How do I change my default audio player?

A default audio player is the program that automatically opens and plays audio files on your computer, smartphone, or other device. The default is set by the operating system or app store and varies across platforms. For example, Windows computers often default to using Windows Media Player, while Macs will use iTunes.

You may want to change your default audio player for several reasons:

You prefer using a different app to play your music or podcasts, such as VLC Media Player, Audacity, or Spotify.

You find the pre-installed default player lacks certain features you want, like custom EQs, plugins, or library management.
The current default player has bugs, glitches, or compatibility issues playing certain files.
Changing the default can make your preferred audio player launch automatically without having to dig through apps and folders.

Overall, setting a new default audio player allows you to customize your experience listening to audio on your device. The process varies across operating systems and devices, but is usually simple to change in your settings or file associations.

Determine Your Current Default Player

Before changing your default audio player, you’ll first want to identify which app is currently set as the default. Here’s how to check your current default on Windows, Mac, iPhone, and Android:

Windows:

1. Open File Explorer and navigate to a music file such as an MP3.

2. Right click on the file and select Properties.

3. In the Opens with section, note the player app that is listed. This is your current default.

Mac:

1. Find a music file on your Mac.

2. Right click on the file and select Get Info.

3. Click the Open With dropdown menu and see which app is selected. This is your current default player.

iPhone:

1. Open the Settings app and tap Music.

2. Under Cellular Data, see which app is listed after “Cellular Data Access.” This is your current default player.

Android:

1. Open the Settings app and tap Apps.

2. Tap Default apps and then Music player app. This will show your current default.

Change Default in Windows

To change the default audio player in Windows, one method is to use the Default Programs control panel. Here are the steps:^[1]

Open the Start menu and search for “Default Programs”. Select the “Set your default programs” result.

In the Default Programs window, click on “Set your default programs”.
Scroll down and select “Windows Media Player” under the Music Player section.
Click “Set this program as default” at the bottom.

This will set Windows Media Player as the default music player. The next time you open an audio file in Windows, it will automatically open in Windows Media Player.

[1] https://support.lenovo.com/us/en/products/laptops-and-netbooks/lenovo-b-series-laptops/lenovo-b4400s/solutions/ht509513-how-to-set-default-music-player-windows-10

Change Default in Mac

On Mac computers, you can change the default audio player using the Get Info inspector in Finder. Here are the steps:

Open Finder and navigate to an audio file you want to change the default app for.
Right-click on the audio file and select Get Info from the dropdown menu.
In the Get Info inspector window, click the triangle next to Open With to expand the section.

Select the audio player app you want to set as the new default from the Open With dropdown menu.
Click the Change All button to set this app as the new default for all audio files.

Now when you double click an audio file in Finder, it will automatically open in the app you set as the default. You can repeat these steps to change the default back or set it to a different audio player app at any time. This method provides an easy way to customize your default apps in Mac OS.

Source: https://centrydaily.amebaownd.com/

Change Default on iPhone

To change the default music player on an iPhone, you’ll need to use the Settings app. Here’s how:

Open the Settings app on your iPhone.

Tap “Siri & Search.”
Under “Media Apps,” tap “Music.”
Select the app you want to set as the default music player.

This will set the chosen app as the default option when asking Siri or iOS to play music. For example, saying “Hey Siri, play some music” will now open the newly selected default app instead of Apple Music.

You can also use Siri directly to change the default by saying something like “Hey Siri, make Spotify my default music player.” Siri will respond confirming the change.

To revert back to Apple Music as the default later on, just repeat the steps above and reselect Apple Music under “Media Apps.”

Change Default on Android

The easiest way to change your default audio player app on Android is by using the Defaults app. Here are the steps:

Open the Settings app on your Android device.
Tap “Apps & notifications”.

Tap “Default apps”.
Under “Media”, tap “Music player”.
You will see a list of installed audio player apps. Tap the app you want to set as the default.

This will set the chosen app as the default music/audio player. Now when you ask your voice assistant to play music or click on an audio file, it will automatically open in that app. Some common options for default music players on Android include Google Play Music, Spotify, Pandora, and Samsung Music.

You can repeat these steps to change the default app for other media types like videos or photos. The Defaults settings make it easy to customize your default apps on Android.

Source: https://www.komando.com/smartphones-gadgets/changing-default-apps-android/837710/

Set Per-File Defaults

You can associate specific file extensions with particular apps on your device, rather than setting a default app for all files of that type. This allows you to customize which apps open for individual files.

On Windows 10 and 11, right-click on a file, select Open With > Choose Another App. Check the “Always use this app to open .ext files” box and select the desired app.1

On Mac, go to Finder > Get Info on the file > Open With > Change All. Select the app and click Change All.2

On iPhone and iPad, tap and hold a file, tap Share > Options > Open In > select the app. Toggle “Open In App” on.

On Android, tap and hold a file, tap the app menu > Open With > Tap Always > Select the app.

This allows setting defaults on a per-file basis rather than system-wide.

Use Third-Party Apps

There are various third-party apps available that can help streamline changing your default audio player across different devices and operating systems. These tools provide a unified interface to manage default app settings instead of having to change them individually on each platform.

On iOS, options like Default App and App Default Controller allow you to set non-Apple apps as defaults for web browsing, email, and more. For Android, apps like Default App Chooser offer similar functions.

Cross-platform tools like Default Folder X and Setapp allow you to centralize your default app settings across Windows, Mac, iOS and Android for a seamless experience. These can help save time and avoid confusion when switching between devices.

Reset Default Apps

If you’ve changed your default audio player and want to revert back to the original default, you can reset all apps in Windows, Mac, iPhone, and Android. This will undo any custom default audio player you may have set.

On Windows 10 and 11, open Settings and go to Apps > Default Apps. Click the “Reset to default” button to revert back to the original Microsoft defaults [1]. This will reset the default audio player along with all other default apps.

On Mac, open System Preferences > General. Click the “Restore Defaults” button to reset the default audio player and other defaults [2].

On iPhone, go to Settings > General > Reset. Tap “Reset All Settings” to revert back to the original default apps and settings.

On Android, open Settings > Apps > Default apps. Tap the “Reset app preferences” button to reset defaults like the audio player [3]. You can also reset defaults in the Apps section of Android’s Settings.

Resetting default apps will overwrite any custom audio player you may have chosen and revert back to the original system defaults.

Conclusion

In summary, changing your default audio player is usually a straightforward process within your device or operating system settings. Both Windows and Mac provide built-in options to select a new default, while iOS and Android devices allow you to download third party apps to use instead. Resetting defaults is also simple if you want to revert back to the original player.

The key things to remember are identifying your current default player, knowing where the setting is located on your system, and being aware of any apps you may have downloaded recently that could be setting themselves as the default. With the steps outlined above for various platforms, you should be able to smoothly switch to your preferred audio player.

Changing defaults enables you to customize your audio experience and choose a player with the features you want. Set your new default app and enjoy your music, podcasts and more. Don’t settle for a subpar listening experience!