Windows Vista and Windows 7 allows you to change the program used to open a file. Sometime We set wrong association with file type and there is no option to revert back to default settings. So here is the only way to do that.

How To:

1. Run Registry Editor and navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts\[Extension]
2. Expand the [extension] key and choose UserChoice key and delete all its sub keys
3. If it doesn’t work, delete the UserChoice key itself.

NOTE: To revert back to all default file association as we get after fresh clean installation of Windows Vista, We can delete all sub keys under FileExts.

Applies To:

  • Windows Server 2008 R2
  • Windows 7
  • Windows Server 2008
  • Windows Vista

15 responses to “Restore default file association in Windows Vista and Windows 7”

  1. Evelyn N. Avatar
    Evelyn N.

    Too confusing for a newb.

  2. SimonR Avatar
    SimonR

    CurrentVersion doesn’t appear for me under windows im using windows 7

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