Settings → Apps → Default apps → Reset default appsResetting default app settings in Windows 11 sends your file type and link associations back to the defaults, so files and links open in the apps Windows normally uses for them. It is the quickest fix when the wrong app keeps opening your files after you or an installer changed something. The reset is a single action on one page of Settings.
- In Settings, go to Apps → Default apps and select Reset default apps.
- Afterwards, pick your own apps again with Set a default app.
- To fix only one file type, change it directly instead of resetting everything.
How to reset default app settings in Windows 11
1. Open the default apps page
Press Windows + I to launch Settings. In the left navigation pane, select Apps, then select Default apps.
Alternatively, open the page directly:
Open "Default apps" in Settingsor press Win+R, type ms-settings:defaultapps, and press Enter
2. Look at your current defaults (optional)
Before you reset, you may want to note which apps you have chosen, because the reset replaces your choices. Under Set defaults for applications, select an app to see which file types or link types it opens.
You can also use the search box under Set a default for a file type or link type to check one extension, such as .txt, or one link type.
3. Select the reset action
On the same page, find Reset default apps and select it. This action is meant to undo custom choices for file types and links in one go, so you do not have to correct each association by hand.
If Windows asks you to confirm, accept the prompt to continue.
4. Check that files and links open as expected
Open a file you had trouble with, for example a text file or a photo, and see which app starts. Click a web link in a document or message to confirm that it opens in the browser you expect.
If everything now opens in the apps you want, you are done.
5. Set your preferred apps again
The reset also removes choices you made on purpose, such as a favorite text editor or browser. To bring them back, use Set a default app: type the file extension or link type into the search box, select the matching result, and choose the app that should open it.
For a browser, select it under Set defaults for applications and use the option on its page that makes it the default. Microsoft describes the same approach in its article Change Default Apps in Windows.
Change one default instead of resetting everything
If only one kind of file opens in the wrong app, a full reset is more than you need. The default apps page has two lists that let you correct a single association and leave the rest untouched:
- Choose a default app for each type of file lets you work through file extensions, which is useful for file associations such as documents, images, or media.
- Choose a default app for each link type covers link types (protocols), for example the links that open an email app or another program.
The other route is Choose file types and links opened by each app. Select an app there and you see everything it can open, so you can move several file types or link types to a different app in one visit.
If defaults keep changing or the reset does not stick
If an association changes back after you reset it, repeat the check in step 4 and then set your preferred app again as described in step 5. A program you install or update can offer itself as the new default, so it is worth reviewing the list after you add software.
On a work or school device, an organization can manage the default apps settings. In that case some options may be locked or may revert, and your IT administrator is the person to ask.
Frequently asked questions
What is the fastest way of resetting default app settings in Windows 11?
Open Settings, go to Apps > Default apps, and select Reset default apps. File types and links then return to their default apps. Afterwards, pick your own apps again with Set a default app.
Does the reset delete my files or uninstall apps?
No, the reset only changes which app opens each file type and link type. Your files stay where they are, and you can pick your own apps again afterwards on the same page.
How do I change the default app for just one file type?
Use Set a default app on the default apps page. Type the extension, such as .txt, into the search box, select the matching result, and choose the app that should open that type of file.
How do I set my default browser again after a reset?
Under Set defaults for applications, select your browser and use the option on its page that makes it the default browser. Then click a web link to confirm it opens there.
Why can't I change default apps on my work or school PC?
An organization can manage the default apps settings on work or school devices, so some options may be locked or switch back. Ask your IT administrator if your choices do not stay saved.
Official Microsoft documentation
