How to Remove Programs from the Open With Context Menu on Windows 11

When you right-click a file and select Open with, Windows 11 shows you a list of apps you can use to open that file type. Over time, this list can get cluttered with unwanted or duplicate programs — especially if you’ve installed and uninstalled multiple apps. Unfortunately, Windows doesn’t include an obvious option to remove those unused entries.

The good news? You can clean it up manually. In this guide, we’ll show you how to remove programs from the “Open with” context menu in Windows 11 using several safe and effective methods — including Registry Editor, Default Apps settings, and third-party tools.

Why Clean Up the “Open With” Menu?

The Open with menu helps you choose how to open different file types. But over time, it can:

• Become cluttered with programs you no longer use.
• Show duplicate entries of the same app.
• Include broken shortcuts from uninstalled software.
• Slow down the right-click context menu.

Removing unnecessary entries keeps your menu neat and improves your workflow.

Step 1: Remove “Open With” Entries via Default Apps Settings

Before diving into the Registry, try removing unwanted associations through Windows Settings.

1. Press Windows + I to open Settings.
2. Navigate to Apps → Default apps.
3. Scroll down and select the app you want to remove associations from.
4. You’ll see a list of file types that the app can open.
5. Click on each file type and change it to a different app (for example, Notepad, Photos, or another suitable program).

This doesn’t completely remove the app from the “Open with” list, but it resets its default association and may clean up redundant entries.

Step 2: Remove Programs from “Open With” Menu Using Registry Editor

If an app still appears in the Open with menu after uninstalling it, you can delete its reference from the Windows Registry.

Warning: Editing the Registry incorrectly can cause system instability. Always back up your registry before making changes.

1. Press Windows + R, type: regedit and press Enter.
2. Navigate to this key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts
3. Expand the key and locate the file extension where the unwanted app appears (for example, .txt, .jpg, or .mp4).
4. Inside that extension, open the OpenWithList or OpenWithProgids subkey.
5. You’ll see entries like AppName.exe or ProgramID.
6. Right-click the unwanted entry and select Delete.
7. Close Registry Editor and restart your PC.

When you right-click a file of that type again, the deleted program should no longer appear in the “Open with” menu.

Step 3: Remove Entries from “Open With” via File Type Associations

You can also clear specific file-type associations if they’re causing duplicate entries.

1. Open Settings → Apps → Default apps.
2. Scroll down and click Choose defaults by file type.
3. Find the file extension (e.g., .pdf, .png, .docx).
4. Change the associated program to the default one you prefer.

If a wrong app is listed multiple times, this method helps reset the default and prevent confusion.

Step 4: Remove Broken “Open With” Entries for All Users

If you want to clean up the “Open with” list for all user accounts, use the system-wide registry path:

1. Open Registry Editor again.
2. Go to: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\<file extension>\OpenWithList or HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\<file extension>\OpenWithProgids
3. Delete unwanted program names listed under these keys.
4. Restart your computer.

Tip: If you’re unsure which app belongs to which entry, right-click and export the key as a backup before deleting it.

Step 5: Clean Up “Open With” Menu Using Command Prompt

If you prefer using Command Prompt, you can use assoc and ftype commands to reset file-type associations.

1. Press Windows + S, type cmd, and select Run as administrator.
2. To view current associations, type: assoc .ext (Replace .ext with your file extension, e.g., .jpg)
3. To remove or reset the association, use: assoc .ext= This clears the app linked to that extension.

Then restart your PC to refresh the context menu.

Step 6: Use a Third-Party Utility (Optional)

If you’re not comfortable editing the Registry manually, third-party tools can make this easier.

Recommended Tools:

• OpenWithView (by NirSoft)
• CCleaner (with Context Menu Manager)
• ShellExView

For example, with OpenWithView:

1. Download and run the portable version (no installation needed).
2. The tool will list all apps that appear in the “Open with” dialog.
3. Right-click any entry and select Disable Selected Items or Delete Selected Items.
4. Restart Windows Explorer to apply changes.

Step 7: Rebuild the Icon and File Association Cache (If Changes Don’t Show)

Sometimes, Windows caches file associations, and deleted entries continue to appear. You can rebuild the cache manually.

1. Open Command Prompt (Admin).
2. Type the following commands one by one and press Enter: ie4uinit.exe -ClearIconCache taskkill /IM explorer.exe /F DEL /A /Q "%localappdata%\IconCache.db" start explorer.exe

This clears the icon cache and refreshes the File Explorer interface.

Step 8: Restart File Explorer

If you’ve removed entries but don’t see changes immediately, restart File Explorer.

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
2. Find Windows Explorer in the list.
3. Right-click it and choose Restart.

Now, when you right-click a file and choose Open with, the removed programs should no longer appear.

Wrapping Up

The “Open with” context menu in Windows 11 can easily get cluttered with old or duplicate apps, especially after uninstalling software. You can tidy it up by:

• Deleting unwanted entries in Registry Editor (OpenWithList / OpenWithProgids).
• Using Default Apps settings to reset associations.
• Leveraging tools like OpenWithView for a safer, GUI-based cleanup.

Once done, your “Open with” menu will be cleaner, faster, and show only the apps you actually use — no more outdated or broken entries cluttering the list.