Make one kind of file always open in the app you want

Why it happens

Your Mac links each kind of file, such as .docx, .xlsx or .txt, to one default app. A new Mac picks Apple's own apps first, so documents and spreadsheets made elsewhere often open in Pages or Numbers until you change it. Installing a new app can also take over a file type. The Get Info window lets you choose the app for the whole file type at once.

How to fix it

1. In Finder, click once on a file of the kind you want to change, for example any .docx file.

2. Press Command-I, or choose File > Get Info, to open its Info window.

3. Find the Open with section and click its arrow if it's closed. Pick the app from the pop-up menu. If it isn't listed, choose Other… and find it in Applications.

4. Click Change All…, then click Continue when your Mac asks. Every file with the same ending now opens in that app.

   Finder›File›Get Info›Open with›Change All…

5. Double-click another file of that type to check it opens in the right app.

Still not fixed?

1. Just want a different app this once? Control-click the file, choose Open With and pick the app. Your default stays as it is.

2. Similar files can have different endings, such as .doc and .docx, or .jpg and .jpeg. Repeat the steps with one file of each kind.

3. Web links follow a separate setting. To change which browser opens them, choose it under Default web browser in Desktop & Dock.

   Desktop & Dock›Default web browser

4. If the app you want isn't in the list at all, it may not open that kind of file. Check the app's website, or install one that does.

5. If the default keeps switching back, update the app you chose, or reinstall it, then repeat Change All…. If it still won't stick after a restart, contact Apple Support.