Cleaning up OS X "Open With"

Discussion in 'Windows Virtual Machine' started by strells, Oct 18, 2010.

  1. strells

    strells Product Expert

    Messages:
    573
    I've used Parallels for years now (on the most current PD6 now), going through multiple versions of Windows apps and VMs. However, it seems like this has made my Open With menu for sharing Windows apps a complete mess. I now have multiple versions of the same apps (MS Office apps, for example: 2003 vs. 2007; both versions are there) listed, even for VMs I don't have anymore. Is there any way to clean this up so that, for example, Powerpoint 2007 in my main VM, is the only Powerpoint listed under "Open With"?

    Thanks,
    Steve
     
  2. strells

    strells Product Expert

    Messages:
    573
    Anybody have any ideas at all?
     
  3. joevt

    joevt Forum Maven

    Messages:
    1,229
    Quit Parallels Desktop. Then find all the Windows apps folders and delete them. When you run Parallels Desktop again, it will rebuild just the folder that belongs to the virtual machine that you run.

    Check the /Applications folder. Also check the ~/Applications folder (the Applications folder in your User folder). The windows apps folders will be named something like "YourVM Applications" and will have a windows logo on the folder icon.

    A Windows Parallels app is small - between 2 and 300 KB. It will have an icon that looks like the app's icon in Windows with the Parallels badge in the lower right corner. It will be a Mac application (not an alias). It tells Parallels Desktop what virtual machine it belongs to and where on the virtual machine the Windows app is.

    You can use Find in the Finder to find them if you think you haven't found them all.
     
  4. BudJ

    BudJ Junior Member

    Messages:
    18
    Resolution for duplicate Mac OS "Open with" apps

    This works for me to eliminate duplicate apps in the open with (right click) in Mac OS X:

    Removing double entries from Leopard context menu "open with" list. Open Terminal and paste this at cursor /System/Library/Frameworks/CoreServices.framework/Versions/A/ Frameworks/LaunchServices.framework/Versions/A/Support/lsregister -kill -r -domain local -domain system -domain user
    Hit Return key.

    Cheers.
    Bud
     

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