Fix “The program you have selected cannot be associated with this file type. Please choose another program” Error
Jackson Strong | September 19th, 2023 | Data Backup, Outlook
In the world of email communication, MSG is also the most widely used file format. These files are typically associated with Microsoft Outlook which is the popular email client. However, what if you find yourself in need to access MSG file and you are unable to do so because you are getting an error “The program you have selected cannot be associated with this file type. Please choose another program”?
In this blog post, we will first explore the causes of this error and provide you with some possible solutions to fix it. By the end of this article, you should be able to open .msg files in Outlook without any problem.
Before we get into the solution, let’s understand this error and why does it occurs.
Understanding the Error
Microsoft Outlook is a widely used email client that provides a robust platform to manage emails, calendars, and various other tasks. However, Outlook users face various errors and one such error that users often face is the “The program you have selected cannot be associated with this file type. Please choose another program” error when one tries to open a .msg file in Outlook.
The reason behind this error is that when you try to open a .msg file in Outlook, the program attempts to locate the file type with its application. Due to this, you can import MSG files to Outlook and this error will show continuously. If there is a problem with this the error message appears. It usually indicates a misconfiguration or corruption in the MSG file or settings.
This error can be frustrating, but rest assured as it is going to be resolved soon and you will be able to easily open MSG file without Outlook at the end of this blog. Just go through this article and learn the easiest approach to solve this issue.
Why Is “The program you have selected cannot be associated with this file type. Please choose another program” Error Occur?
Corrupted File: If the file that you are trying to open is corrupted then Outlook may not correctly handle it properly and it leads to this error.
Incorrect Configuration: Sometimes by just entering the incorrect details, users may face this error because Outlook won’t be able to identify the correct email account.
Outdated Software: Using an outdated version of Outlook or having pending software updates can also trigger this error.
These are the main reasons behind this error and if you don’t know the correct reason, you can’t solve it easily. Now, let’s move on to the solutions to fix it.
Solutions to Fix “MSG File No Longer Associated with Outlook”
In this section, we are providing some tried and tested solutions to fix “The program you have selected cannot be associated with this file type. Please choose another program” Error. Go through each of them to solve your query without any issues.
Method 1. Update Outlook
Before you proceed with any other solutions first make sure the Outlook application is up to date. Microsoft regularly releases updates to fix bugs and improve compatibility.
Method 2. Repair Outlook
If updating Outlook doesn’t resolve the issue, you can try to repair Outlook to fix it.
- Open the Control Panel on your computer.
- Go to Programs and Features.
- Look for Microsoft 365 in the list of installed applications.
- Then, right-click on it and select “Change”.
- Choose “Repair” and follow the on-screen instructions to repair the Outlook installation.
Once the repair process is complete, restart Outlook and try to open the .msg file again.
The above-explained solutions are manual fixes and don’t guarantee 100% accurate results and may also lead to data loss. Try to use the solution explained below to resolve this error without any issues.
Direct Way to Open MSG File Without Outlook
Try Advik MSG Converter which is a completely reliable and easy-to-use solution that helps you to export MSG files to various other file formats, such as that you can convert MSG to PST, EML, PDF, DOC, HTML, MHT, CSV, OLM, etc. so that you can access it without any issues. This application also maintains a folder hierarchy of MSG files throughout the process and preserves email elements such as meta properties, embedded images, signatures, attached files, and other internal data.
Moreover, it also enables users to import MSG to Office 365, Gmail, Yahoo Mail, Outlook.com, Zoho Mail, Rackspace, Yandex, iCloud, GoDaddy, Roundcube, and many more other email services.
Tap on the FREE download button to analyze the whole working process at no cost;
Conclusion
Now, we are done with providing solutions for the error “The program you have selected cannot be associated with this file type. Please choose another program”. This error is frustrating as you don’t know the major factor that is causing this issue. That’s why, the most important step to resolve this issue is to identify the cause and then act according to it.
