Photoshop 2018 can't be set as default "open with" for any file type

[graham.geary]

I installed CC 2018 yesterday. When I try to set Photoshop as default program to open JPG, PNG, etc., the program is not listed under Recommended Programs. When I choose Other Programs > Browse and navigate to PS 2018, select and hit open, nothing happens -- it's not added to the list of other programs.

If I go to Control Panel > Set Default Programs, NONE of the Adobe CC 2018 programs are available to select as default programs.

Please help!

[howardh26105082]

Thank you for the solution, it was the only thing that worked for me after trying lots of different registry hacks.

[ClaireAnna]

Hey All!

SOLUTION HERE, yayyyy Worked for me!

       milanbelgrade     Oct 17, 2018 3:38 AM  (in response to D Fosse)      

Hi everyone,

In the registry, find the address: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.psd and change the default value to Photoshop.Image.20 (mine was Photoshop.Image.19)

[sharkfoot]

"In the registry, find the address: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.psd and change the default value to Photoshop.Image.20" - This worked for me too!

[isidorekol]

"In the registry, find the address: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.psd and change the default value to Photoshop.Image.20" - This worked for me too!

thats the solution indeed! now if we could find something to associate eps with illustrator that would be great too!

[Ursula_bear]

Your fix helped me thanks!!

[Lenspiration]

This worked for me too

[jeffreyh96105683]

Something to be aware of is that HKEY_CURRENT_USER applies to the current user only. So if you have multiple users on your machine, you may have to apply any HKEY_CURRENT_USER fixes with each user logged on. In my case, I have three accounts on the computer. One account had no problem at all, even with no registry changes. The other two did have the problem.

What is needed is for Adobe to provide a more global fix, that would apply to all accounts on a machine and allow all accounts to choose Adobe Photoshop 2019 as the default for .psd files, without need to modify the registry.

What I would guess is that there are different levels of items in the registry to handle file extensions, maybe to allow system admins to allow one user the ability to associate a given file extension with a given app, but deny another user the ability to do this. Perhaps the one we've been changing (the user-specific one) overrides the global registry entries - maybe it got set somehow in the past and is not being handled correctly now. This is just conjecture, but points out that Adobe probably needs to clean up registry entries related to .psd, or provide clear instructions to the user how to do this. D Fosse, can you work with your contact at Adobe, shall I write this up as a bug?

The one problem I see with writing a bug report is that there seems to be no way to reproduce this with any repeatability. Without a way to do so, the software engineer has to now conjecture with all the evidence presented in this forum and elsewhere, what might be causing the problem. Coupled with the fact that apparently multiple Adobe CC program can claim the .psd extension and perhaps that many registry entries (per machine and per user) can affect file extensions, it is no wonder that this problem has been going on so long.

[D Fosse]

jeffreyh96105683  wrote

The one problem I see with writing a bug report is that there seems to be no way to reproduce this with any repeatability. Without a way to do so, the software engineer has to now conjecture with all the evidence presented in this forum and elsewhere, what might be causing the problem.

Yes, that is a good and relevant observation. It's hard to fix something when you can't get it to break first.

I don't have any more contacts than the back channel forums we have access to as ACPs. But there are staff representatives there who can pass on matters like this. What I will do is ask that the engineers keep following these threads (that I already passed links to).

I'd still encourage as many as possible to keep posting to the feedback site with any relevant information. That is the official channel, and it is actively monitored by Adobe engineers.

[therealgingernob]

for those of us that are completely new to photoshop, a link to this 'feedback' site would be appreciated

David

[D Fosse]

Yes, of course:

https://feedback.photoshop.com/photoshop_family

[RobCK08]

Since updating my Photoshop Apps my .jpg files and others will not go the Photoshop 2019 from Bridge 2019 they open on Windows Photo and this default cannot be changed! This is unacceptable!

[RogerBlack]

Why cannot Adobe talk to Microsoft and work this out?

All the suggestions above, can link an Adobe app to Windows 10 only temporary. As soon as the OS or the app updates, you have to start over.

Does the company ever actually read these threads?

[margaretw65488533]

This didn't put my icons back.  Still just white.

[chunkysteveo]

This issue isn't about white icons margaretw65488533​ - this is to do with the PSD icon on the file not opening Photoshop by default. You should raise that as a new/different issue.

[therealgingernob]

chunkyseveo:

this IS about the icons being white. that is merely a symptom of the failure to associate the psd file with an app. the blank white icon IS representing it has no association and should NOT be registered as another issue..

[chunkysteveo]

Fair enough, NICE use of caps!

[Donovan_B]

Hi Margaret, this means your 'DefaultIcon' entry is not set up correctly.

I could explain how to find this in the registry, but if your extensions are opening correctly, you may just want to wait for an upgrade... which *may* fix it without all these (programmer-like) registry hacks.

After dealing with this for awhile now, I can't put all the blame on Adobe. Seems many applications have problems with this (cobweb) Windows registry. Adobe is a bit unique in difficulty though.. because they have so many apps that work together.

All said though, I think they could do better than they are on this topic.

Donovan

[D Fosse]

I've also suspected that there may be a Windows bug or problem at the bottom of this. But what concerns me, is that the workaround is so simple. It's so easy to avoid this: just uninstall the previous version(s) prior to installing the new. Keep it all in version sequence - the latest goes in last, and goes out first. That avoids the whole issue.

The CC app's install manager could do that. When the "remove old versions" box is checked, the old ones first go out, in chronological sequence. Then the new one is installed.

[Donovan_B]

Hi D Fosse, I think you are mostly right... what I mean is that your idea *should* solve many cases... it does for me. I always start by uninstalling and installing the adobe products.  But, it does not always work or it does not always get everything right. I think that is because the registry system is a hierarchy.

For example (and I don't know this specifically to be the case), let's say Adobe XD has a greater hierarchy than Photoshop.. which it may. Uninstalling and Installing Photoshop may not take precedence...  because of a registry entry with a higher priority in the hierarchy. ie. You may have to also uninstall XD first. I had to do that in one case. Some people on this forum are specifically forcing hierarchy.. which is one way to solve this issue. 🙂

As I noted.. the Windows Registry seems to be a cobweb of entries which makes not every problem case the same for everyone.

I am no guru... just an IT guy dealing with this issue, but that is what I have noticed.

The two best things I can point to are to notice the 'Type' in properties.. and then search the registry using its 'find' feature accordingly.

Donovan

[Briosh]

This worked for me as well. Maybe mark as answer!

[kapillleksam]

Worked for me!
I have Photoshop 2019.

Initially, all my PSD files didn't even have the PSD icon. So I jumped back to a restore point and then it fixed the Icon issue. Even though the PSD Icon was displayed as a PSD file. It always prompted when I tried to open it, from which software that I should open it. This Regedit fixed my issue.

Thanks!
Good Luck for everyone else!

[warbar]

Thanks for the regedit solution!  Was driving me nuts!!  Tried deleting that foolish Photo Viewer program - no dice.

[Maestros]

I can confirm as well that the registry hack worked, but seriously, we shouldn't have to modify our registry to get CC 2019 to open our files by default. 

[Racidio3]

I have this problem too and *nothing* has helped. Can't right-click and set in Properties, can't set file association in Control Panel / Default Applications, and none of the registry hacks has made any difference. JPGs and PNGs still open with Paint, no matter what I do. I even hacked out Paint 3D hoping that would help (via powershell) and nope, no difference.

Please, Adobe. Fix this.

[D Fosse]

What has always surprised me is how little attention this has got. It's been a problem for many, many years and version cycles, and it affects a lot of users.

Some days ago I posted it on the feedback site, which is more closely monitored by Adobe staff, but no comments.

Again, the way to avoid it is to uninstall the old versions before installing the new.