How to remove items from "Open with ..." menu?

Question

In Windows, when I would like to open file without using the default program, I right-lick on the file and choose "Open with". A few of the listed programs in the "Open with" window do not even exist on my system. I would like to get rid of some of the programs on that list.

Answer 1

What version of Windows are you running?

If you are using Windows XP or Vista, you can use this small application to edit your Open With Menu...

http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/open_with_view.html

I figure it should also work with Windows 7 but I haven't tried it myself.

Answer 2

OpenWithView, a freeware program, works on most Windows systems. See here for a quick overview.

On Windows XP you can edit the list using Registry Editor. It is best to do this only if you are familiar with editing the registry, and you should consider backing up the registry before you begin.

1. Go to Start → Run (or press Win+R)
   • Type in regedit
   • Press Enter key or click OK
2. In the left pane of Registry Editor:
   • Navigate to HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts
   • Expand the FileExts key. This should display one key for each extension which might have an "Open With" menu.
   • Expand the key corresponding to the extension you wish to edit. This should display the selected extension's OpenWithList subkey.
   • Select the OpenWithList subkey. The right pane of the registry editor should now display the selected extension's "Open With" menu entries.
3. In the right pane of the registry editor:
   • Right-click and select "Delete" on any entry you would like to remove.

I would go with the software as it covers more systems.