How to Open Rich Text Format (.rtf) Files in WordPad by Default

By Zubair Alexander

- On April 18, 2019

In Windows 10, by default the .rtf file extension is associated with Microsoft Word. If you want to associate it with WordPad, so that when you double-click a file with .rtf extension it always opens in WordPad, here's an easy way to accomplish your goal.

Right-click a blank area in File Explorer or Windows 10 desktop, select New -> Rich Text Format, and then press ENTER. You just created a blank .rtf file. If you have an existing document that's currently associated with Word, but you prefer to open it in WordPad, you can skip this step and go to the next step 2. I find it quicker to just create a blank WordPad file and then delete it when I have associated .rtf files with WordPad.
Right-click the newly created file and select Open with..., which will bring up the How do you want to open this file? window.
Click the blue More apps hyperlink and from the list of apps select WordPad, as shown below. Also, check the box Always use this app to open .rtf files.
Click OK.
Delete the empty WordPad file because you created in step 1 because you don't need it anymore.

Now when you open a file with .rtf extension it will always open in WordPad. Don't See the Option to "Always use this app to open .rtf files"? If you use a different method than what I have described in this article, you won't see the same screen and the option to Always use this app to open .rtf files. For example, if you go to Control Panel -> Programs -> Default Programs -> Associate a file type or protocol with a program, you won't see the option to select WordPad. You will see Word (assuming you've installed Microsoft Office) or some other software that have the ability to open .rtf files. You will also see the option to look for an app in the Microsoft store. What you won't see are the options that are available in step #3 above. In other words, you won't see the link for More apps, which on my computer offers 12 apps, you won't see the option to Look for another app on this PC and you won't see the option Always use this app to open .rtf files.

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