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My Text files (.txt) are not opening. Instead, they are printing as the default command when I double-click on any file.

I realized that the print command is default now and open is not the default command.

How do i change it back?

Oliver Salzburg
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Rishi
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2 Answers2

27

Open up a folder and then go to the menu:

Tools > Folder Options > File Types

Go down to the TXT extension and then click the Advanced button for the Edit File Type dialog:

Edit File Type dialog

If you are missing the open action

To create a new open action, take the following steps:

  1. Click New. A New Action dialog will pop up
  2. For Action, enter open
  3. For Application used to perform action, enter "C:\WINDOWS\system32\NOTEPAD.EXE %1"
  4. Click OK

New Action dialog

(Adjust the program file path as necessary if you prefer opening with another text editor.)

In the Edit File Type dialog:

  • Select open under the Actions list
  • Click Set Default
  • Click OK
  • Close out the Folder Options

This should now set back the default action of double-clicking on a .txt to open instead of printing.

Community
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random
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  • Actually the open command was not there, but i created it with similar settings of print command and set it default and its working now – Rishi Aug 03 '09 at 10:27
  • Edit the answer to contain the filepath and other settings and i will accept it – Rishi Aug 03 '09 at 10:28
2

You cloud try to right-click on it in a Windows explorer and check if the popup menu entry "right click on it" is there.

If it is, you should then be able to select a program, use Notepad and select "always use this".

open with dialog

Otherwise, there are some ways to restore default association in Windows XP

random
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VonC
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  • The problem is that the .txt files are printing by default and not opening up as they used to/should. It isn't about being opened up by a different program. – random Aug 02 '09 at 10:39