How to Restore Default Programs in Windows 7 Easily?

How to restore default programs in Windows 7? This guide will tell you how to make it step by step.

By @Lena Last Updated October 20, 2022

Why do you need to restore default programs in Windows 7?

When you double-click a particular type of file, like a picture or a music file, it will automatically launch the program associated with that type of file. Usually, on a fresh copy of Windows, it will be a built-in program.

But now you find that there is something wrong when you are trying to open a file. The pictures, music or videos no longer launch the way you expect. Actually, you are not the only one who meets this issue. It happens now and then among Windows 7 users. Below is a question from the Microsoft forum.

“By mistake I had changed default program with other files and now all of my files and programs seem to have been changed to word documents, and they do not open. I cannot even open the internet any more in order to find a solution. How can I go back to my original settings?”

You may in a similar situation like this user so that you come to this guide to find a solution to solve the problem. Well, you have come to the right page. Next, we will show you how to restore default programs in Windows 7 with detailed steps.

How to restore default programs in Windows 7?

Step 1. Click the Start menu > Find Default Programs and click it.

Step 2. Choose Associate a file type or protocol with a program.

Step 3. Select the file type or extension you want to associate with a program > Click Change program...

Step 4. Choose the program you wish to set as the default program and click OK to confirm. If the program you want to choose does not show in the Recommended Programs/Other Programs, you can click Browse... to find it.

 

Now you know how to reset default programs in Windows 7. It’s quite frustrating to meet such a problem, but it’s fortunate that there is a solution to fix it. However, you may also encounter other problems in the future that can make your computer not work properly. And even worse, you may lose some important data like your work documents or family photos.

The problems are unavoidable, but it’s possible to get the computer back to normal quickly if you have made a backup in advance. So is there a reliable way that can help you backup everything easily? Well, one free backup tool named AOMEI Backupper Standard is the way to go. Just keep reading to learn how it can help you backup your Windows 7 computer.

An Easy Solution to Backup Your Computer

AOMEI Backupper Standard is one comprehensive backup & restore tool designed for Windows computer. It offers various backup solutions to keep your data safe, and also helps you get the computer back to normal quickly when problems occur.

1. Easy to Use. The interface is user-friendly, and you can make a backup easily with its timely notification.

2. Various Backup Solutions.

  • System Backup will help you make a copy of all contents in the system drive. It can help you restore your system to the previous normal state quickly if there is any system problem, which can help save the time for application reinstallation and settings reconfiguration.

  • Disk Backup will backup the entire hard disk. It lets you recover everything when you meet all kinds of problems, such as virus and hacker attack, wrong operation, software failure, etc.

  • Partition Backup will backup partition or volume. It allows you to backup one or the selected partitions instead of the whole hard drive.

  • File Backup will backup the selected folders/files that you never want to lose.

3. Backup to Various Destinations. It enables you to save the backup image anywhere you prefer, like the disk hard drive, the external hard drive, a cloud drive or a network share.

4. Schedule Backup. You can create a custom scheduled task for the backup, and then it will automatically backup everyday/weekly/monthly.

Want to give it a try? Just download AOMEI Backupper on your Windows 7 computer, and follow the steps below to make a backup in minutes. And here we will take system backup as an example.

Step 1. Open AOMEI Backupper > Click Backup and then choose System Backup.

Step 2. Partitions released to the system to boot are listed automatically > Name the task > Choose the destination path to save the backup image > Click Schedule to make a backup everyday/weekly/monthly as per your need > Click Start Backup to confirm.

Notes:

1. You can click Options to enable email notification or set compression level for the backup.

2. The Scheme option can help you remove old backup images automatically, which can help free up your storage space. It is available in AOMEI Backupper Professional. If you are interested, you can download the free trial version to explore it by yourself.

Conclusion

It only needs 4 simple steps to restore default programs in Windows 7. However, it will take a long time to fix more complicated Windows problems if you do not have a backup. So do not forget to backup your computer regularly, and AOMEI Backupper can be your best assistant.

Besides data backup, it can also help you clone a hard disk drive to another one with its disk clone feature when you want to get a new HDD/SSD.