Setting Default Apps in Windows 10

Do you want your PDFs to open in Adobe and not in Microsoft Edge?  That can be easily done. 


As an FYI, these instructions will work regardless of the screen reader you are using or indeed whether or not you are using one. 


Default Apps – What are they?

A Default App is the app you choose to utilize to open and use each time you want to access a specific type of service.  For example, most people want to open their pictures using the Photos App.  If the Photos App is your default for every time you get a picture as an attachment, Windows will not ask you what program to use to open the file, it’ll just open it using the app you’ve chosen in the System Settings. 

 

You can also choose Default Apps by file type, by application, or you can access a context menu where you can change which app or program with which you want to open a selected file.


How to Choose the Most Common Default Apps

Example:

If I wanted to change my default browser so that every time I opened a link, it opened in Google Chrome, I’d do the following:

 

What About Choosing Apps by File Type? 

A question we get a lot (or frequently anyway) is “how do I make sure that all PDFs open in Adobe and not whatever other program is being used to open them?”.  There are multiple ways to do this, but I’m going to give you directions for just one in this tip. 

 

Before you start, please make sure the file is saved on your computer.  

Example 

If I want to change the file type to open a PDF I have in my Downloads Folder: