“This File Does Not Have an App Associated with It” – Working Fixes

There are some situations where you will find it impossible to access a file or the Setting app on your Windows computer. For example, some users have complained that they would get a blank window whenever they try to open a file or the Settings app.

The blank window always comes up with an error message that reads, “This file does not have an app associated with it.” While you can try restarting your computer to see if it fixes the issue, it is not a sure guarantee to fix it.

If you have this issue with your computer, you can refer to the guide below.

What Causes The “This File Does Not Have an App Associated with It” Error

Any time you encounter the “this file does not have an app associated with it” error message, it could mean a few things. The most common explanation is that no program on your computer can open the file you want to open.

Consider a scenario where you would like to print an image but have no associated program on your computer for printing it. You will then need to find an app or program that can complete the Task you require.

Aside from the above reason, there is another possible reason you could experience the “this file does not have an app associated with it” error.

You can encounter the problem if your file explorer in Windows is trying to open a corrupt file. The corrupt files are capable of stopping Windows from opening directories.

This File Does Not Have an App Associated with It – Working Fixes

Below are some suggestions that can help you fix the “this file does not have an app associated with it” error.

1. Run SFC and DISM scan: The “this file does not have an app associated with it” error primarily indicates that a system file is corrupt. Fortunately, the Windows operating system offers tools to help fix corrupt image files.

One of these tools is the System File Checker tool which scans the entire system for corrupted image files and repairs them. If the SFC fails to repair the corrupted files, you can run a DISM scan.

The DISM (Deployment Image Servicing and Management) is another tool that repairs corrupt image files.

To run the SFC scan:

• STEP 1: Run Command Prompt as administrator.
• STEP 2: Input “sfc /scannow” and press Enter on your keyboard.
• STEP 3: When the scan starts, don’t interrupt it till it finishes.

To run the DISM scan:

• STEP 1: Run Command Prompt as administrator.
• STEP 2: Input “DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth” and press “Enter“
• STEP 3: Wait for the scan to finish.

2. Install the program that can open the file: Often, the “this file does not have an app associated with it” error appears when Windows cannot find apps that can open the file.

To fix this issue, you will need to download and install a program that supports the file type you want to open.

3. Create a New Windows User Account: Creating a new Windows user account can help fix the “this file does not have an app associated with it” error. Here is how to create a new Windows user account:
4. STEP 1: Go to “Start” 
5. STEP 2: Open “Settings” and select “Accounts“
6. STEP 3: Select the “Family & other users” tab from the left window.
7. STEP 4: When the “Family & other users” tab opens up, click “Add someone else to this PC.”
8. STEP 5: Select “I don’t have this person’s sign-in information“
9. STEP 6: Click “Add a user without a Microsoft account“
10. STEP 7: Enter a username and password.
11. Reinstall and register Universal Windows Platform (UWP) apps again: Reinstalling and re-registering UWP apps can help fix the issue. Here is how to do it:
12. STEP 1: Open Comand Prompt and run it as administrator.
13. STEP 2: Input “Powershell” and press Enter on your keyboard.
14. STEP 3: Input “Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register “$($_.InstallLocation)AppXManifest.xml”}” and press Enter on your keyboard.
15. Add User Account to the Administrator Group: Adding a user account to the administrator group is another way to solve this problem.

This is how to do it:

• STEP 1: Press “Win + R” to launch the “Run” command.
• STEP 2: Input “lusrmgr. msc” and click “OK.”
• STEP 3: Click on “Group“
• STEP 4: Double-click the “Administrators” options on the right side.
• STEP 5: Go to the “Properties tab” and click on “Add“
• STEP 6: Go to the “Enter the object names to select” field and input a username.
• STEP 7: Click on “Check Names” and click “OK“
• STEP 8: Click “OK” and “Apply” to save your changes.

6. Scan your PC with your antivirus software: You may have the “this file does not have an app associated with it” issue if your computer has a virus. We suggest you scan your computer with an antivirus or Microsoft Safety Scanner to solve the issue.
7. Update Windows: If your Windows is outdated, your computer will become prone to random bugs and issues. It can also cause your computer to have a “this file does not have an app associated with it” issue.

Simply ensure to update your Windows. Here is how to do that:

• STEP 1: Open “Settings” on your computer.
• STEP 2: Click on the “Update and Security” tab.
• STEP 3: Windows will check if there are available updates. If there are available updates, click the download button to install them.

8. Reset File Association: Windows 10 naturally opens files with their default apps, but sometimes we tend to change the settings. This can lead to the “this file does not have an app associated with it.”

You can simply reset your file association to solve the issue.

• STEP 1: Go to “Settings“
• STEP 2: Go to “Apps” and “Default apps“
• STEP 3: Reset to the Microsoft recommended defaults.

9. Reset Windows: If none of the above guides work, simply reset Windows since it will reset all your computer’s settings back to the default.
10. STEP 1: Open your computer’s “Settings“
11. STEP 2: Select “Update and Security“
12. STEP 3: Click on “Recovery” on the side panel.
13. STEP 4: Select the “Get Started” option under “Reset this PC“
14. STEP 5: Choose the “Keep my files” option and click “Next“
15. STEP 6: Click on “Reset” to restore your Windows to its original settings.

Which Task Cannot Be Performed by Using DISM?

You cannot use the deployment image servicing and management to add service packs to an image. Instead, the deployment image servicing and management is a command line tool you can use to service and prepare Windows images. You can also use the DISM for other imaging operations, such as service images for Windows PE, Windows Recovery Environment, and Windows Setup.

How to Open Explorer in Roblox Studio

The Explorer is a menu in Roblox Studio that displays the list of “Instances” within your game. To open the Explorer:

• STEP 1: Click the “View” tab at the top of your screen in your toolbar.
• STEP 2: Click on “Explorer” to open your Explorer window.

How to Change What Program Opens A File

Here is how to change what program opens a file:

• STEP 1: Right-click on the file in Windows File Explorer.
• STEP 2: Hover over the “Open with” option in the pop-up menu.
• STEP 3: Click the “Choose another app” option.
• STEP 4: A “How do you want to open this file?” selection window will pop up. Windows will display a list of your installed software that can work with that file. If you can’t see all of them, click the “More apps option” at the bottom of the list.

You can also search for software that is capable of opening it in the Microsoft Store in case you don’t have one.

• STEP 5: Select the software you want to use to always open the file. Then, click on the “Always use this app to open” checkbox to ensure that the selected software always opens that file type.
• STEP 6: Click OK to save the program as the default for opening the file type.

Read also: How to Fix “No DP Signal from Your Device” on Dell Monitor

How to Create an Association in Default Apps Settings Page

Below is a guide on creating an association on the default apps settings page.

• STEP 1: Right-click on the Windows “Start” menu and select the “Settings” option.
• STEP 2: Click on “Apps” in the Settings menu and then select “Default apps” from the side panel on the left side of the screen.
• STEP 3: You will see a list of the standard programs you use.
• STEP 4: Scroll to the bottom, and select “Choose defaults” by file type.
• STEP 5: Click on one of the file types in the list.
• STEP 6: Pick one program from the list of options in the pop-up menu. You can also look for an app in the Microsoft Store.
• STEP 7: Select “OK” to save your settings. Windows will open that program anytime you open a file with that extension from File Explorer.

Conclusion

Hopefully, this article has been able to help you fully understand what the “this file does not have an app associated with it” problem is.

If, for any reason, Windows says, “the file you’re trying to open does not have an app associated with it,” try one of the fixes we’ve explained in this article.  

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