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How to change default programs (file associations) to open attachments in Outlook?

Author: Kelly Last Modified: 2024-09-03

Normally when you open an attachment of CSV file in Outlook, it is opening within Microsoft Excel by default. But now you want to open the attachment of CSV file within Notepad, could you figure it out? In this article I will introduce two solutions to change the default programs (or file associations) to open attachments in Outlook.


Change default programs (file associations) to open Outlook attachments by Open with feature

If you can find out the same type of files (the CSV file in my example) in your Computer, please follow below steps to change the default programs or file associations about opening specified type of Outlook attachments.

1. Go to the folder containing the specified type of file, right click this type of file, and select Open with > Choose another app (or Choose default program) from the right-clicking menu. See screenshot:

steps of changing default programs (file associations) to open Outlook attachments by Open with feature

2. In the opening dialog box, please: (1)Click to select the new program you will open this type of attachments with; (2) Check the Always use this app to open .CSV files option (or Always use the selected program to open this kind of file option); (3) Click the OK button.

steps of changing default programs (file associations) to open Outlook attachments by Open with feature

3. Now the selected file is opening with the specified program. Please close it without saving.

From now on, all files of the specified type will be opened with the new program by default, including this type of Outlook attachments.

Quickly export and save all attachments from multiple selected emails in Outlook

Normally we can save attachments from one email with activating the Attachment Tools and applying the Save All Attachments feature in Outlook. But, what if saving attachments from multiple emails, or from the whole mail folder in Outlook? Try Kutools for Outlook's Detach All (Attachments) feature.

save attachments in multiple emails kto9

By the way, Kutools for Outlook also provides a workaround to automatically save or export all attachments from all incoming emails in Outlook.


Change default programs (file associations) to open Outlook attachments in Control Pane

You can also associate the specified file type of Outlook attachments to a program in Control Panel to change the default programs of opening specific kind of Outlook attachments.

1. Please open the Default Programs in Control Panel with opening a folder and pasting below path into the address box:
Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Default Programs

2. Now you get into the Default Programs dialog box, please click the Associate a file type or protocol with a program option. See screenshot:

steps of changing default programs (file associations) to open Outlook attachments by Open in Control Pane

3. In the Set Associations dialog box, please click to select the extension of the specified file type (.csv in my example), and then click the Change program button. See screenshot:

steps of changing default programs (file associations) to open Outlook attachments by Open in Control Pane

4. Now in the popping up dialog box, please click to select the new program you will open the specified type of files with, and click the OK button. And finally close the Set Association dialog box. See screenshot above:

From now on, all files of the specified file will be opened with the new program by default, including this type of Outlook attachments.


Demo: change default programs (file associations) to open Outlook attachments


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