Set a different default program on your Mac
If you double-click a file on the Mac, the default program will open. This will usually be one of the included programs from Apple itself, but you can arrange this yourself for each type of file. You can also open a JPG file as standard with Pixelmator, Photoshop, or a text document in Word or a text editor of your choice instead of Pages. In macOS you can determine which default program you use to open a certain type of file. In this tip we explain how to set this up. In addition, you can choose (just like in iOS) which apps are used as the default browser and email program.
- Choose another Mac program once
- Select another standard program
- Change default program for everything
- Change default web browser
- Change default email app
Select a different program once
There is a difference between opening a file once with another program or always. We start with a one-time opening. That is how it works:
- Right-click the file (or use Ctrl-click in the Finder).
- Then choose Open with….
- Select the desired program. Is it not there? Then click on Other.
This time your file will be opened with the program you chose. The next time you open this file type, it will be done with the default program again. Do you want it changed forever? Then read on.
Select another standard program
If you have a specific file that you always want to open with a certain program, you can set this yourself. You do this as follows:
- Right-click (or Ctrl-click) the file in the Finder.
- Choose Show info.
- Now the inspector window of this file opens. This contains all metadata, including the option that determines which program this file is used to open by default.
- Scroll to the Open with option and click the arrow to expand.
- Click on a suitable program with which you want to open files of this type in future.
Change default program for everything
In the screen above you can also choose to always open all files of a certain type with the program you have just chosen. To do this, click on the Change all button. Finder asks if you are sure about this. Click Continue to permanently change the default program for these types of files to your own choice.
Change default web browser in macOS
Similarly, you can also change the Mac’s default browser for opening links. You do this as follows:
- Go to  > System Settings > Desktop & Dock.
- Default web browser now shows Safari.
- Click on it and choose a different web browser.
To be able to select another web browser such as Google Chrome, it must of course be installed.
Change default email app
If you prefer not to use Apple’s standard Mail app, you can change this within the app itself. That is how it works:
- In Mail, go to Mail > Settings.
- On the General tab you will find the default email app.
- Change this to another app you have installed.
If the app is not in the list, click Select and browse to find the correct app.
Get more out of the Mac Finder with these tips:
- Here’s how to adjust the column width of a Mac Finder window
- Use Groups in Finder on Mac for more overview
- Quick Actions: Perform quick tasks in the Finder on Mac
View our complete iPhone tips overview. With hundreds of iPhone tips, we discuss almost every setting and option!
