Change Windows 7 explorer "Edit" context menu action for jpg and other image file types

Question

When I right click on a jpg file in Windows Explorer (Windows 7), I see that there is an "Edit" menu item. If I click this item, it opens the image in MSPaint. Blah. I have Paint.NET installed, and I'd like to change the "Edit" action to open the image in Paint.NET.

How can I go about doing this?

Solution 1

I found this little program while surfing the web: Default Programs Editor. I think it is able to do what you want.

Solution 2

Hey just thought i would chuck this in since this page proved useful. i have been trying to change the EDIT function to point to Notepad ++ rather than Notepad for .txt files for a while now. Its under

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\SystemFileAssociations\text\shell\edit\command registry key, just point it to your desired text editor.

kudos to CGA

Solution 3

Right click a jpg file, choose properties, on the general tab click change in the field "Opens with". Browse to the Paint.NET .exe file and select it. Click open and then ok. Now your jpg files should automatically open with Paint.NET.

Comments

[Snark]

This changes the "Open" action, not the "Edit" action, if I'm not mistaken.

[CGA]

Yes it does but it also should add Paint.NET to the "open with" context menu entry which essentially gives the OP the alternatives he wants.

[slolife]

While good information, this is not what I am looking for. I like what Open does, and don't want to change it. I really am looking to change the Edit context menu.

[CGA]

I think I found the registry key which controls this context menu: "HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\SystemFileAssociations\image\shell\edit\c‌​ommand" Change the value in the default string to your Paint.NET path. In my case I changed it to Xnview like this: "C:\Program Files (x86)\XnView\xnview.exe" "%1" Like always when editing the registry, be careful, taking a system restore point before any changes is a good idea.

[slolife]

Bingo! That worked like a charm. Thanks for the info.

[Jeromy Anglim]

I was searching for a way of doing the same thing for editing HTML files. The program worked well.

[static]

I have the same problem with the notepad/notepad++ but if I go to regedit and search for the path you provided - there is not text\shell\edit etc.

[Cora]

Program's a goddamn life saver.

[Rudey]

This... this is beautiful. Why is this not a part of Windows already?

[Omid Aminiva]

for me it was at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\SystemFileAssociations

[Mafii]

@RuudLenders you can rightclick a file, open with, then select default program. Does kinda the same, but is really annoying to use

[LinuxDisciple]

@Mafii that changes the 'open' context option, not 'Edit'.

[LinuxDisciple]

In XP there was a graphical interface to change and even add context menu options in the file association manager. Later versions of Windows have a different associations GUI where the interface is "simplified" (as in simple-minded) so we don't get all distracted by having too many options. This is exactly why I don't like Microsoft.

[Mafii]

You can add edit Options (and so on) via the registry and File associations

[Bill K]

This was exactly what I was looking for, so I'll happily offset pnuts -2 rep with a +10 for you :)

[Sahil]

It works great!