Sudden application changes for files

[camaysar]

Hi... I'm not tech savvy. I have MacBook Pro 15 inch mid-2015. 2.2 GHz Intel core i7. Suddenly files are opening in unexpected applications. Problem became apparent when drag-and-dropping photos from Firefox. All dragged photos result in blank icons. When I command-i them, they are described as "document". When I open them, they open with MPEG Streamclip 1.9.3b8, which I use for extracting audio from downloaded YouTube files.

An .rtfd file that usually opens with TextEdit now opens with X Word Free, which I rarely use.

When I change the applications back using the "get info" boxes (using command-i), and apply to all files of that type, they change back, but then revert to the wrong applications again.

The icons are pictures in safari, with jpeg file extension. but are only described as "picture" in command-i. They also open in Mpeg Streamclip!

Sound familiar to anyone? Thanks!

 

[Weaselboy]

Try running this command in Terminal. That will rebuild the launch services database where this information is stored.

/System/Library/Frameworks/CoreServices.framework/Frameworks/LaunchServices.framework/Support/lsregister -kill -r -domain local -domain system -domain user

 

[camaysar]

I'm sorry to say the terminal command didn't work. The dragged files (from Google search images) still are blank. If I add the file extension .jpg or .jpeg, the icon becomes the photo. Then after I set the application (Preview) to open all files of that type, it works once. Then wants to open further files with MPEG Streamclip, whether or not I add the .jpg/.jpeg extension. I suspect if I trashed MPEG Streamclip, it would open with Preview. I say that because I trashed X-Word Free and .rtfd files now open with TextEdit again!

But I will want to use Streamclip again - I use it every week. The mystery remains. Thank you for your suggestion!

Strange development: When I tested-clicked the .rtfd file again after using Terminal (I had closed Terminal) - it launched Terminal and opened a new Terminal window!! I reset the Get Info box to use TextEdit again, and it seemed to hold.

I thought this might be malware behavior, so I ran Malware bytes and came up clean (aside from a PUP Macbooster file that I deleted).