How to Change the Windows 10 Default from Wordpad to Word

This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Darlene Antonelli, MA. Darlene Antonelli is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. Darlene has experience teaching college courses, writing technology-related articles, and working hands-on in the technology field. She earned an MA in Writing from Rowan University in 2012 and wrote her thesis on online communities and the personalities curated in such communities.

This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources.

This article has been viewed 36,727 times.

Oh no! Your .dox or .txt document is opening in WordPad, so what do you do? Since WordPad can open these and other file formats (like .rtf), you just need to change some default app settings to change Word as your default. This wikiHow article will teach you how to change the default app from WordPad to Word in Windows 10.

Things You Should Know

Step 1 Open Settings.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n">

Open Settings. Press Win + I on your keyboard to open the Settings window. Alternatively, you can click the gear icon in the Start menu.

Step 2 Click Apps.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n">

Click Apps . It's next to a list icon. [2] X Trustworthy Source Microsoft Support Technical support and product information from Microsoft. Go to source

Advertisement

Step 3 Click Default Apps.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n">

Click Default Apps . You'll see this menu option in the menu on the left side of the window next to a list icon with an arrow on it. [3] X Trustworthy Source Microsoft Support Technical support and product information from Microsoft. Go to source

Step 4 Click Choose default apps by file type.

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n">

Step 5 Change the app next to

Fair Use (screenshot)
\n"> Advertisement

Expert Q&A

Ask a Question 200 characters left Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Advertisement

The file types are automatically changed when you don't have an active subscription to Word on your computer. If you have an active subscription, but all your defaults changed and you can't open the document in Word, you will have to uninstall and reinstall Office. [6] X Trustworthy Source Microsoft Support Technical support and product information from Microsoft. Go to source

Submit a Tip All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published Please provide your name and last initial Thanks for submitting a tip for review!

Advertisement

You Might Also Like

Adjust Screen Brightness in Windows 10

How to Change the Screen Brightness in Windows 10: A Quick Guide

Turn Off Windows Defender in Windows 10

Turn Off Microsoft Defender in Windows 10: Temporarily or Permanently

Install Windows 10

Install Windows 10

Screenshot in Windows 10

Screenshot in Windows 10

Restart Windows 10

Restart Windows 10

Uninstall Riot Client

How to Completely Uninstall the Riot Games Client & Vanguard

<a href=Use Function Keys Without Pressing Fn on Windows 10" width="342" height="184" />

How to Use Function Keys Without Pressing Fn on Windows 10

Adjust Brightness on Windows 10 Using the Keyboard

Adjust Brightness on Windows 10 Using the Keyboard

Recover Permanently Deleted Files in Windows 10

Recover Permanently Deleted Files in Windows 10

Enable Image Preview to Display Pictures in a Folder (Windows 10)

How to Show Image Previews in Windows 10 & 11

Set Video As Wallpaper in Windows 10

Set Video As Wallpaper in Windows 10

Check if Your Firewall Is Blocking Something

A Guide to Checking if Your Firewall Is Blocking Something

Fix a Keyboard Typing Multiple Letters on Windows 10

Fix a Keyboard Typing Multiple Letters on Windows 10

Turn Off Automatic Updates in Windows 10

4 Easy Ways to Turn Off Automatic Updates in Windows 10