18/04/2020 Microsoft plans to improve Default Apps management on Windows 10 - gHacks Tech News

Microsoft plans to improve Default

Apps management on Windows 10
by Martin Brinkmann on April 17, 2020 in Windows - 20 comments

Microsoft released a new Windows 10 Insider Build on Wednesday that brought the build number
to 19608. One of the changes in the build improves the default apps experience according to
Microsoft.

Default apps are the programs that Windows will start when certain files are loaded. An image file
type like jpg could be opened with an image viewer while a document with Office.

Up until now it has been a nightmare to set default applications and make sure that the setting is
not changed. When you open the Default apps options under Settings > Apps > Default Apps, you
get a short list of common application types, e.g. photo viewer, video player, and music player, and
the programs associated with them.

Tip: Stop Resetting my Apps makes sure that Windows 10 won't change default apps
automatically.

A click allows you to change the default program but only to one listed or a Microsoft Store
application. The configuration page offers options to choose default apps by file type or protocol,
e.g. png or http, and to set defaults by app.

When you open the choose default apps by file type, you get a very long list of known file types
and the default program the filetype is associated with. Problem is, the page lacks any options to
find a specific filetype quickly. Want to change the default app for png images or docx documents?
You need to scroll a lot to get there and it is still hit and miss.

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Microsoft added a search option to the page to improve the default application experience. Instead
of having to scroll to find specific filetypes, it is now possible to use the search field to find it and
jump straight to it.

Over the years, we’ve made a number of improvements to Settings based on your
feedback, and we’re happy to share the next one is starting to roll out. We’re adding
the ability to search the lists of file types, protocols, and apps when setting a default.

Only 50% of Insider PCs get the search option at the time of writing. Microsoft notes that it is
evaluating the quality before it rolls out the feature to more systems.

Closing Words
Search functionality is a small change but it improves the experience significantly while using the
page. While that is a step in the right direction, it is clear that the entire default application
experience on Windows 10 needs a usability overhaul as it is too limiting and not user friendly.

Now You: What is your take on default apps on Windows 10?

Summary

Article Name

Microsoft plans to improve Default Apps

management on Windows 10

Description

Microsoft published a new Windows 10

Insider build this week that introduced a
search feature on the default applications
Settings page.

Author

Martin Brinkmann

Publisher

Ghacks Technology News

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ABOUT MARTIN BRINKMANN

Martin Brinkmann is a journalist from Germany who founded Ghacks Technology News Back in
2005. He is passionate about all things tech and knows the Internet and computers like the back
of his hand. You can follow Martin on Facebook or Twitter

View all posts by Martin Brinkmann →

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