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Change the default program to open a document?

Howdy,

Is there anyway to change the default program to open a .doc file?

Mac mini, Mac OS X (10.5.8)

Posted on May 8, 2011 7:51 PM

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5 replies

Nov 13, 2012 9:39 AM in response to Bent Hjort

Can't really say why it doesn't work for you. This is how it is supposed to work and it has been this way for a long time. I can't tell from your post exactly what the problem is you are having. Is it one of these:


  1. The app you are choosing is grayed out and unable to be selected. This indicates the application can't open that type of file. An example would be trying to open a text document with the OS X Calendar app. Can't be done.
  2. Or is the problem that you are able to select an application but it keeps reverting back?
  3. Or is it that you selected an application, Get Info shows it as the one to use, but it still opens in a different application?


I don't know if it was lack of precision in your wording but isn't OpenOffice a suite of applications? I don't have OpenOffice so I may be incorrect here but did you mean you cannot set it to open in OpenOffice's Calc application? Or is "OpenOffice" a central point from which OpenOffice compatible documents are opened?

Nov 14, 2012 5:33 PM in response to Bent Hjort

I can't seem to find a post with a solution to this problem. I guess I'm not figuring out the correct search term(s) to use.


Could be launch services is corrupt and needs to be rebuilt. The usual symptom is double entries in the right context "open with" menu, not the inability to change the default application, but it might be it. Open the Terminal application and copy/paste one of the following commands into it and hit return. I think the first one is the one you want; the second may be for Lion/Mtn Lion.


/System/Library/Frameworks/CoreServices.framework/Frameworks/LaunchServices.fram ework/Support/lsregister -kill -r -domain local -domain system -domain user


/System/Library/Frameworks/CoreServices.framework/Versions/A/Frameworks/LaunchSe rvices.framework/Versions/A/Support/lsregister -kill -r -domain local -domain system -domain user


You might also try repairing permissions in Disk Utility


Change the default program to open a document?

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