Make OpenOffice the default “.doc” and “.xls” application on Mac OS X

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OpenOffice 3.0 is now out for the Mac. Finder opens files that end in “.doc” with TextEdit by default, and “Open with…” doesn’t seem to stick. What to do?

  1. In the finder, find a file that ends in “.doc”,
  2. Click once to select it
  3. Choose File > Get Info...
  4. Find the “Open with:” section, and click the triangle to show the contents of that section.
  5. Choose OpenOffice
  6. Click “Change All…”

You’ll probably want to do this with .ppt, .xls, and .csv, too.

It was an odd choice to put the system-default web browser in a Safari preference pane and make other file types second-class citizens. Why not be consistent and make a System Preference pane for default applications?

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  • http://www.thepodcastnetwork.com Cameron Reilly

    thanks for posting this! I’ve been trying to figure this out.

  • neville cramer

    heartfelt thanks for this advice. still finding my way around the mac

  • Ben Thomasian

    This is great, now how do I do this using Unix commands since it would be difficult to do this manually on 200 Mac’s but using Apple Remote Desktop and Unix, that I can do!

  • Mark Lovatt

    At last! Textedit has been doing my head in since I switched to Mac 6 months ago. Thanks…

  • Amy

    Thank you — this brilliant tip will help me keep my promise to quit swearing! ;-)

  • drklassen

    Yes, this works, but it blanks the icon for all these filetypes. This is a pain because now in Finder they just look like unassociated files.

  • http://matthew.mceachen.us matthew


    If you use Neooffice instead, you’ll see a little neooffice badge — but you’re right — openoffice doesn’t have those badges. Open a feature request with them to add that!

  • Lee

    Thank you!

  • http://www.addisonhollands.com Addison

    Thanks. Couldn’t have been any easier. I appreciate it.

  • Quirkycat

    Thanks very much! Really simple when you know how but fiendishly hard until then :)

  • Anonymous

    Thank you so much for this! I never would have found it on my own.