MarcEdit Broken File Associations

There is a problem with the way MarcEdit works with Windows, such that it is easy to mess up the file associations. File associations are how Windows knows what program to open for each type of file. Using the standard Windows method to associate files will break this for MarcEdit.

Broken File Associations

If MarcEdit is working correctly, .mrc files will open the MarcBreaker sub-app and .mrk files will open the MarcEditor sub-app, but Windows doesn’t understand these sub-apps. It only wants to associate the files with MarcEdit in general.

You have to set these file associations from within MarcEdit for them to work correctly. If you set them from Windows, it will not open the sub-apps and MarcEdit can’t override that change. Then both .mrc and .mrk files will just open the main MarcEdit screen.

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Then you have to open MarcBreaker or MarcEditor and open the file manually. It becomes very clumsy and it cannot be fixed within MarcEdit.

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How it breaks

You will break the file association if you choose “open with” from the Windows right click menu, and get this:

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If you choose MarcEdit (or notepad, or anything) with the “Always use this app to open” box checked, it will break the file association in MarcEdit. If you do get this this window, just escape out.

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How to repair it in Windows 10

This repair method works with Windows 10 and MarcEdit 7.5. It will probably continue to work with newer versions.

To repair you have to reset all your Windows file associations back to defaults. That will change your default browser, email client, video player, and everything back to default Windows settings. You will have to change the rest of them back to what you want, but it should fix MarcEdit.

• Open Windows Settings from the Start Button:

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• Open the Apps section:

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• Select Default apps:

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• Scroll down and press the Reset button:

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This will reset all your apps to the defaults. You will have to reset your photo viewer, browser, music player and email client. It is not just the common apps listed here. It will reset all the apps in Windows to defaults, so if you are using any other non-default apps you will have to fix them as well.

If this does not fix the problem. Try resetting them in MarcEdit again. Now that they have been freed from Windows, MarcEdit should be able to set them.

• Open MarcEdit Preferences

• Select File Associations

• Click the shield button to turn on Admin mode (Admin mode is necessary, if you can’t open it you may need assistance from your IT)

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• You will get this Windows dialog box, click Yes:

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• This will open a second copy of MarcEdit in Admin mode.

• Open Preferences in the new MarcEdit.

• It will look the same, except the shield is gone, and the check boxes for *.mrc and .*mrk are clickable.

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Check both boxes and click Save Type

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• Click OK on this box

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How to repair it in Windows 11

• Click the Start Button and choose Settings:

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•  Choose Apps:

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• Then Default Apps:

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• Scroll to the bottom and click the Reset button:

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This will reset all the file associations in Windows, not just MarcEdit.

• If it still does not work. Try a complete reinstall of MarcEdit after you reset the Windows file associations.

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