It happens to have more than one program on the PC to manage audio and video files and promptly Windows decides (after an update or factory reset) to use only Windows Media Player or the Video and Photos app without respecting the choices of the user, who may want to use VLC or any other free or paid program as the default media player. If we find ourselves in such a situation, we must not despair and accept what the operating system requires us: in a few simple clicks we can set the default player for all types of multimedia files (music and videos) that we use on PC, just follow the instructions we have collected in this guide for all operating systems still supported by Microsoft: Windows 7, Windows 8.1 and Windows 10.
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Set default player for media files on Windows 7
If we use Windows 7 as the operating system on our PC and we do not intend to update it (since for many it is still the best operating system in many scenarios) we can change the default player with which to open the multimedia files by opening the Start menu and typing Default programs .
In the window that appears, click on Set default programs ; here will appear the list of programs that can be configured for a specific type of file, including multimedia files.
We just have to select the program we intend to use instead of the default one imposed by Windows (for example by clicking on VLC) and then selecting Choose the default values for this program .
A new window will open where all the types of files supported by VLC will be listed and which can be associated with it (obviously the list will change according to the program we have selected).
To associate VLC with all video and audio files, simply click on Select all then click on Save at the bottom; alternatively we can individually select the types of multimedia files to be opened with the chosen program, so as to personalize the user experience to the maximum.
Set default player for media files on Windows 8.1
If we have Windows 8.1 as operating system we can change the default player for multimedia files by opening the Start screen and typing Presets, so we can open the search bar, where we will have to click on the item Default programs .
It will open a window very similar to the one visible on Windows 7, just click on Set default programs so as to view the entire list of programs that you can configure as default for some types of files.
Just like on Windows 7 we select the program we intend to use and choose the item Choose default values for this program .
In the window, simply indicate which files to open with the program, or use the Select all button to set that program for all multimedia files.
Alternatively on Windows 8.1 we can open the right sidebar (the one on the desktop or in any window by moving the mouse to the right edge) then click on Settings and then on the item below Change PC settings .
The new control panel will open; here we will have to click on Search and apps and go to the Default Settings menu.
In the left side screen we will have several items to configure; to set the default player for audio files we will have to click on Music Player, while to change the default player for video files we will have to click on Video Player .
Set default player for media files on Windows 10
On Windows 10 it is much easier to set the default reader, since the methods described so far have been improved and optimized also for the latest version of the operating system.
We open the Start menu and type Settings to open the new Windows 10 control panel.
From this window we click on Apps, then on Default Apps ; now we can set the default media player using the Music player and Video player items exactly as seen on Windows 8.1.
From the same window we can open the menu to set the reader according to the type of file, protocol or according to the program in use, so as to customize the user experience; the menus where to make these types of changes are present on the same page, just scroll a little to find them.
The menus to click on are:
- Choose predefined apps by file type
- Choose predefined apps by protocol
- Configure custom settings based on the app
Set default player for media files manually
Whatever the operating system used, we can apply another method to quickly set the default player for a specific type of file (for example MKV or MP3).
All we have to do is right-click on the file to be configured, then open the Properties menu and click on the Change item on the General tab (always the first to open when you call up this menu).
A small overlay window will open where we will see the list of compatible apps and that we can use to associate that specific type of file.
By making your choice and clicking on OK, all files with the same extension will be opened, from now on, with the reader set.
If we don't find the desired application in the list, click on Other apps ; if not even so the program appears, click below on Search another app on this PC to open the file manager and manually select the software to be used in the folders where the programs are present ( C: / Programs and C: / Programs (x86 ) ).
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