v 26.2 won't let me set Photoshop as the default app to open image files

[defaulte06e9wqstrs6]

Using Windows 11 Pro, Photoshop v26.2 won't let me click to open any image files. I have to drag and drop. When I right click on a file, click "Open with" and direct it to the photoshop.exe file it still doesn't work. It lets me click "always use" but then PS still won't open and returns to the "Open with" screen, which then only gives me the option to click "Allow once" which doesn't produce any reaction no matter how many times I click.

Rolling back to v 25.12.1 fixed the issue.

[Bojan Živković]

Try right-clicking > Properties > Opens With > Change, then navigate to Photoshop. This method works for me on Windows 11 with Photoshop 26.2.

If you have the Beta version installed, it may default to Beta, as it typically defaults to the last installed version.

[ANTNV]

This is exactly what I did and it doesn't change anything. I can find it in my programs, click on it and confirm and it still shows the older version. Like nothing happened.

[D Fosse]

Your file associations are broken and probably stuck on v25.

Uninstall v25 (as well as any other version you may have installed), then reinstall v26.

The whole problem is that the CC installer uninstalls the old version after the new version is installed. The old version takes file associations with it on the way out, and leaves them orphaned.

The way to avoid the whole problem is to always uninstall the old version first, then install the new. The basic principle is that the last installer activity, whatever it is, will always claim the file associations.

[BrettN]

Photoshop, or any other application for that matter, has no control over File Type Associations. This is fully managed by the OS (Windows, Mac, etc). Since you are on Windows, the behavior you are seeing likely has its roots in the Registry (which is where these settings get stored). This can include new keys not being written correctly (or at all) or old keys not being removed or updated correctly. While the installation process should automatically update the Registry, many different things can interfere with this.

One of the most common is uninstalling an older version after installing the new version. While the install process created the correct keys, the uninstall process then removed them.

Additionally, things like anti-virus can block changes to the registry for any number of reasons, such as false-positives if your definitions are not fully up to date.

In most cases, a simply uninstall and reinstall of the application in question will fix things. 

[D Fosse]

One of the most common is uninstalling an older version after installing the new version. While the install process created the correct keys, the uninstall process then removed them.

By @BrettN

Yes, this is exactly my point. Would it be possible to alter the CC installer a bit, so that it reverses the sequence?

In other words - if "remove old versions" is checked, the installer first looks for old versions and removes them (in reverse version order), and then installs the new version?

Just for background, I first ran into this problem with CS3 - CS4, so that's a long time ago. After some research I discovered that sequence matters, and precisely because this is native Windows behavior that the Adobe installer has no control over. Since then I have always uninstalled before installing, observing version sequence, and never had a problem since.

I usually keep the old version for a while, but if I later decide to remove it, I always start with the newest and go backwards, then reinstall the one I want to keep.

My favorite analogy is a plastic tube with tennis balls, the only opening at the top 😉