Did you know you can open files by dragging them onto an application icon, including icons in your Mac’s dock? For example, let’s say you want to open a Word file in Text Edit. Simply drag the Word file onto Text Edit’s icon, and blammo, it opens right up.
I use this to quickly open Photoshop files in Preview. That saves me from waiting for Photoshop to open.
You can modify this tip to force an application to open a file. Simply hold down the Option and Command keys while you drag the file onto the application icon. This is especially useful when the Finder doesn’t recognize a “recommended application” to open a file you know the app can read.