someone new to W10 I could not guess that. Nor should anyone have to, it should be on the “Choose Default Apps by file type” screen, where any normal person would expect it to be.

Windows 10 Home 22H2, Acer Aspire TC-1660 desktop + LibreOffice, non-techie

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I wonder if this abysmal behavior is only in RECENT versions of Windows 10?  My Windows 10 21H1 computer is almost four years old but I don’t recall such cumbersome and unclear behavior with choosing default programs to handle certain files when I set it up. Besides, the appearance of the page to set default programs looks horrible.

I switched to my Windows 8.0 Pro computer that I don’t use much (just have one monitor) and, oh, how nicely this looks in Windows 8! I use Evince PDF Reader for Windows for many years now and I suspect that with current Windows 10 21H1 it would not be that easy to setup.

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Mele20 wrote:

I don’t recall such cumbersome and unclear behavior with choosing default programs to handle certain files when I set it up

Windows 11 is much worse.

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An easy way to make Sumatra default viewer is to simply right click a PDF > Properties, or select a PDF and click then the Properties tab in the Ribbon, or press the Alt + Enter keys.
Click the Change tab in the opening dialog box, then select SumatraPDF (or other of a user’s choice), then OK > OK.

You can use this method for other programs that are wanted to be default viewers/editors/processors/etc.

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wavy

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