Setting Default Apps with cmdline in Windows

Introduction

Setting the default apps in Windows using the command line can be useful for automating the process or for bulk assignments. This article covers the key concepts and provides a detailed context on how to set default apps using cmdline scripts.

Prerequisites

Before we begin, ensure that the following conditions are met:

• You are using a supported version of Windows.
• You have the necessary permissions to modify system settings.

Setting Default Apps Command Line

Note: This article assumes that you are not asking to set file-extension association or change "Default apps" system settings. If that is your intention, please refer to the appropriate resources.

Background

The Windows Registry provides a way to manage default apps through the command line. The following keys are used:

• HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\AppModel\Repository\\Capabilities\\
• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\AppModel\Repository\\Capabilities\\

Where is the identifier of the app and is the URL protocol associated with the app.

Process

To set a default app using the command line, follow these steps:

1. Open an elevated command prompt by pressing Win + X and selecting Command Prompt (Admin).
2. Navigate to the key corresponding to the app and protocol using the reg command:

reg add "HKLM\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\AppModel\Repository\\Capabilities\\Default" /t REG_SZ /d "" /f

3. Replace
and with the appropriate values. Replace with the path to the executable of the app you want to set as the default.
4. Save and close the command prompt.

Summary

In this article, we covered how to set default apps using the command line in Windows. We discussed the prerequisites, the background, and the process of setting default apps using the command line.