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

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?