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OpenWithGuard
Keep your default Windows apps from being hijacked
Tired of Windows updates or rogue apps hijacking your default PDF reader, browser, or media player? OpenWithGuard gives you full control back. It lets you lock your preferred apps for file types and web links, and automatically restores them whenever another program tries to silently take over. Key features: • 1-click category protection (PDF, Media, Archives, etc.) • Browser and URL link lock • 100% local-first & privacy-friendly: rules stay on your PC
Hi Product Hunt community! 👋
As a Windows user and developer, I constantly ran into an annoying problem: every time a software updated, or after certain Windows updates, my default apps would quietly get hijacked. Suddenly PDFs were opening in Edge, or an installed media tool took over all video files without asking.
I built OpenWithGuard to solve this once and for all.
It runs quietly in the background as a lightweight guard:
• Category-level protection: Protect all image, video, audio, or PDF formats in one click without configuring dozens of extensions individually.
• Browser link lock: Ensures web links always open in your browser of choice.
• Auto-recovery: The moment another application silently changes your default associations, OpenWithGuard restores your choices.
• Local-first & Privacy-focused: All rules and checks happen directly on your PC—no personal file details or usage data leave your device.
I’d love to hear your thoughts, feedback, and feature requests. What default app hijacking annoys you the most on Windows?
About OpenWithGuard on Product Hunt
“Keep your default Windows apps from being hijacked”
OpenWithGuard was submitted on Product Hunt and earned 0 upvotes and 1 comments, placing #145 on the daily leaderboard. Tired of Windows updates or rogue apps hijacking your default PDF reader, browser, or media player? OpenWithGuard gives you full control back. It lets you lock your preferred apps for file types and web links, and automatically restores them whenever another program tries to silently take over. Key features: • 1-click category protection (PDF, Media, Archives, etc.) • Browser and URL link lock • 100% local-first & privacy-friendly: rules stay on your PC
On the analytics side, OpenWithGuard competes within Windows, Productivity and Developer Tools — topics that collectively have 1.2M followers on Product Hunt. The dashboard above tracks how OpenWithGuard performed against the three products that launched closest to it on the same day.
Who hunted OpenWithGuard?
OpenWithGuard was hunted by Nick Green. A “hunter” on Product Hunt is the community member who submits a product to the platform — uploading the images, the link, and tagging the makers behind it. Hunters typically write the first comment explaining why a product is worth attention, and their followers are notified the moment they post. Around 79% of featured launches on Product Hunt are self-hunted by their makers, but a well-known hunter still acts as a signal of quality to the rest of the community. See the full all-time top hunters leaderboard to discover who is shaping the Product Hunt ecosystem.
For a complete overview of OpenWithGuard including community comment highlights and product details, visit the product overview.
Nick Green