Adobe Bridge 2024: create new filetype associations for Affinity v2 apps (Windows 11)

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How to add new file type associations for Affinity Apps in Adobe Bridge 2024.

IMPORTANT: the method suggested here will probably only work if the Affinity applications were installed under Windows via the MSI/EXE installers!

PROBLEM

The basic problem with Bridge is that, depending on the order in which Affinity Apps are installed under Windows, the wrong file associations are started when you double-click on a thumbnail in Bridge. This also applies to context menu "Open with..."

Basically, Adobe Bridge 2024 only shows general graphic types in the Preferences -> File type associations dialog that can also typically be processed by Adobe Apps. And of course the own file types (.ps, .ai, .pdf,...).

In my case, I had installed the Affinity v2 beta apps as the last programs and Bridge then always opened an .afphoto file with the beta version instead of the current 2.5.3.

The way to change this suggested by Adobe in the help and in the forums is to find the correct .exe on the thumbnail via Context menu -> Open with -> Browse... and then open the file with it. However, Bridge does not remember this permanently, so the next time you double-click on an .afphoto file, the beta version will be started again.

A permanent change to the file type association in Bridge would be required via the context menu -> Open with -> Change associations...

You get to the Bridge program preferences and see a list with lots of file extensions. Unfortunately, the Affinity file types are not listed there, so you cannot make a permanent reassignment here. And of course Adobe has not built in a function to add foreign file types to this list. Typical Adobe...

 

SOLUTION

There is a way to add the three Affinity file types to this list manually. All you need is a little experience with code editors and, if necessary, administrative rights when saving the Bridge configuration file. I tested this with actual Windows 11 (2024) but it might also work with Windows 10?

 

A) Add new entries to the Bridge Konfiguration

 

1) To be on the safe side, close Adobe Bridge and restart Windows completely.

 

2) Use Windows Explorer to search for the Bridge configuration file for its file type associations in the system. This is an XML file and there are two of them in the system. We edit the file that contains settings for us as Windows users.

This is typically located under:
C:\Users\[your_user_name]\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Bridge 2024\AdobeBridgeOpenerPreferences.xml

 

3) First make a backup copy of the AdobeBridgeOpenerPreferences.xml file!!!

 

4) Open the AdobeBridgeOpenerPreferences.xml file with a code editor. You can use the free programs Notepad++ or VSCode, for example. You can even use the Windows notepad.exe program. It is IMPORTANT that the XML document is retained in its character encoding when you save it later.

I use Notepad++ here. If you are familiar with XML files, you will quickly find your way around, as the code is human-readable.

 

5) Go to the end of the XML-code in the SECOND TO LAST line and insert a line break and a few blank lines.

 

6) These three file type entries are now added here:

<item description="Affinity Designer" extensions="afdesign" app_name="Affinity Designer"></item>
<item description="Affinity Publisher" extensions="afpub" app_name="Affinity Publisher"></item>
<item description="Affinity Photo" extensions="afphoto" app_name="Affinity Photo"></item>

It is important to copy and paste the code EXACTLY as it is shown here, as XML has a very strict syntax.

The XML-Code in Notepad++ should now look similar to this:

 

7) Save the file and close Notepad++

 

8 ) Start Adobe Bridge. A look in the program preferences (Edit -> Preferences -> File Type Associations) now shows our three new Affinity entries at the bottom of the list. You can also filter for the keyword "af" in the search box at the top.

As you can see, the three entries in the selection box on the right do not yet have a file association ("None")

 

 

B) Assign Affinity file types to the correct applications

9) To assign the desired application to a file type, select "Browse..." from the dropdown selection box.

A dialog will open with which you can search for the corresponding executable Affinity program file in your system. As already mentioned, this method will only work this way when the Affinity apps where installed via the MSI/EXE installers. Then you will find all Affinity apps in this Windows System directory:

C:\Program Files\Affinity\

For example the Affinity Photo app is located under:
C:\Program Files\Affinity\Photo 2\Photo.exe

Select the Photo.exe and confirm the dialog with "Open".

The Bridge file association now shows the new application for the file extension ".afphoto".

 

10) Perform these step for the Publisher and Designer as well. We have now configured the correct association for the file extension in Bridge for all three Affinity applications.

 

 

C) THAT'S IT

If you now doubleclick on a thumbnail in Bridge list, the correspondingly configured Affinty application will be started.
You can also see this if you right click on the "Open with" context menu on a thumbnail. The correspondingly configured application is at the top of the list.

 

It should also be noted that these manual changes to the Bridge settings file could be lost during an Adobe program update - so it is best to save a copy of the modified AdobeBridgeOpenerPreferences.xml somewhere outside the Adobe program hierarchy as a backup copy.

 

Hope that helps 🙂