Dealing with the Windows 11 “Pick an app to open this file or folder” pop-up is kind of annoying—especially when it shows up all the time without any interaction. It’s like Windows insists on asking you what to do every few minutes or right at startup, usually because it can’t figure out which program should handle a specific file type. This problem often crops up when Windows encounters missing files, unassociated extensions, or broken shortcuts. It sounds complicated, but there are a few ways to get around this. Hopefully, some of these tips will stop that nagging dialog from ruining your workflow.
Fix Pick an App pop-up
Find out what’s triggering it
- If the prompt appears suddenly, right-click in the taskbar and open Task Manager. Switch to the Details tab.
- Add the Command Line column—this shows you the exact command or file path that’s causing Windows to ask you which app to use.
Sometimes, it’s just a rogue process or a broken shortcut that keeps triggering the pop-up. On one setup, that “Command Line” info pointed to an old uninstall file, which of course, no longer exists. Other times, it’s a weird system glitch. If that doesn’t reveal much, keep going with the next steps.
Reset default app settings
- Head over to Settings → Apps → Default apps.
- Scroll down and hit the Reset button to restore Windows’ default app associations.
- If it’s specific file types showing the prompt (like
.dcp,.ext), manually set handlers here. Just click on the file extension and assign an app or choose Always use this app.
This helps because Windows might be trying to open a file it doesn’t know how to handle anymore, causing repeated prompts.
Fix broken file or folder references
- If the error message references a location that no longer exists (like
C:\Users\User\Documents\Learning), tidy that up. - You can delete the shortcut or recreate that folder. Sometimes, Windows keeps trying to open a file in a non-existent directory, which makes it default to asking you every single time.
This one’s kind of weird, but if Windows keeps bouncing back to a missing folder, fixing that reference often clears the pop-up.
Try clean boot or disable startup apps
- Press Windows + R, type
msconfig, and hit OK. - In the Services tab, check Hide all Microsoft services, then click Disable all.
- Switch over to the Startup tab in Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc + Startup), and disable third-party apps that might be causing issues.
- Reboot and see if the prompts stop. On some machines, this fixes it, because background apps or processes were conflicting or causing mishaps.
Run system scans to fix corrupted files
- Open Command Prompt as Administrator. If you don’t know how, right-click the Start menu and choose Windows Terminal (Admin) or search for cmd.
- Type the following command and press Enter:
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth - After it completes, run:
sfc /scannow. These tools scan for broken system files or corruptions and attempt to repair them—sometimes, that’s all it takes to stop Windows from asking over and over.
On some machines, running this fixes up corrupted associations or missing system files that trigger the dialog. Not sure why it works sometimes, but it does more often than you’d think.
Why these methods tend to help
- Unassociated files are a common reason Windows keeps asking for a handler—broken links, missing apps, or incomplete uninstallations do that.
- Cleaning up file associations and references removes conflicts.
- System scans repair corrupt or missing files that might make Windows misfire and ask repeatedly.
More Questions
Why does the “Pick an app” pop-up keep reappearing even after closing? Probably because Windows is stuck trying to open a file with no assigned app, maybe from a scheduled task, a broken shortcut, or a folder that no longer exists. Fixing file associations or deleting problematic shortcuts often helps.
Can I edit the registry to stop this? Yep, but only if you’re comfortable with that. Launch regedit, head over to HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts, and delete the key for the problematic file type. Always back up before messing around in the registry, though.
What if the file type really doesn’t matter anymore? Just assign a dummy app or handler, or remove the problematic registry key or startup item that’s causing the prompt.
Quick Fix Summary
Follow these steps and hopefully, the annoying “Pick an app” prompt will finally chill out. If needed, editing the registry or automating some fixes is an option, but these methods usually do the trick on their own.
Wrap-up
Getting rid of this pop-up isn’t always straightforward, but these tips cover most scenarios. Sometimes it’s just a matter of cleaning up file associations or fighting off a rogue background process. Expect to do a bit of trial and error—Windows loves to keep things complicated for no good reason, after all. Fingers crossed this helps someone avoid that endless prompt loop.