{"id":9248,"date":"2019-05-12T09:19:08","date_gmt":"2019-05-12T03:49:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/198.58.113.91\/blog\/?p=9248"},"modified":"2024-04-17T21:12:24","modified_gmt":"2024-04-17T15:42:24","slug":"set-default-browser-file-associations-command-line-windows-10","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/set-default-browser-file-associations-command-line-windows-10\/","title":{"rendered":"Change Default Apps and File Association via Command-line"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary:<\/strong> This post explains how to change the default apps or file associations using the command-line in Windows 10 and 11. This can be accomplished by a command-line tool named SetUserFTA.<\/em><\/p>\n

In Windows 10 and 11, setting per-user file associations for a logged-on user account has to be done manually using Default Apps or the “Open with” dialog. If you try to change the user default registry entries using a script or batch file, Windows will reset the file association<\/a> to Windows defaults; you’ll see the annoying An app default was reset<\/a> notification.<\/p>\n

\"Set<\/p>\n

Cause<\/h2>\n

Microsoft says applications must not write<\/a> to the UserChoice<\/code> registry key, which stores the user-default association settings. This is because the user must be in control, not the programs. Programs competing with each other and arbitrarily changing the user-specific associations will not be a good user experience. The UserChoice<\/code> key is a protected location, and the ProgID value is validated with a hash.<\/p>\n

\"Set<\/p>\n

When you use Default Apps<\/strong> or Open with<\/strong> to set associations, Windows 10\/11 generates the hash for each file type association. The hash generated is based on many inputs, such as user account SID, ProgId, registry time, etc., and perhaps other parameters.<\/p>\n

Users may sometimes need a shortcut method to set file associations for their account without going through the Open with dialog or Default Apps every time. A toggle switch or shortcut to change browser or file association defaults would greatly help.<\/p>\n

Fortunately, we have the SetUserFTA<\/strong> utility to do that.<\/p>\n

To set the file association and default browser via command-line, use the SetUserFTA<\/a> utility written by Christoph Kolbicz. Kolbicz has reverse-engineered the hashing algorithm effectively. This utility generates the hash automatically and sets the defaults for you.<\/p>\n

\"Set<\/p>\n

Set Default Apps, Browser, or Associations via Command-line<\/h2>\n
\n

Important<\/h3>\n

2024 Update:<\/strong> Since the February 2024 Cumulative Update, Windows has included a driver service named UCPD.sys (User Choice Protection Driver) stops users from writing to the “UserChoice” registry key, especially for protocols http<\/strong>, https,<\/strong> and file type .pdf<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

So, if the UCPD driver is running, SetUserFTA will throw one of the following errors when setting associations.<\/p>\n

\"Error: could not open registry key\"<\/pre>\n
\"Key deletion failed. Error code: 5\"<\/pre>\n
error: could not create registry key<\/pre>\n
error: could not open registry key<\/pre>\n
For the SetUserFTA tool to work for all file types, including http<\/strong>, https<\/strong>, and pdf<\/strong>, you need to disable the UCPD driver<\/strong>.<\/p>\n
Workaround: Disable the UCPD driver<\/h4>\n
To do so, run the following commands from an admin Command Prompt<\/a> and restart Windows:<\/p>\n
sc.exe config UCPD start= disabled<\/pre>\n
schtasks.exe \/change \/Disable \/TN \"\\Microsoft\\Windows\\AppxDeploymentClient\\UCPD velocity\"<\/pre>\n
Read more at UserChoice Protection Driver \u2013 UCPD.sys \u2013 the kolbicz blog<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
After disabling the UCPD driver, do the following:<\/p>\n
To change the default browser using command-line, use this syntax:<\/p>\n
SetUserFTA.exe extension progid<\/pre>\n
It also supports URL protocols (e.g., http<\/code>, https<\/code>, mailto<\/code>, etc.)<\/p>\n
Google Chrome<\/h3>\n
To set Chrome as the default browser, run these commands:<\/p>\n
SetUserFTA  http ChromeHTML\nSetUserFTA  https ChromeHTML\nSetUserFTA  .htm ChromeHTML\nSetUserFTA  .html ChromeHTML<\/pre>\n
Firefox<\/h3>\n
SetUserFTA  http FirefoxHTML\nSetUserFTA  https FirefoxHTML\nSetUserFTA  .htm FirefoxHTML\nSetUserFTA  .html FirefoxHTML<\/pre>\n
Opera<\/h3>\n
SetUserFTA  http OperaStable\nSetUserFTA  htts OperaStable\nSetUserFTA  .htm OperaStable\nSetUserFTA  .html OperaStable<\/pre>\n
Microsoft Edge (Chromium)<\/h3>\n
SetUserFTA http MSEdgeHTM\nSetUserFTA https MSEdgeHTM\nSetUserFTA microsoft-edge MSEdgeHTM\nSetUserFTA .htm MSEdgeHTM\nSetUserFTA .html MSEdgeHTM<\/pre>\n
Microsoft Edge (legacy)<\/h3>\n
SetUserFTA http AppXq0fevzme2pys62n3e0fbqa7peapykr8v\nSetUserFTA https AppX90nv6nhay5n6a98fnetv7tpk64pp35es\nSetUserFTA microsoft-edge AppX7rm9drdg8sk7vqndwj3sdjw11x96jc0y\nSetUserFTA .htm AppX4hxtad77fbk3jkkeerkrm0ze94wjf3s9\nSetUserFTA .html AppX4hxtad77fbk3jkkeerkrm0ze94wjf3s9<\/pre>\n
RELATED:<\/strong> See article How to Remove File Type Associations Using the Registry Editor<\/a> for more information on File extension \u2192 ProgID mapping.<\/em><\/p>\n
Default Image Viewer<\/h4>\n
To set Windows Photo Viewer as the default handler for .png and .jpg files, run:<\/p>\n
SetUserFTA  .jpg  PhotoViewer.FileAssoc.Jpeg\nSetUserFTA  .png  PhotoViewer.FileAssoc.Png<\/pre>\n
\"\"Note that you’ll have applied the Windows Photo Viewer registry edit as in the article Restore Missing Windows Photo Viewer in Windows 10<\/a> for the above commands to work. Without the necessary ProgId registration, your files will show up as an unknown file type.<\/em><\/p>\n
To revert to Microsoft Photos<\/strong> as the default, use this command-line:<\/p>\n
SetUserFTA .jpg AppX43hnxtbyyps62jhe9sqpdzxn1790zetc\nSetUserFTA .png AppX43hnxtbyyps62jhe9sqpdzxn1790zetc<\/pre>\n
ProgID vs “Applications\\program.exe”<\/h4>\n
If an application doesn’t define a file class or Progid, you can mention the program’s exe as well, like Applications\\program.exe<\/code> type as well. This works if the program is registered under HKCR\\Applications<\/code> registry key.<\/p>\n
For example, to set Notepad++ as the default editor for .txt files, run:<\/p>\n
SetUserFTA  .txt applications\\notepad++.exe<\/pre>\n
To revert to default (notepad.exe<\/code>), use:<\/p>\n
SetUserFTA  .txt txtfile\nor\nSetUserFTA  .txt applications\\notepad.exe<\/pre>\n
You may create desktop shortcuts for the required commands to switch defaults quickly in a single click!<\/p>\n
View current user defaults for all file types<\/h3>\n
To get the user defaults for all file types and URL protocols, run the command:<\/p>\n
SetUserFTA get<\/pre>\n
\"Set<\/p>\n
SetUserFTA makes setting file associations easy! There is a similar utility from DanysysTeam, which I’ve not tested yet. To check it out, visit Set File Type Association Default Application Command Line<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Summary: This post explains how to change the default apps or file associations using the command-line in Windows 10 and 11. This can be accomplished by a command-line tool named SetUserFTA.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,8,869],"tags":[137,441],"class_list":["post-9248","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-utilities","category-windows-10","category-windows-11","tag-default-programs","tag-registry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1630,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/windows-10-resetting-file-associations\/","url_meta":{"origin":9248,"position":0},"title":"Fix for “An App Default was Reset” Windows 10 Resets File Associations","author":"Ramesh","date":"February 13, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"This post explains why Windows 10 resets your file associations for file types supported by modern apps like 3d Builder, Zune music, Zune video (Movies & TV), Microsoft Edge, and Microsoft Edge Chromium. RELATED: Set Default Browser and File Associations via Command-line in Windows 10 Cause The app defaults are\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Windows 10"","block_context":{"text":"Windows 10","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/microsoft\/windows\/windows-10\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"app default was reset - event log","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/app-default-reset-event-log.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/app-default-reset-event-log.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/app-default-reset-event-log.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":25987,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/cant-associate-jpg-png-files-default-apps\/","url_meta":{"origin":9248,"position":1},"title":"[Fix] Can’t Change File Association via Default Apps in Windows 11","author":"Ramesh","date":"January 28, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"After installing third-party software on your Windows 11 computer, the ability to associate file types such as JPG, JPE, JPEG, PNG, MPG, MPEG, and other file types may be hampered. 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We saw how to prevent Edge from taking over the PDF and HTM association settings. The same method can be used for the Photos app, or for any other app\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Windows 10"","block_context":{"text":"Windows 10","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/microsoft\/windows\/windows-10\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/w10\/w10-photos-takeover-3.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":75047,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/cannot-associate-pdf-other-than-edge\/","url_meta":{"origin":9248,"position":3},"title":"Cannot associate .PDF with anything other than Microsoft Edge","author":"Ramesh","date":"May 3, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"When you use Default Apps or Open With to associate .PDF files with Adobe Reader or any other app, nothing may happen. 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