How to Undo or Reset “Always Use This App to Open Files” Option on Windows 11

If you accidentally selected “Always use this app to open files” on Windows 11, you’re not alone. It’s a common situation—especially when opening a new file type for the first time—and suddenly every file starts opening in the wrong app. Unfortunately, Windows doesn’t provide a single “undo” button for this action, which makes it confusing at first.

The good news is that Windows 11 gives you multiple ways to reset or change file associations, and once you know where to look, fixing it is straightforward.

Fix “Always Use This App to Open Files” on Windows 11

The fixes below are ordered from the quickest and most targeted solution to more general reset options. We recommend starting with the first fix and moving down only if needed, as most file association issues are resolved early.

1. Change the Default App for a Specific File Type

If the issue affects only one file type, changing its default app directly is the fastest and cleanest solution. This tells Windows exactly which app should open that file extension going forward.

1. Right-click the file that keeps opening in the wrong app.
2. Select Open with and then click Choose another app.
3. Choose the correct app from the list.
4. Check the box that says Always use this app to open this file type.
5. Click OK to save the change.

From now on, all files with that extension will open using the newly selected app.

2. Reset Default Apps Using Windows Settings

If you don’t have a sample file handy or want to change the association globally, Windows Settings gives you more control over default apps by file type.

1. Open Settings on your Windows 11 PC.
2. Go to Apps and select Default apps.
3. Scroll down and click Choose defaults by file type.
4. Locate the file extension you want to reset (for example, .pdf, .jpg, or .mp4).
5. Click the currently assigned app next to it.
6. Select a new app or choose Select a default if available.

This method is ideal when multiple files are affected by the same wrong app choice.

3. Reset Defaults for a Specific App

If one app has taken over too many file types, you can reset its associations instead of fixing each file extension one by one.

1. Open Settings and go to Apps > Default apps.
2. Scroll through the list and select the app that’s opening files incorrectly.
3. Review the file types and link types associated with that app.
4. Click individual file extensions and change them to the correct app.

This approach works well when an app like a media player or browser has overridden several file formats at once.

4. Reset All Default Apps to Microsoft Recommendations

If file associations are completely messed up or you’ve made multiple accidental selections, resetting everything back to Windows defaults can save time.

1. Open Settings on your PC.
2. Navigate to Apps > Default apps.
3. Scroll down to the bottom of the page.
4. Click Reset under Reset all default apps.
5. Confirm the action when prompted.

This restores file associations to Microsoft’s recommended defaults provided by Microsoft, and you can then set your preferred apps again as needed.

5. Use Open With for One-Time File Opening

If you want to avoid this problem in the future, it helps to use the one-time open option instead of setting a permanent default.

1. Right-click any file.
2. Choose Open with.
3. Select an app without checking the Always use this app option.

This lets you open files temporarily without changing system-wide behavior.

Wrapping Up

Accidentally choosing “Always use this app to open files” on Windows 11 isn’t permanent, even though it may feel that way at first. Whether you change the default for a single file type, reset an app’s associations, or restore Windows defaults entirely, you’re always in control of how files open.

Once you know where Windows stores these settings, fixing file association mistakes takes less than a minute—and avoiding them in the future becomes second nature.