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If Windows shows “Pick an app” whenever you open a certain kind of file, check the default app association for that file’s extension. Go to Settings > Apps > Default apps, find the extension, and choose an installed app that supports it. If the prompt keeps returning, try resetting defaults and assigning the extension again; this affects more than one file type.
Why Windows asks you to pick an app
Windows uses file associations to decide which app opens a given file type. If the affected extension has no usable default app, Windows may ask you to choose one. Microsoft Q&A guidance recommends checking the association for the file type, though the prompt does not establish one universal cause for every Windows configuration.
A file extension is the part of a filename after its final dot, such as .jpg or .txt. The default is associated with an extension, so setting an app for one extension may not change the behavior of related file types.
Set the default app for the affected extension
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In File Explorer, inspect the affected filename and note the extension after the final dot. Check that the extension is genuine and that the file is the type you expect.
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Open Settings > Apps > Default apps.
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Find the extension in Default apps and select an installed app that supports that file type. Microsoft-hosted community guidance describes checking or assigning the file-type association through Windows’ default-app settings: Microsoft Q&A: How do I DISassociate a file type?
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Try opening the file again and check whether Windows still displays the prompt for that extension.
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If the prompt comes back
Reset defaults, then assign the extension again
A Microsoft Q&A community answer suggests using the Default apps reset control to restore Microsoft-recommended defaults, then checking the affected extension and choosing your preferred app again: Microsoft Q&A: How to turn off the pop out of asking “pick an app”. This is a broader reset, not a targeted repair: it can change other default-app choices. After the reset, set the affected extension’s app again and test the file.
Record what happens before trying advanced changes
If the prompt persists, note your Windows version, the exact extension, the app you selected, and whether the prompt appears only when you open the file or appears on its own. The available Microsoft-hosted community guidance does not establish a single verified cause or a universal registry repair for recurring prompts. Registry edits are not a routine first step based on that guidance.
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Choose a targeted change or a broader reset
| Approach | Scope | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Change the association for the affected extension | Targets that file type | Start here to check or set the specific default. |
| Reset defaults, then reassign the extension | Can change other default-app choices | Consider if the targeted association does not resolve the prompt and you are willing to review other defaults afterward. |
Microsoft Q&A community answers support these troubleshooting steps, but they do not show that either approach resolves every recurring prompt or that all such prompts share the same cause.
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