Double-clicking on files doesn't open them

Question

Double-clicking on files doesn't open them

Just started today:

If I navigate to a file in the Finder and double-click on it, nothing happens. It doesn't open. If I open the application (e.g., MS Word) and go to the file menu and choose Open, navigate to the file, the file will open. But it happens in all applications, not just Word -- double-clicking on any file won't open the file in its parent application. It's like the link between files and apps has been lost.

I restarted the Finder twice, restarted the whole computer twice, repaired Permissions with Disk Utility -- nothing has helped. Still can't open files by double-clicking on them.

Am I missing something?

Tx,
WK

G5 Tower, Mac OS X (10.5.8), 5 gigs RAM

Posted on Sep 25, 2010 5:49 PM

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Answer 1

Best reply

Kappy

Level 10

361,741 points

Sep 25, 2010 6:06 PM in response to William Kruidenier

First, when this happens just select one of the files then CTRL- or RIGHT-click and select Get Info from the contextual menu. In the section for Open With select the desired default application from the drop down menu then click on the Change All button.

A possible cause for this disconnection is a problem with the LaunchServices database. Try the following to fix it:

Rebuild LaunchServices Database

Open the Terminal application in your Utilities folder. At the prompt paste in the following command in its entirety:

find /System/Library/Frameworks -type f -name "lsregister" -exec {} -kill -seed -r \;

Press RETURN.

Wait for the Terminal prompt to return after which you can quit the Terminal.

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Answer 2

Sep 26, 2010 4:48 AM in response to Kappy

Kappy,

Followed these "Get Info" box instructions for two different files and their apps -- the correct apps were already listed as the Default, but I reselected them and "Changed All" again anyway. Still no change. Double-clicking on these docs in the Finder does not open files or the files creator Application. The only way I can still launch files and the proper App is through Control-click and "Open with" command.

I even deleted the com.apple.finder.plist and restarted, thinking the Finder prefs file might be corrupt, but still no change, so took the original plist file out of the Trash and put it back in the Library>Preferences folder and restarted again. No change.

THEN - a breakthrough. I checked the Keyboard/Mouse Prefs Pane and the double-click speed for the mouse was set completely to the right. I backed it off one "notch", went back to the Finder and double-clicked on a Word file and Voíla! -- the file and Word opened as it should.

Went back to the Mouse Prefs Pane and moved the Double-CLick Speed indicator all the way to the right again ("Fast") and went back to Finder and focused on double-clicking files as fast as I could and they opened fine.

SO -- I'm embarrassed to say that I just wasn't double-clicking fast enough. Not sure how the Speed indicator got moved so far to the right, but I have backed it off a notch to a normal double-click speed that I've used for years, and all seems to be working.

Thanks again for all your help -- I learned some good things about how to connect files and apps which will no doubt come in handy in the future.

Wk

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Answer 3

Sep 25, 2010 6:16 PM in response to Kappy

Thanks for the help, Kappy.

First, using Control-click on a file does allow me to open the file -- it lists Word (whatever) as the default for that file. So that's at least a bit of a shortcut.

Second, I ran the Terminal command -- heard the hard drive spinning for several minutes as if something was "rebuilding" -- then quit Terminal when the action stopped and the prompt returned. But double-clicking on a Word (whatever) file still produces nothing. The file just sits there as before. Should I have done anything else after running Terminal? Like restart the computer?

Thanks for these ideas -- but still have the same problem. Anything else I should try?

Tx,
WK

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Answer 4

Sep 25, 2010 7:55 PM in response to Kappy

Kappy --

An update: after running the Terminal command you gave me, I later restarted the computer and then tried to double-click on an MS Word file. Word started to open and I got the dialog box that you get when opening a program the very first time: "You are opening this application for the first time . . . Do you want to open it . . . " I said "Yes" and Word opened with the file. But then double-clicking on further files -- no more would open. So it worked once. Also, no other files will open their apps.

A glimmer of hope with that one file that opened Word, but after that nothing.

WK

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Answer 5

Kappy

Level 10

361,741 points

Sep 25, 2010 8:20 PM in response to William Kruidenier

You will need to select a Word file, for example, then CTRL- or RIGHT-click and select Get Info. In the Open With section select Word or whatever default application you want from the drop down menu then click on the Change All button.

You will need to do this for one document for each application involved to re-associate them with their default applications.

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