How to Change File Properties
This wikiHow teaches you how to access and change the properties and settings of individual files on a computer. You can do this on both Windows computers and Mac computers. Open Start . Click the Window logo in the bottom-left corner of...
Method 1 of 2:
On Windows
- Open Start
- Click File Explorer
- Select the file you want to change. Click once the file for which you want to see and change properties.
- You may need to select the file's location (e.g., Documents) first by clicking the pertinent folder on the left side of the Explorer window.
- Click Home. It's a tab in the upper-left side of the window.
- Click Properties. This white box with a red checkmark is in the "Open" section of the toolbar at the top of the Explorer window.
- Review your file's properties. Each file type will have a slightly different Properties menu, but you can typically change the following information:
- File name - This will typically be at the top of the General tab.
- Opens with - Near the middle of the General tab, clicking Change next to this option will allow you to pick a different default program for the selected file.
- Previous Versions - This tab lets you select and restore a previously saved version of the file if one exists. You must have set a restore point in order for this to work.
- Save any changes you make. Click Apply in the bottom-right corner of the Properties window, then click OK to save and exit.
Method 2 of 2:
On Mac
- Open Finder. Click the blue, face-like icon in your Mac's Dock to open Finder.
- Select the file you want to change. Click a file in the Finder to select it.
- You may first need to select a folder in which the file is located by clicking the folder on the left side of the Finder window.
- You can click All My Files in the upper-left corner of the Finder window to see a list of every file on your Mac.
- Click File. This menu item is in the upper-left side of the Mac's screen. Doing so prompts a drop-down menu.
- Click Get Info. It's about halfway down the File drop-down menu. This will open a file information window.
- Review your file's properties. Most files on your Mac will have the following options located near the middle/bottom of the Get Info window:
- Name & Extension - Change your file's name or file type here. You can also check the "Hide extension" box to hide this particular file's extension.
- Comments - Add notes about the file.
- Open with - Change the program with which your file opens.
- Preview - View a preview (e.g., thumbnail) of the file.
- Sharing & Permissions - Change who can read, edit, or modify the file.
- Save your changes. When you're done making changes, you need only click the red circle in the top-left corner of Get Info window to save them.
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