Trying out a new IDE
.js.jsx.ts.tsx.html.css.scss.json.vue.md
- Zed
- VS Code
- WebStorm
A tiny Mac app for big changes.
Change which app opens which files on your Mac, in one go.
Selecting how files open is now easy on the Mac. Pick individually or update 20 in bulk. Set up profiles for quick switching. Use rules for automation. Or ask each time? Can Opener can open files the way you want them.
macOS · Perpetual licence, 12 month updates · Not a subscription
Too many files, too many variations.
Quickly switch the app opening related files.
Toggle a whole family of file types to one application, in a single go. Perfect to trial new software or switch depending on tasks.
Switching an office suite
.doc.docx.ppt.pptx.xls.xlsx.odt.ods.odp
- Word
- LibreOffice
- OnlyOffice
Swapping a text editor
.txt.log.conf.ini.env.yaml.yml.toml.csv
- BBEdit
- Sublime Text
- Nova
Replacing an image editor
.png.jpg.jpeg.gif.webp.tiff.bmp.svg.heic
- Pixelmator Pro
- Affinity Photo
- Acorn
Changing a media player
.mp4.mkv.avi.mov.webm.mp3.flac.wav.m4a
- IINA
- VLC
- QuickTime
Adopting a new e-book reader
.epub.mobi.azw3.djvu.cbz
- Books
- Calibre
- Kindle
Picking a different PDF tool
.pdf.ps.eps
- Preview
- PDF Expert
- Acrobat
Trialling a design app
.psd.ai.sketch.fig.xd.afdesign.afphoto
- Figma
- Sketch
- Affinity Designer
Migrating a database client
.sql.db.sqlite.sqlite3.dump
- TablePlus
- Sequel Ace
- DBeaver
Main features.
Manage how files open for you in novel ways.
Pick individually
File types are easy to find using categories and search. Pick, select the app to use — done.
Pick in bulk
Need to change multiple types? All images, all office files, all source files? Pick a category and click select all.
Will macOS prompt me each time?
Recently Apple made it a bit inconvenient for third party apps to change how files open: you get a prompt to keep or change the settings, every single time. This is a solid security feature, but it can feel a bit repetitive after a while. We came up with a solution: Router Mode. Assign a file type once, see one last prompt for that type. Done.
Set up profiles
Profiles allow toggling different setups with 1 click.
100% tweakable.
Work setup
- Code
- IntelliJ
- Images
- Pixelmator
- Documents
- Word
Hobby project
- Code
- VS Code
- Images
- Preview
- Documents
- Pages
Writing
- Text
- iA Writer
- PDFs
- Preview
- Links
- Safari
Client work
- Text
- Word
- PDFs
- Acrobat
- Links
- Chrome
In the status menu
Profiles are always just a click away in the status menu.
Undecided? Ask Every Time
When you're juggling multiple apps. Edit this Markdown in Zed? Or read it in Typora? Have a quick glance at the PDF in Preview? Or fill it in Acrobat? Edit the track in Audacity or listen to it in VLC?
With Ask Every Time you pick the app when the file is opened: blazing fast, keyboard driven chooser that pops up only for selected file types. Works nicely with profiles, naturally. Easy on & off.
Advanced: pick the app by rules
Need a bit of automation? Set up rules so that files in certain locations always open in the designated app. Personal photos go to Preview; the images in the client's folder pop up in the image editor. Preview downloaded SVGs in Firefox; open your design files in Sketch.
Router Mode.
One last prompt, then never again.
Recently Apple made it a bit inconvenient for third party apps to change how files open: you get a prompt to keep or change the settings. This is a solid security feature, but it can feel a bit repetitive.
Enter Router Mode: enable it and assign a file type to Can Opener once. You then see the last prompt for that type. Maximum flexibility is back.
Nothing is changed automatically by installing Can Opener or by enabling Router Mode. You stay in 100% control.
Extra features.
You get even more
Home
Profiles, apps and Router Mode at a glance.
Enhanced overview
Can Opener offers a clear and complete overview of file associations. Organised in categories and enriched with extra information. Spot aliases, managed and router types.
Jump with ⌘P
Press ⌘P anywhere in Can Opener and start typing. Matching apps and file types appear as you type.
Custom groups
The defaults are solid but feel free to customise the categories as you wish: add, remove, rename. As it makes sense to you.
HTML links
By default the Mac opens HTTP links and HTML source files in the same app, Safari or Chrome for instance. Now you can separate these: pick a browser for links you click in emails, but open an editor for HTML files.
All protocol handlers
Adjust all URL scheme handlers through a simple UI, add them to custom groups or profiles.
See what each app opens
Switch the sidebar to Apps and pick one: everything VLC opens, file types and links, sorted by category. Change one, or tick them all and move them to another app in one go.
Undo with a click
Home lists your last few changes. Changed your mind? Undo puts every file type back to the app it opened in before.
We speak your language
Can Opener is translated into 10 languages, and follows whichever one your Mac is set to.
EnglishDeutschFrançaisItalianoEspañol简体中文日本語한국어РусскийMagyar
No nonsense inside. Fast & native SwiftUI.
A small Mac utility should behave like one.
No subscription.Pay $9.99 once. Your licence does not expire and
you get every update to its major version.
7 days free.Use every feature without restrictions before
you decide.
No account.Paste your key once. No sign-up and no
password to remember.
5 of your Macs.Use one licence on five personal Macs at a
time.
Sync the way you prefer.Use iCloud, or set a custom location for
Dropbox or similar tools. Or just leave it
off.
Import & export.Back up or transfer to another app instance.
Exports are simple JSON files. You need Can
Opener to apply them.
No tracking.
No account. No subscription.
Security.
Is it secure?
On macOS 26 and later the Mac prompts, by default, each time you edit a file association using Can Opener. This is a security feature to avoid unexpected changes.
So when you start using Can Opener you will see prompts, asking if you want to use the new app or keep the old one.
When you make explicit changes, we think these prompts are a bit unnecessary, so we built Router Mode. Once enabled, each change you make assigns the file type to Can Opener, and you're prompted one last time — never again.
Router Mode doesn't leave a back door open either. Every route, web link setting and undo snapshot Can Opener saves is cryptographically signed with a key that never leaves your Mac's keychain. If another program changes any of them, the signature no longer matches, and Can Opener ignores the change until you've approved it.
How do we secure the path from our code to your Mac?
Is it secure to route my files through Can Opener?
Our answer is this: yes, it is completely safe to assign Can Opener to all files. We never actually access or open your files! We simply pass the request to the application that opens it. What's more, we never log or gather any information about the individual files.
Note that we do use Sentry.io for crash analytics and will receive reports that contain the error message - but nothing about you. We use these to fix code issues and to provide a more stable experience.
Can you tell me more about security?
Can Opener keeps a few settings files on your Mac: where each routed file type goes, your web link rules, your Ask Every Time choices and your undo history. Any program on your Mac could edit these files, so we protect them.
The first time Can Opener starts, it creates a secret key and keeps it in your Mac's keychain. Whenever Can Opener saves one of these files, it signs it with that key. Another program can't read the key without macOS asking you first, so it can't make a valid signature.
Each time Can Opener reads its settings, it checks the signatures and ignores anything changed by another program. A changed route isn't used, and the next file of that type asks you which app to open it with. Changed web link or Ask Every Time settings are set aside, and Can Opener asks whether you want them. A changed undo step is never offered.
This works the same whether Router Mode is on or off. With Router Mode on, more of your choices live in these files rather than with macOS, so there the protection matters most.
Will it slow down my Mac?
No, we don't think so — the dispatch is very fast and you won't even notice it.
What happens to my settings if I delete Can Opener?
Each file type that was assigned to Can Opener, either in Ask Every Time or Router Mode, will lose its association. Next time you try to open it Finder will either ask how it should be handled, or use the next fallback. Usually opening a related app will re-claim the file. We also offer an Uninstall button in settings, that can guide you through this process.
Do I have to use Router Mode?
No. Can Opener works without it — you will just see the macOS 26+ prompt for each change you make in Can Opener. Router Mode is there for people who change associations often.
Will any other apps interfere with Can Opener?
Some applications are known to take over certain files when you launch them. For example, some Markdown editors will grab all .md files on the first launch. Router Mode is meant to solve this. Beyond that we decided not to fight other applications and to let them do it — otherwise we'd do more harm than good and just make things more unpredictable. If other apps bother you in some way, please contact their developers.
Changelog.
Recent changes.
-
Improved Updated for macOS 26's Liquid Glass
A refreshed look on macOS 26: a floating glass sidebar, a toolbar with the page's own actions, and glass bars and panels. macOS 15 keeps its familiar look.
-
Improved Jump finds profiles
⌘P now lists matching profiles as well as apps and file types.
-
Improved Path rules in profiles
An "Ask every time" list in a profile can now have path rules, and applying the profile sets them up.
-
New A word about macOS 26's prompts
On macOS 26 and later, macOS asks you to confirm every time an app changes which app opens a file type. The first time you open Can Opener there, it now explains why that happens and how Router Mode stops the repeated prompts.
-
New Jump to any file type or app with ⌘P
Press ⌘P anywhere in Can Opener, or click Jump on Home, and start typing. Matching apps and file types appear as you type.
Can Opener for macOS
Your Mac. Your files. Your choice of what opens them.
$9.99
One-time purchase · 7-day free trial
This is a perpetual licence including updates for 12 months.
Your receipt and your licence key arrive by email.
Full refund within 14 days, no questions asked. See the full terms.
Nothing is changed automatically by installing Can Opener or by enabling Router Mode. You stay in 100% control.