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Folbo Author

Level 1

108 points

Finder ... How do I associate a file type to no app whatsoever? (do not load in Finder!)

I have exported some audio aiff files from Logic ... with the intention of exporting them into FCP. This is not as easy as it sounds ... both apps make assumptions about workflows , start points etc. but I digress.

Anyway ... in the mean time I clicked, by accident, on the aiff file in Finder ... and macOS tried to load Apple Music! Now as an app ... Music is as bad as iTunes but as a philosophy it tries to import anything and everything into its system!

I looked at the filetypes associations, and could not see any app that I want to handle these files ... I never want to load them ... they are a transport mechanism only ... I would rather see an error from Finder than an app ... at the moment, I am using Compressor as the target ...

How do I remove a filetype association association? (editing pLists etc. is fine ... if somebody can point me the correct direction)

Thanks.

(And why does this forum software think that I am discussing Mac 10.4 Tiger? !)

Posted on Apr 27, 2020 9:54 AM

Top-ranking reply

John Galt

Level 10

146,708 points

Posted on Apr 27, 2020 10:35 AM

As I understand your question, you want to double-click a file of a specified type which normally opens its associated application, but instead of that you want that action to do exactly nothing. Is that right?

Open the Script Editor: Script Editor User Guide for Mac - Apple Support

Create an AppleScript like this

Save it as an Application and associate the file type with it. Since the Finder must be active when opening that file, it will leave you in the Finder.

Easiest script I ever wrote. Must be some kind of record.

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Finder ... How do I associate a file type to no app whatsoever? (do not load in Finder!)

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