In Windows, right-clicking on a file provides the “Open with” option, allowing you to select which application to use for opening the selected file. Occasionally, you may encounter irrelevant options for the file type. While this is not a grave issue, it can be a little irritating.
You might also want to remove any legacy applications which keep showing up even when you uninstall them. To completely eliminate any apps from the Windows “Open with” list, we have provided a few methods below.
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Using Registry Editor
Just as a note of warning, I usually would not tamper with the registry editor unless I am absolutely sure I know what I am doing. It is best you back up your registry before you proceed. To use the registry editor method, follow the steps below.
On your Start menu, type regedit, click on the Registry Editor menu and confirm the UAC prompt that is displayed.
Navigate or copy and paste the following path on the address bar of the registry editor and hit Enter.
Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts
Return to your File Explorer and right-click to select any file. This will help you identify any apps you wish to remove from the Open with option. For example, I will remove “Imaging Devices Control Panel” from a list of apps that open AVI files.
If you’re unsure about the file type, select Choose another app. A new pop-up window will appear, providing a detailed description of the file type.
Expand the FileExts key and navigate to the file extension type from which you want to remove certain apps (AVI in this case.) Then select the OpenWithList folder. This will display all the apps that you can open them with.
Select the program you want to remove. Right-click on it to Delete it. Avoid making any changes to the default subkey. You will also see a warning that asks you to Confirm Value Delete. Select Yes to proceed.
After removing the application from the subkeys in the Registry Editor, it will no longer appear in the list of applications for that particular file extension. You will need to repeat this process for all file types whose list you wish to modify. Also, consider cleaning the Windows registry to avoid the unused applications.
If there is a list of items in the right-panel next to any FileExts key, you can change the order of their appearance by renaming them. For instance, if your entries have names in the order “a, b, c, d” and you want the third item to appear first in your Open with menu, you just have to rename “c” to “a.”
While the Registry Editor is effective at removing irrelevant file types, it does not allow you to remove any obsolete applications. For that, you’ll need to take full ownership of the registry keys. For this, it’s easier to use third-party applications.
Using OpenWithView
Download and run OpenWithView. It does not need to be installed, but it will need to be run with administrator privileges. This freeware by Nirsoft is the easiest way to edit your Windows “open with” list.
It’s particularly useful if you have apps that are crowding the “Open With” list, and you want to trim it down very quickly.
However, I found that this method is not particularly helpful on the latest versions of Windows 11, and Windows Security flagged the program. But it will certainly give good results on older versions of Windows 10 and earlier.
Once you run the program, it will display all the applications that show up when you right-click on them.
To remove a program from the list, right-click on the intended program and select Disable selected items. This will erase the program from the list of “open with” programs.
Also read: check out various solutions for the most common File Explorer issues in Windows.
Remove Registry Items Using CCleaner
The CCleaner method is one of the best ways to remove unnecessary registry items, such as the additional legacy programs showing up on Windows “Open with” list. You can download and install its free version to fix this issue. It’s one of the most commonly used tools to optimize your PC.
Once the application launches, go to Tools -> Registry and select the issues such as Obsolete software. You can also select Applications and Unused File Extensions. After this, click Scan for issues.
The list will populate with all the application-related issues on your device. Look for an option called Open with and select Review selected issues. You will run into a large number of invalid program identifiers, the file extensions which remain long after an application is uninstalled on your device.
CCleaner would ask you to fix the issue, which mainly involves deleting a registry file for the unused extensions. You can either delete the registry using the methods covered earlier or directly from CCleaner. Once done, you will no longer see the legacy applications while trying to open any file type. This method is more effective as you don’t have to review each file type one by one.
We covered all the ways you can remove the unnecessary and irrelevant items from Windows “Open with” list. Of course, another way to do this is to simply uninstall the program you don’t want to see in the list. In fact, some of these applications are so outdated you should uninstall them immediately from your device.
Image Credit: Unsplash. All screenshots by Sayak Boral.
Sayak Boral –
Staff Writer
Sayak Boral is a technology writer with over eleven years of experience working in different industries including semiconductors, IoT, enterprise IT, telecommunications OSS/BSS, and network security. He has been writing for MakeTechEasier on a wide range of technical topics including Windows, Android, Internet, Hardware Guides, Browsers, Software Tools, and Product Reviews.
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