This is something I get asked about a lot. So here it is again; originally featured in Kibbles & Bytes #531.
This is a two-part Mac Treat: First, we’ll go over how to stop an application from launching when you would like it not to, and secondly, we’ll show you how to make sure the right application for the right job launches every time.
If you’ve ever launched an application and wished you hadn’t, use the handy Option+Command (Apple)+Esc to Force Quit. Commonly used to quit an application that’s not responding, the Force Quit key command will also immediately stop the application from starting.
On to the second part: If you’re tired of automatically launching an undesired application when you double-click on a file, here’s a way to pick your chosen application every time.
I often end up with multiple applications on my computer that can do the same task—for example, both Preview and Photoshop will open my images. The way I look at it is that if I’m double-clicking on an image, that means that I want to just view the image, not edit it. (If I want to use Photoshop to manipulate the image, I’ll just drag the file down to the dock on top of the Photoshop icon to launch it.)
So, in order to change the way the applications act from here on out, you need to right click on the file you would like to train (that’s Control+Click for those with a one button mouse), and click Get Info. Then, click on “Open with:” and select the application you want (For my photos, I select Preview). Then, select “Change All…” to make sure it happens every time. (Note: if the Change All button is grayed-out, that means your chosen application is already the default.)
The result? Hopefully, no more (or far fewer) unwanted bounces!