Manage Program Associations in Windows with Types

Usually you do not have to manually edit the file type associations manually or through a helper program, but when some program messes up the settings for some file extensions then it becomes a necessity. Similarly, sometimes after the installation of a new software it installs unwanted context-menu items for some file extensions. You can use the Types program to edit, add or remove program associations, context-menu entries and the icons associations with file extensions.

Types is an open-source program that can help you manage various program associations with file extensions or protocols in Windows. It can also be used to change the icons associated with file types and edit the context menus for them. The software is designed using .NET 2.0 and so it should run fine on all the versions of Windows starting from Windows XP and above if you have Microsoft’s .NET framework 2.0 installed. In Windows 8.1 and Windows 10, you will have to download and install .NET Framework 3.5 SP1.

Types

The Types window shows a list of all the file types registered in your computer that can be accessed from your computer’s registry. You can go through this list and double-click any file type that you want the edit settings for. It will show a small window that enables you to quickly edit the program association class, context-menu actions for the Windows File Explorer, choose an icon for the file extension selected, and decide whether the file extension should be hidden or if it should be visible in the File Explorer.

Types

If you want to add a new extension then you can click on the small green add icon, type in the new extension (without the dot) and then specify program associations or the icons etc. If you want to remove a file extension, then you can select that file extension from the list and then click on the red remove icon. For many file types, removal can be done only if you run the Types programs as an administrator.

Conclusion: Types is a very easy-to-use file extension, file icons and programs association management tool. It works on all versions of Windows starting from Windows XP to Windows 10.

You can download Types from http://ystr.github.io/types/.