Some of my docs, pdfs, excel spreadsheets open with a double click in the default application and others will not open unless I select the "open with" default option from the menu bar. How can I get all to open with the double click?
MacBook Air (M5, 2026)
That usually means those files aren't tied to the same app as the ones that open fine. Click one that won't open and press Command-I. Under Open With, pick the app you want (Preview for PDFs, Excel or Numbers for spreadsheets), then click Change All and confirm. Do that once for each file type. If one still only opens from the menu, right-click it and choose Open, then confirm if macOS asks. That clears the warning on files that came from the internet. Also check the name really ends in .pdf or .xlsx, not some other extension.
That usually means those files aren't tied to the same app as the ones that open fine. Click one that won't open and press Command-I. Under Open With, pick the app you want (Preview for PDFs, Excel or Numbers for spreadsheets), then click Change All and confirm. Do that once for each file type. If one still only opens from the menu, right-click it and choose Open, then confirm if macOS asks. That clears the warning on files that came from the internet. Also check the name really ends in .pdf or .xlsx, not some other extension.
Trouble opening some documents with a double-click
