How to Add a Program to «Open With»-Menu in Windows 10

If I right-click on a file in the explorer windows, I get an menu including the «Open with»-option. Some standard programs are listed there. If i click «Choose another app», I will find the one I need. However, the Open With menu doesn’t remember it for the future — I always have to go to «Choose another app».

How can I add it to the Open With menu, so i don’t have to click «Choose another app»?

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When you are in that ‘Open With’ menu, at the bottom, is there an ‘Always use this app to open xxx’ option that you can tick?

If so, tick that, it should set that file association and also add that app to the default list for opening that type of file . .

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My name is Andre Da Costa; an Independent Consultant, Windows Insider MVP and Windows & Devices for IT MVP. I’m here to help you with your problem.

Here is an example of how to make permanent. For this example, I am using a WordPad RTF file. Your can point to the desired file you are using then follow the same steps.

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Thank you for your answer!

I’m afraid I didn’t ask my question exactly enough. I don’t want to change the associated app permanently, I just wan’t to get another option in the «Open with»-menu!

Example: I want to open my .avi files with vlc video player, so this is my standard app for this file extension. But sometimes (!), I like to do other things with .avi-files, like cutting them with an cutting app. I would like to have this app in the

«Open with» menu without having to go through the «Choose another app» list. Opening it once with this app doesn’t do the job.

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Thank you for your answer!

I’m afraid I didn’t ask my question exactly enough. I don’t want to change the associated app permanently, I just wan’t to get another option in the «Open with»-menu!

Example: I want to open my .avi files with vlc video player, so this is my standard app for this file extension. But sometimes (!), I like to do other things with .avi-files, like cutting them with an cutting app. I would like to have this app in the

«Open with» menu without having to go through the «Choose another app» list. Opening it once with this app doesn’t do the job.

3 people found this reply helpful

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FIX: Open with menu option is missing in Windows 10

• Users report that the Open with option is missing from the context menu without any warning or obvious reason.
• We will explore in this article what steps you can do in order to solve this issue, so keep reading.
• Bookmark our Windows 10 Hub for more helpful guides and news.
• Check out our dedicated Fix section for more related information.

If you want to open a certain file with a different program, usually you’ll right-click that file and choose the Open with from the menu.

Many users use the Open with menu on their PC, but sometimes this menu can become missing.

Users reported the following problems:

• Windows 10 Open with not working – This is a strange problem, but you should be able to fix it by keeping your Windows up to date.
• Open with disabled windows 10 –If you’re having this problem, you might have to tweak your registry in order to fix it.
• Windows 10 Open with greyed out – This can be a big problem, but you should be able to fix that by creating a new user account.
• Open with missing from the context menu, right-click – If you’re having this problem, be sure to try some of our solutions.

How can I fix the Open with menu missing in Windows 10?

1. Check your antivirus

An antivirus is a crucial component of every PC because it provides you with protection from online threats.

However, sometimes your antivirus can interfere with Windows and that can cause the Open with menu to become missing.

If you’re having this problem, we advise you to temporarily disable your antivirus and check if that solves the issue.

Now, if that doesn’t help, you might have to uninstall your antivirus. If removing your antivirus solves the problem, you’ll need to switch to a different antivirus solution.

There are many great antivirus tools available on the market, but currently, the best antivirus applications is Bitdefender.

There are many great selling points to why you should use it, and some of them are its excellent protection against viruses and the use of minimal PC resources, although constantly running in the background.

Bitdefender has made a name for itself due to it’s enhanced security and deep scan options that stop any threats even before becoming an issue.

M1chaelTran / WebStorm.cmd

@ echo off

:: change the path below to match your installed version

SET WebStormPath = C:\Program Files\JetBrains\WebStorm 2017.2.2\bin\webstorm64.exe

echo Adding file entries

@ reg add » HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\WebStorm » /t REG_SZ /v » » /d » Open with WebStorm » /f

@ reg add » HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\WebStorm » /t REG_EXPAND_SZ /v » Icon » /d » %WebStormPath% ,0 » /f

@ reg add » HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\WebStorm\command » /t REG_SZ /v » » /d » %WebStormPath% \ » %% 1\ » » /f

echo Adding within a folder entries

@ reg add » HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Background\shell\WebStorm » /t REG_SZ /v » » /d » Open with WebStorm » /f

@ reg add » HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Background\shell\WebStorm » /t REG_EXPAND_SZ /v » Icon » /d » %WebStormPath% ,0 » /f

@ reg add » HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Background\shell\WebStorm\command » /t REG_SZ /v » » /d » %WebStormPath% \ » %% V\ » » /f

echo Adding folder entries

@ reg add » HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\WebStorm » /t REG_SZ /v » » /d » Open with WebStorm » /f

@ reg add » HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\WebStorm » /t REG_EXPAND_SZ /v » Icon » /d » %WebStormPath% ,0 » /f

@ reg add » HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\WebStorm\command » /t REG_SZ /v » » /d » %WebStormPath% \ » %% 1\ » » /f

pause

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m4heshd commented Apr 3, 2018

Thank you for this.

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marioteik commented Apr 19, 2018

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KulaGGin commented Sep 21, 2018

Made for PhpStorm one too:

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AndrewBogdanovTSS commented Nov 6, 2018

Can this script be modified to not rely on specific path to WebStorm so I won’t need to redo this every time I install some new version of Webstorm?

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pascalhuszar commented Nov 23, 2018

Worked for me, successful added to context menu. Only problem: If im useing the Open with.. function, Webstorm then displays an error. ‘Cannot find file. ‘

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mantasaudickas commented Dec 3, 2018

Can this script be modified to not rely on specific path to WebStorm so I won’t need to redo this every time I install some new version of Webstorm?

You can enable an option in Toolbox to generate Shell scripts. You just specify a folder where to generate these scripts.
Here is my solution:

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adir1661 commented May 16, 2019

Worked for me, successful added to context menu. Only problem: If im useing the Open with.. function, Webstorm then displays an error. ‘Cannot find file. ‘

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fend25 commented Sep 24, 2019 •

Thank you.
And there is how to remove these reg entries:

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daom89 commented Apr 19, 2020

Can this script be modified to not rely on specific path to WebStorm so I won’t need to redo this every time I install some new version of Webstorm?

You can enable an option in Toolbox to generate Shell scripts. You just specify a folder where to generate these scripts.
Here is my solution:

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jcwillox commented Apr 27, 2020

Here’s a slightly modified version where you can enter the app name, this will work for any IDE just edit LaunchPath , IconPath and AppName to reflect the IDE you’re adding 👍 .

Also if you’re running toolbox and have nircmd installed then you can use LaunchPath=nircmd execmd pycharm.cmd to stop the command prompt window popping up briefly.

For clarity, this script adds an » Edit with MyIDE » option for files (this will work with the new edit mode for files) and an » Open with MyIDE » option for folders.

Add “Open with Notepad++” to the Right-click Menu in Windows

Many users have replaced Notepad with Notepad++ as the default text editor on their computers. Those who haven’t completely replaced Notepad but use Notepad++ only when needed, usually launch it via the Open with menu and choose Notepad++ from the list of options.

This post tells you how to add the Open with Notepad++ command to the right-click menu for text files in Windows. This tip is especially helpful for those who use Notepad++ portable edition.

Add “Open with Notepad++” to the right-click menu

1. Download open-with-notepad-plus-menu.zip to a folder, and unzip it.
2. Run the appropriate .reg file (Windows 32-bit vs 64-bit) by double-clicking on it.
3. Click Yes when asked for confirmation.This adds the Open with Notepad++ context menu option for all file types.

Path to Notepad++.exe

Note that the .reg file above assumes the following default paths for Notepad++.

If you have Notepad++ located in another directory, you need to edit the .reg file and update the correct path to notepad++.exe. Alternately, you can apply the original .reg file and then edit the registry to update the path for notepad++.exe. The registry edit method is provided below.

Using the Registry Editor (Option 2)

To manually add the Notepad++ to the right-click menu using the Registry Editor, follow these steps:

1. Start the Registry Editor ( regedit.exe ).
2. Go to the following key:
3. Create a subkey underneath, and name it as Open with Notepad++

Of course, you’ll need to type the actual path to notepad++.exe on your computer.

Tip: You can use any other valid icon index inside you’d like. To view the list of icons in a .exe file and know the icon index # of your preferred icon, see section Icons From DLL/EXE Files in the article How to Change the Default Icon for a File Type in Windows?

Related Issue: Notepad++ missing in Open with dialog

After installing Notepad++ 64-bit version, the program’s icon may not show up in the “Open with” context menu or Open with dialog.

When you right-click on any file and go to Open With → Choose default program

In the resulting dialog with suggested applications, Notepad++ may not be listed. Even though you browse for Notepad++, locate, and select notepad++.exe, the dialog still may not show Notepad++ and you can’t open a file with Notepad++.

To fix the issue, you have two options:

1. Re-register Notepad++ with Open With dialog using the OpenWithAdd utility. (or)
2. Start the Registry Editor ( regedit.exe ), go to the following key and fix the path to notepad++.exe manually:

Hope you find the Open with Notepad++ context menu useful and a little bit easier to access than using the Open with menu.

How to remove items from “Open with …” menu?

In Windows, when I would like to open file without using the default program, I right-lick on the file and choose «Open with». A few of the listed programs in the «Open with» window do not even exist on my system. I would like to get rid of some of the programs on that list.

2 Answers 2

What version of Windows are you running?

If you are using Windows XP or Vista, you can use this small application to edit your Open With Menu.

I figure it should also work with Windows 7 but I haven’t tried it myself.

OpenWithView, a freeware program, works on most Windows systems. See here for a quick overview.

On Windows XP you can edit the list using Registry Editor. It is best to do this only if you are familiar with editing the registry, and you should consider backing up the registry before you begin.

1. Go to Start → Run (or press Win + R )
   • Type in regedit
   • Press Enter key or click OK
2. In the left pane of Registry Editor:
   • Navigate to HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts
   • Expand the FileExts key. This should display one key for each extension which might have an «Open With» menu.
   • Expand the key corresponding to the extension you wish to edit. This should display the selected extension’s OpenWithList subkey.
   • Select the OpenWithList subkey. The right pane of the registry editor should now display the selected extension’s «Open With» menu entries.
3. In the right pane of the registry editor:
   • Right-click and select «Delete» on any entry you would like to remove.

I would go with the software as it covers more systems.