Photoshop 20 can't be set as Default app to open JPG or PNG

[Racidio3]

I see this problem has existed before, but the thread with the most recent post was for version 18. This issue is affecting me in version 20.

I cannot set Photoshop as the default application for JPG or PNG. RIght-click > Properties does not work (it's stuck on "unknown application" for both JPG and PNG, and when I double-click to open them, they open in Paint). Control Panel > Set Default Application does not work. There are various registry hacks out there, but they don't work either. Nothing has worked. I have uninstalled Photoshop and reinstalled, I have uninstalled *ALL* Adobe apps and reinstalled. Nothing. JPGs and PNGs still open with Paint and the only way I can get them to open with Photoshop is right click -> Open with, and even then I have to dig down quite a ways to even see Photoshop as an option.

Please Adobe. Help.

[Noel Carboni]

This is a user to user forum, so your request for Adobe to help may not fall on any ears...

Can you please state which version of Windows you're running (if Windows 10, make sure to include the version and build number from the WinVer application)?  I believe Photoshop CC 2019 will only install on Win 7 or 10, but the answers you need will probably be pretty different depending on which it is.

-Noel

[Racidio3]

Hi! It's W10 Pro, version 1803, Build 17134.345. Fresh install last Thursday. I'm actually running Photoshop 20.0.0, not 19. I actually tried installing the previous version to see if that would help, but it made no difference.

I'm actually more optimistic about getting help from fellow users than Adobe. They already have my money, why would they care? </salt>. Anyway, I'll keep my eyes on this thread of course, maybe I'll luck out. Thx!

[Noel Carboni]

Photoshop 20.0.0 is also known as Photoshop CC 2019.  Yes, it's confusing as possible.  Apparently Adobe is going to keep it this way as it's been discussed many times before.  I'll try to remember to describe the new version as Photoshop CC 2019 (version 20.0) from now on.

With Windows 10 there's a way to offer to the operating system that an application can open a file.  Once that's done, the OS will prompt you to determine whether you'd like such an association to be actually made...  Ideally, when you've made that choice and all the dust settles, you should be able to double-click a .jpg or .png file and have it open into Photoshop CC 2019 (version 20.0).

Let's see if we can help make that happen on your particular system.

In Windows 10 there's a "Default Programs" feature.  I believe you can get to it by using the Start Menu and typing Default Programs.  It's also in the Settings App in the Apps > Default Apps location.

Once you have it open, you should see something like this, which is IMO oversimplified, but that's today's Microsoft for you.  Dumbed down beyond recognition is the byword.

What do you see on your system listed for the Photo viewer application?  If you click the Button what do you see?  I'm guessing Adobe Photoshop CC does not appear in that list.

-Noel

[Noel Carboni]

Thinking ahead to the next step, if you scroll the above Default apps window down, you should see a Choose default apps by file type link right below a [ Reset ] button.  When you click that, you should (after a few moments) see a screen like this, with the file types down along the left side.

Ideally, setting the file association for a .jpg file to open in Adobe Photoshop CC 2019 should be a matter of scrolling down and finding .jpg in the left list, then clicking the button to the right of it and selecting Adobe Photoshop CC 2019.

What's next to .jpg and .png on your system?

Is Adobe Photoshop CC 2019 shown in the list if you click the button?  I'm guessing not, but it's always good to check the sanctioned methods for configuration first.

-Noel

[Racidio3]

Yup, you are pretty much spot-on in all your assumptions.. in the first case, Paint is the default Photo Viewer, and Photoshop is not an option:

If I try to associate by Filetype, Paint is set as the default:

.. I can *attempt* to change it to Photoshop, which does appear as an option when I click it, but I end up with this:

... and after doing this, when I double-click a JPG, it still opens in Paint.

** New development.. when I right click -> Open With on a JPG or PNG, and choose Photoshop, PS opens to the "Pick up where you left off" list instead of actually opening the image. If I drag & drop a JPG or PNG onto the PS shortcut on my desktop, it opens normally.

Thank you for the help!

[Noel Carboni]

Sounds like we're closer...  Can you show what you see when you Right click then choose Open With?

That was going to be my next suggestion.

For what it's worth I have been dragging files to my Ps icon for a long time.  That does still seem to work.

-Noel

[Racidio3]

Yep, PS shows up in 'Open With' but in those cases, it also goes straight to the "Let's pick up where you left off" window as well.

[JJMack]

Yes at times I have had to use the Open with route to set the default  application I want to use  If I want to set it back to CC 2018 I would need to use that route.   CC2019 is not that bad of a release.  However, I often leave my computer  for some time and its goes into sleep mode.  When I wake the machine from sleep If Photoshop was running the task manager shows that Photoshop is not responding.  So I eventually terminate it with the task manager and the start cc 2019 where it open the recovery files. Its becoming annoying I may use cc 2018 now,

[JJMack]

The current version of windows is 1809.

I can set CC 2019 for Jpg but did not have to the Photoshop CC 2019 install did that.

png was also set to CC 2019  by Adobe Installer.

[Noel Carboni]

JJMack  wrote

The current version of windows is 1809.

From what I gather Microsoft stopped "shipment" of 1809 (i.e., they're no longer offering it online until some key file deletion bugs get fixed).  Has that changed, and it's available again?

-Noel

[Racidio3]

FWIW, I just ran an update and it came back with nothing new.. still on V.1803 here.

[JJMack]

Yes Microsoft yanked it.  For it has some issues and Usere were loosing files.  I do not know if the Updates to 1809 has fixed all of them. There have been at least three updates to 1809  mabe two one failed to install once.

[Noel Carboni]

What happens if you take the "Choose another App" choice, then choose Photoshop?  I'm not where I can try that myself right now.

-Noel

[Racidio3]

Same thing.. JPG opens in PS, but only to the "Pick up where you left off" window. Properties still indicates "unknown application" after closing.

[D Fosse]

I'm curious about one thing. What happens if you try to reinstall CC2018, which the file associations already point to? Does it then gracefully pick up, so that it can subsequently be uninstalled in an orderly fashion?

For this to work, you'd obviously need to remove all other versions first, or you just get the same problem again.

[JJMack]

I would think If I installed CC 2018 19.1.6 on top of my current CC 2018 19.1.6 the registey  entry would be changed from CC 2019 back to CC 2018 if the Install will run.

[D Fosse]

Yes, that's why I said you need to remove all other versions first.

Whatever you install last will take over file associations. If you install CS6 over 2019, that's the version that will open.

Whatever you uninstall last will also take over file associations, but in that case they are left hanging and you might not be able to restore them.

There is a perfect logic and a perfect consistency to all this, and as long as you understand that and take it into consideration, you won't have any problems. Which is why it's such a mystery that the installers don't, after all these years. It seems such a simple fix.

[JJMack]

There is a major problem doing that. If I remove all other version and then install CC 2019 and CC 2019  has a bug in it That I can not work around.  I  do not have a Photoshop I can use installed.   

I just do not use Adobe uninstallers to remove old versions of Photoshop.  I remove them manually. And It I feel like  I will delete the registry entries that are for uninsallers I did not use for they will likely make changes to the registry that they should not make. 

Also if I do use Adobe Uninstallers first remove the currently installed Photoshop in the order of the lasted installed version first.  Some of the registry entries restored are likely to be invalid.  For likely over the years I have made changes to my system or automatic update have. I mat have uninsyalled application have updates applications have added application.   The old registry entries Adobe uninstallers restore are likely no longer valid.   When I then install CC 2019 Adobe installer will record these invalid registry entries.  When  I uninstall CC 2019 it will restore these invalid registry entries again.  Adobe Uninstallers have problems plain and simple.  It easy to understand that they may make bad registry updated. So Why would you want to use Adobe faulty uninstallers, they do not even try the validate the registry changes they make are valid.

[D Fosse]

The whole problem here is that the last installer activity grabs file associations.

Why it hands correctly over to previous versions, but not newer versions, I don't know. Maybe because a newer version is actually (to the installer) a "future" version that it doesn't know about.

The point is - uninstall from the newest going backwards, and you won't ever have problems. Install from the oldest going forward, and you'll also never have any problems.

This is just how it appears to work. I don't know why.

[JJMack]

https://forums.adobe.com/people/D+Fosse  wrote

The whole problem here is that the last installer activity grabs file associations.

I do not know what you mean by Grabs file association.  Adobe Installer changes some file types association to the Photoshop version being installed, after first recording the current  file type association which may or may not be valid.   If It is valid will it still be valid when the Photoshop uninstaller is run and the uninstaller changes the association to the recorder setting.  Does the uninstaller even check that the current file association it is changing is for the Photoshop version being uninstall , does it check that change it is making is valid, that the application being associated is still installed.  Adobe has always had problen in this area.

Adobe uninstallers IMO Should not be used.

[D Fosse]

How do you not use the Adobe uninstaller? Even if you do it through Windows control panel, it's still the Adobe uninstaller.

Anyway, I suggest you just read through some of the many threads that describe exactly what happens and how it affects users. I'm not having any problems here, I'm just trying to help those who do.

[JJMack]

I do not need to read what is happening it meen happening for years and years and years I know too well what is happening. I do not let it happen to me...

I use Windows File explored and delete  Old version of Photoshop  versions install trees.  I do not remove folders and files from Common  Shared folder that contain Share things like Adobe Camera raw plug-in.   I do not let Adobe uninstaller mess with my windows registry.  The only register entries  I want to change actually delete are for the uninstallers I did not use. Like the Photoshop versions  CC, CC 2015  CC 2015.5 and CC CC 2017 Uninstallers.  These I did not use I just removed their folders and files.  I have also   removed User ID folders for those  version of Pgotoshop.   I still have Photoshop CS6, CC 2014, CC 2018  installed besides CC 2019. Have Bridge CS6,  CC, CC 2018 and CC 2019 installed.   I may remove Bridge CC, and CC 2018 for if a prior version of Photoshop is not running they will launch CC 2019 unless I change File Association to a different installed Photoshop version  and perhaps also I would need to also change the registry key Photoshop.exe  which identifies that  CC 2019 is Photoshop.exe.   Windows registry is a bowl of Spaghetti I wish it was more organized like a spider web than a tangled mess of  pasta.

[Racidio3]

Welp, since nothing was working, I went full nuclear and reformatted my HD and reinstalled W10. Issue remains.

I can't think of any other reason than the current version of CC has a problem with the current build of W10 Pro where file associations are concerned.

[chetd12857457]

Same problem with Photoshop 2019 here.  Jpg and Png can not be  set to open by default with Photoshop.  I can set them to open with other programs but if I try to set them to "Photoshop" manually ("by file type" or via right click "properties") I am given the option to set Photoshop CC 2019 as the program, but when I select it from the list nothing changes and windows continues to show "Photos" as being the default "Opens with" program. 

I am able to open both PNG and JPG files if I right click them as select "Open with" and select Photoshop from the list.

I can set both Jpg and Png to open with Paint or other programs with no issue, but setting to Photoshop 2019 results in no change.

I am on Windows version 1803 and Photoshop 2019 was installed on a new hard drive with a new install of Windows on it with no previous version of Photoshop installed on it so the previous version thing may indeed be part of the problem but it would appear to not be the entirety of the issue.

I also have also upgraded a previous version of Photoshop on a laptop and am experiencing the exact same issue.

As a side note, PSD files open properly with Photoshop.  I mention this because it seems some folks have experienced PSD files not working as an accompanying issue.

I've looked through the forums/support pages here and have tried a variety of regedit solutions that have not worked so far.