Open A File Without Using the Default Application

Task #19

Difficulty Level 2

When you double-click a file in the Finder, it usually launches an application that can handle that type of file. This works fine for most day-to-day tasks, but sometimes it is not what you want. Suppose, for example, that you have a JPEG file that you downloaded from the Internet using Safari. Perhaps all your JPEG icons display an icon based on the Preview application. When you want to edit the image that you downloaded with another application such as Adobe Photoshop, you usually have to jump through some hoops to make the image open in the other application.

Fortunately, Panther takes away some of the guesswork. You can instantly change which application will open a file. You can also tell your Mac to open all files of that type with the application of your choosing.