How do I stop the default app for opening images reverting to Preview?

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Level 1

8 points

How do I stop the default app for opening images reverting to Preview?

Since upgrading to OS X Yosemite, I've repeatedly had to reset the default app for opening image files (.jpg, .jpeg, .png, etc) to my favourite image viewer (ToyViewer) from the standard default app (Preview). I know how to do it, of course (select a suitable file in Finder, CMD-I, change 'Open with:' to the app you want to use, then click 'Change All'), and it works — for a while. Later, though, when I sit down to my Mac — even if I haven't logged out, rebooted, or anything like that since setting the default app to ToyViewer — I find the Finder has reverted to opening images with Preview, and I have to do it all over again — for each different kind of image, too.

It's driving me crazy — what must I do to make the selection of the default app stick? (Never had this problem on my beloved Snow Leopard...)

iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014), OS X Yosemite (10.10.5), 1TB Fusion drive, 24GB, AMD Radeon

Posted on Sep 15, 2016 2:50 PM

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Answer 1

Sep 15, 2016 5:35 PM in response to Mike Elston

If you do the Command-I, there should be, under Open with, a highlighted "Change All" . If you are doing this under jpg, this will automatically open ALL jpg's with toy viewer. Unfortunately, if you use multiple file formats, you need to open one of each in the Command-I and change the defaults. I know of no workarounds, but some files you may still want to have default settings with for other apps. At present, I'm running other software, but it should work fine for you. you may email toy viewer, and ask for an update to have this included under their preferences, to contact Apple Support with the suggestion to have a preference pane for viewing photos, as it used to have under the older extensions manager systems.

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Answer 2

Mike Elston Author

Level 1

8 points

Sep 15, 2016 5:50 PM in response to John Travitzky

Yes John, as I said in the original post, I know all that. That's what I've done. For example, I select a .jpg file, click 'Change All', and for a while, my .jpg image files open by default in ToyViewer. Later (sometimes a day or two later, sometimes sooner), the default app for .jpg files has mysteriously reverted to Preview (even the same files that opened previously in ToyViewer). So I do the "Change All" again, and it works again, for a while ToyViewer is the default app for opening .jpg files. Then I find it's reverted again to Preview. And so on.

Sorry if I didn't make that clear the first time..

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Answer 3

Eric Root

Level 10

685,251 points

Sep 16, 2016 10:02 AM in response to Mike Elston

Maybe a long shot, but it shouldn't hurt anything.

User File Ownership - Reset see post by Linc Davis

You may need to rebuild permissions on your user account. To do this,boot to your Recovery partition (holding down the Command and R keys while booting) and open Terminal from the Utilities menu. In Terminal, type: ‘resetpassword’ (without the ’s), hit return, and select the admin user. You are not going to reset your password. Click on the icon for your Macs hard drive at the top. From the drop down below it select the user account which is having issues. At the bottom of the window, you'll see an area labeled Restore Home Directory Permissions and ACLs. Click the reset button there. The process takes a few minutes. When complete, restart.

Repair User Permissions

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