May 16, 2012 If you’re new to Mac or have just recently discovered that your Mac runs smoother if you use third-party apps as opposed to the default ones, you might be exploring how to set an app as the default one for its relevant file types. Unfortunately, this isn’t very easy to do.
In Mac OSX lion, I'm trying to set default application for specific file types.Using the below apple script, we can set the default application for the specific 'file.abc'. Tell application 'System Events'set default application of file '/Users/test/Desktop/file.abc' to '/Applications/TextEdit.app'end tellBut I want to set the same application as default for all the files having the filetype or extension as 'abc'.I have tried the following to get it done. It added an entry in /Library/Preferences/com.apple.LaunchServices.plist. But the files are not opened with the specified application. Defaults write com.apple.LaunchServices LSHandlers -array-add 'LSHandlerContentTagabcLSHandlerContentTagClasspublic.abcLSHandlerRoleAllcom.apple.textedit'Hope somebody knows what i m missing to achieve it.Answer Found: defaults write com.apple.LaunchServices LSHandlers -array-add 'LSHandlerContentTaguguruguLSHandlerContentTagClasspublic.filename-extensionLSHandlerRoleAllorg.videolan.vlc'/System/Library/Frameworks/CoreServices.framework/Versions/A/Frameworks/LaunchServices.framework/Versions/A/Support/lsregister -kill -r -domain local -domain system -domain user.
Any time a user installs a new application on a Mac, it becomes the default Mac app for that file type. For example, PDF files open by default in the Mac Preview app. However, if a user downloads and installs Adobe’s Acrobat Reader or Adobe Acrobat DC, the default file type will change so that all PDF files will open with Adobe Acrobat. We’ll show users how to take control of what apps open when they double-click a certain file type. Changing the Default Mac app is a simple procedure that will save users some time and avoid annoyances. Why Change Default Mac App for a File TypeWhy would you want to change a default Mac app for a file type? Let’s say you want to open a video file using VLC Media player instead of Apple’s QuickTime Player.
Maybe you want all JPG picture files to open in a photo editor instead of OS X Preview.These and other file types open in a default program set by the operating system. The installation procedure of some apps will change the default. They’re not supposed to change the default Mac app for a file type without the user’s agreement.
However, you may not see the dialog box that asks for permission. Likewise, the programmer may not ask for the permission in a way that makes it clear that the program’s changing your default app. Follow the steps below to fix this or change it.How to Change Default Mac App for Any File TypeFind a file of the type you want to change the default mac app for by opening Finder. Some file types won’t show you the extension that identifies the type of file. The extension is the ending of the file. For example a picture file type known as JPEG has a file ending of JPG. So a file might carry the name photo0003.jpg.
Notice the three letters after the period are JPG.