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Fetch Icon Fetch Help > Using Fetch > Fixing problems choosing editors and helper applications

Fetch allows you to choose other applications as helpers for editing or opening files, or to choose an application to be the default FTP or SFTP helper. Problems choosing helper applications are the result of a problem in Mac OS X that prevents Fetch from properly detecting which applications you have installed, and which files belong to which applications. These problems include:

  • Fetch does not list an application for opening or editing files in the Open files like this with or Edit files like this with pop-up menus in the info window, even though the application is installed
  • Fetch does not remember your choice for the application to edit or open a kind of file after you choose it
  • Fetch (or another FTP application) is not listed as a choice for the default FTP or SFTP application in the General Preferences pane, or Fetch does not remember your choice after you choose it

To fix any of these problems, you should first try the following:

  1. Quit Fetch.
  2. In the Finder, empty the trash (choose Finder > Empty Trash).
  3. Open the application you would like to use as a helper application.
  4. Open Fetch again and see if the problem has gone away; that is, see if the desired application is listed or if your application choice is remembered correctly.

If this does not fix the problem, your Launch Services database needs to be rebuilt. Launch Services is the part of Mac OS X that keeps track of which applications can open which kinds of files—unfortunately, sometimes it can get confused and lose track of some applications. The link below will run a script to rebuild your Launch Services database.

Clicking on the link below will quit Fetch and will empty your trash; be sure you want to do that before clicking on the link.

Rebuild my Launch Services database for me

IMPORTANT: After running the script, you must open the helper applications you want Fetch to use before opening Fetch again; otherwise, Fetch may not list them. After opening the helper applications and then opening Fetch, Fetch should list the applications and remember your choices correctly.

After you run this script, you may be warned that you are opening applications for the first time, even though it is not the first time you have opened them. This is normal.