Delete app from "Open With" menu

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I would like to know if there is a way to delete only specific apps from the Open With menu. I have a MacBook Air running OS X 10.7.4. I have found information about cleaning up or resetting the menu, but that doesn't solve my problem. The apps that I would like to remove are currently installed apps, that I'd like to keep, but that I will never use to open files with the menu.

Please let me know.

Thanks!

Carlo
 

chscag

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Download the free "RCDefault Apps" preference pane from here.

Read the help file and directions to setup which apps you want to "Open With".
 
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How does this work?

Download the free "RCDefault Apps" preference pane from here.

Read the help file and directions to setup which apps you want to "Open With".

Thank you for the response! I downloaded this and have attempted to use it, but I'm not quite sure I understand how it works. I understand that it can be used to change the default program that opens certain file extensions (URLS, etc), but I don't understand how it can limit the apps that appear in the "Open With" menu.

To restate, in case I was misunderstood: I'd like to remove certain programs that appear in the Open With menu. When I click a .jpg and show the Open With menu, I see programs that I will never use to open a picture or other file, e.g. HP Photosmart Create/Print/Share/etc. And I find it relatively ugly, cumbersome and overall superfluous to have these applications show up in this Open With menu.

So, is there a way to remove specific applications from this menu? If this program does that, can you please help me to understand how?

Thanks again!

Carlo
 
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There's no way keep an installed program out of the menu. That's kind of the point of that menu; it will always include everything, no matter how obscure or rarely used.

Of course, it is often a long and cluttered list, which is why it's hidden away in a sub-menu where most people will never be bothered by them, most of the time.

The questions I would ask are:

Why would you "like to keep" apps that "you will never use?" Why not just chuck that HP PhotoSmart app?

Why do you find yourself turning to the "Open with:" menu so often in the first place? It's a pretty awkward, last-resort way of working in my opinion. Would it be possible to set more appropriate defaults, or use an alternative method (like dragging the files to the application you'd prefer) of opening the files with the desired program instead?
 
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Well, that's rather disappointing.

#1 I don't want to trash HP PhotoSmart because I do use it... to scan photos. But I will never use it to open a file that's already on my Mac. So it's superfluous and cumbersome in the "Open With" menu.

#2 I use the "Open With" menu regularly to open photos in Photoshop or Lightroom, instead of Preview.

#3 Yes, I could do this in a different way, but it's not as convenient. I could find the app, open it, click to open a file within it, then navigate in the small pop-up window to find the file and then finally open it. But I'd rather navigate in Finder and then use Open With.

As I said, it's just disappointing that there's no way to edit this list and make it even more convenient.
 

chscag

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If you use the program that I recommended, you can open various files with whatever application you choose. For example: Always open a JPG file with Preview or whatever. It will set the default app for you to use.

#2 I use the "Open With" menu regularly to open photos in Photoshop or Lightroom, instead of Preview.

See above. You can have your photos open in Photoshop or Lightroom without having to right click and choose a program from "open with". Seems to me you're going about it the hard way. That's why I recommended that program to you. But of course it's up to you to choose to use it.
 
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If you use the program that I recommended, you can open various files with whatever application you choose. For example: Always open a JPG file with Preview or whatever. It will set the default app for you to use.

See above. You can have your photos open in Photoshop or Lightroom without having to right click and choose a program from "open with". Seems to me you're going about it the hard way. That's why I recommended that program to you. But of course it's up to you to choose to use it.

No, I don't think you're understanding what I'm saying. I realize the program you mentioned has the ability to change the default app that opens a certain file type. So I can have Photoshop be the default app that opens all files with the jpg extension, for example. But that's NOT what I want...

I open, for example, jpg files in Preview sometimes, in Photoshop sometimes and in Lightroom sometimes. So if I change the default program to Photoshop, I'd still have to use "Open With" when I want to open it with Preview or Lightroom. And vice versa.

Are we understanding each other???

I merely want to be able to remove the superfluous apps that appear in the "Open With" menu. I'm fine leaving the default app for jpg as Preview and using the "Open With" menu to open jpg in Photoshop or Lightroom. But I'd like to be able to do that without a bunch of random apps showing up and bloating the menu.

Possible?
 

chscag

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I merely want to be able to remove the superfluous apps that appear in the "Open With" menu. I'm fine leaving the default app for jpg as Preview and using the "Open With" menu to open jpg in Photoshop or Lightroom. But I'd like to be able to do that without a bunch of random apps showing up and bloating the menu.

Possible?

I understood what you were trying to do but thought it would be easier the other way. However, seeing how you need to use several programs to open a specific file, the default app program is not for you.

As far as it being possible to do what you want, the answer is no. Sorry I can't be of more help with this.
 

Slydude

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The only procedure I know of would clear the entire list. After a while you would be right back where you started. don't think there is a way to remove individual apps from that contextual menu.
 
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On a related issue...anyone know the Terminal command to rebuild that database?
I got double apps in the list.
 

vansmith

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On a related issue...anyone know the Terminal command to rebuild that database?
I got double apps in the list.
Will this do? Man page here if you're interested.
 

chscag

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What's interesting is that article says that OnyX can do the same thing. Something I guess I've overlooked in the many times I've used OnyX.
 

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