How to Export and Import File Associations in Windows 10

[Jordan]

How to Export and Import File Associations in Windows 10

 

Once you have installed your favorite apps in Windows 10 and associated file types with those favorite apps, you want them to stay that way. However Windows 10 sometimes resets them to Microsoft-recommended defaults. You might find it useful to export your preferences to a file. That way, you can later restore them in a new user account or after a new build of Windows 10 installs. Let's see how it can be done.

Windows 10 allows you to export your current file associations using the built-in DISM tool. It will store them in an XML file, which can be imported later using DISM. You need to do the following.

 

Export File Associations in Windows 10
Here I assume that you have all the required apps installed and already set with their file associations.

Open an elevated command prompt.

 

Type or paste the following command and press Enter:

dism /online /Export-DefaultAppAssociations:"%UserProfile%\Desktop\FileAssociations.xml"

This will export your current file associations to the file FileAssociations.xml and put it in your Desktop folder.

You can correct the file path if required. The command will produce the following output:

 

 

That's it. You just exported your file associations to a file.

 

 

Import File Associations in Windows 10
You can restore your file associations in a new user account that you have just created. Or, if you have re-installed or upgraded Windows 10 to a newer build and your file associations got reset, you can save your time and import the file associations from the earlier saved file. Do it as follows.

 

Open an elevated command prompt.

Type or paste the following command and press Enter:

dism /online /Import-DefaultAppAssociations:"%UserProfile%\Desktop\FileAssociations.xml"

This will restore your current file associations from the file FileAssociations.xml. You need to correct the file path to match the location you store it in. The command will produce the

following output:

 

 

Tip: if you decide to revert the changes made by the imported file associations file, you can run the following command from the elevated command prompt:

Dism.exe /Online /Remove-DefaultAppAssociations

This will remove any custom file associations that you imported and restore the previous configuration set.

 

 

SOURCE