Show your computer who’s the boss

This week I assisted a pal with an difficulty where her Windows Computer system “converted all of her PDFs into Google Chrome data files.”

That’s how she worded the challenge.

PDFs on her Computer that earlier experienced an Adobe Acrobat icon now confirmed Google Chrome icons, and double-clicking on them opened the data files in Chrome.

I have seen this precise issue ahead of, so I was capable to talk her by way of it over the cellphone.

The dilemma was with the default app tastes.

Each pc — Windows or Mac — has an internal record of what default courses to use to open up every file kind.

Let us use PDF information as an instance.

For PDFs, your computer might open up them with Adobe Acrobat or Acrobat Reader, or Apple’s Preview or a browser, like Google Chrome or Firefox.

Like my pal, at times you’ll open up a folder and see bizarre icons on your files.

Normally this comes about immediately after a application update. In this instance, it was most likely immediately after an working program or Google Chrome update.

To take care of it, you are going to will need to reset the default program for PDF documents.

On the Computer, ideal click on any PDF and decide on “Open With” from the popup menu.

At the major of the window, you should see the application that is at present set to open PDFs.

You’ll also see a listing of any other application Home windows can use to open up PDFs, together with all your browsers.

Decide the application you want to use to open PDFs from now on and then appear at the base of the box to see a verify box to “Always use this app to open up .pdf files.” Simply click to set a test in that “always open” box and then click Alright.

In an prompt, you’ll see all the PDF data files adjust more than to display the icon of the application you pick. If you selected Acrobat, all the PDF files will now display with an Adobe Acrobat icon.

Mac users can use the exact strategy. Select a file, appropriate click on and opt for Get Info.

In the Get Data window, click the arrow to expand the Open up With portion and you’ll see a popup menu with all your app selections.

Decide on the one you want and then simply click the “Change All” button under and then near the Get Info box.

This guidance isn’t just for PDFs. You can established the default app for any file sort utilizing these exact same directions.