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How to Disable Did You Mean to Switch Apps in Windows 10
Give a try to these quick methods now
7 min. read
Updated onOctober 4, 2023
updated onOctober 4, 2023
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Key notes
This tutorial applies to users running Windows 10 and using theMicrosoft Edgebrowser. When you click on a hyperlink inMicrosoft Edgethat opens another app on your system, you see the message below.
If you select “Yes”, your browser will switch toFile Explorer, but you’ll get the same prompt each and every time Edge needs to switch to another app. On the other hand, if you select “No”, the message disappears, preventing switching apps.
There is no option on the prompt window to prevent it from being shown in the future, so it will keep on popping up. Those who find it irritating may want to disable it, but there is no direct method.
Many users reportedDid you mean to switch appsmessage on their PC. This issue can appear if your file associations aren’t properly configured. Speaking of this message, in this article, we’re going to cover the following topics:
How to disable Did you mean to switch apps message in Microsoft Edge?
1. Change your registry
Sometimes to disable Did you mean to switch apps message, you need to modify your registry. In case you’re not familiar, your registry holds all sorts of sensitive information, so we advise you to be extra cautious while modifying it.
To fix this problem, you need to create a couple of values usingRegistry Editor, and you can do that by following these steps:
2. Change your file associations
According to users,Did you mean to switch appsmessage can appear due to your file associations. However, you can fix the problem simply by setting different default apps. To do that on Windows 10, you just need to follow these steps:
This problem can also occur while trying to open a specific type of file. If that’s the case, you might be able to solve the problem simply by setting a default app for that file type. To do that, just do the following:
In some rare cases, this message can appear while trying to use certain protocols. However, you should be able to fix that simply by repeating the steps above and selectingChoose default apps by protocoloption.
After doing that, you need to set the default application for the desired protocols, and the issue should be resolved.
3. Select Don’t ask me every time option
According to users, you might be able to fix this problem simply by choosingDon’t ask me every timeoption when asked to choose the default browser.
Whenever you try to open a file with a non-default application, you might get this or a similar message. To fix the problem, select the application you want to use and checkDon’t ask me every timeoption.
After doing that, you shouldn’t receive this pesky message again.
4. Try using Safe Mode
Sometimes this error message can appear due to your settings, and to check if your settings are the problem, it’s advised to use Safe Mode. If you’re unfamiliar, Safe Mode is a special segment of Windows that runs with default settings and apps and is perfect for troubleshooting issues.
To check if your settings are the problem, you need to switch to Safe Mode and check if the issue appears. To do that, follow these steps:
Once you enter Safe Mode, check if the problem still appears. If not, the issue might be related to your user account or settings.
5. Create a new user account
Sometimes this problem can appear due to issues with your user account. Sometimes your account can get corrupted, or certain settings can interfere with your apps. However, you can fix the issue simply by creating a new user account. This is quite simple, and you can do it by following these steps:
Once you create a new account, you need to switch to it. After switching to a new account, check if the problem still persists. If not, it means your previous account was corrupted or improperly configured. Now you need to move your personal files to a new account and start using it instead of your old one.
6. Check for updates
If you’re constantly gettingDid you mean to switch appsmessages, the problem might be caused by the missing updates.
Sometimes certain glitches or bugs can be present in Windows, which can lead toDid you mean to switch appsmessage. However, you can fix most of these problems simply by keeping Windows 10 up to date.
To simplify this process, Windows 10 will automatically download the necessary updates. However, sometimes you might miss an automatic update due to certain bugs. On the other hand, you can always check for updates manually by doing the following:
If any updates are available, they will be downloaded automatically in the background. Once the updates are downloaded, you can install them simply by restarting your PC. After your PC is updated, this error message shouldn’t appear anymore.
Microsoft doesn’t provide a direct solution to solve the issue. They claim that since you are using multiple programs associated with protocol and file types, there is no option to turn off the pop-up message while opening a hyperlink (file extension).
Some users have reported that it can also be switched off by tweaking the Internet Explorer settings. We do hope that the above procedure worked for you.
More about the topics:Microsoft Edge issues
Madalina Dinita
Networking & Security Specialist
Madalina has been a Windows fan ever since she got her hands on her first Windows XP computer.
She is interested in all things technology, especially emerging technologies – AI and DNA computing in particular.
Prior to joining the WindowsReport team, she worked in the corporate world for a number of years.
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Madalina Dinita
Networking & Security Specialist
Madalina is a Windows fan since forever, especially interested in AI, emerging technologies, privacy, and security.
Reviewed byAlex Serban
