Default file associations Intune

In intune, it is possible to associate protocols and file types with specific programs. In the on-premises environment, this was already easy to accomplish by creating a GPO. At this moment it is also possible to do this with Intune, although the actions are somewhat different than we are used to.

Application	Microsoft endpoint manager (Intune)
Weblink	Microsoft Endpoint Manager admin center
Topic	Default file associations

Steps

Below are the steps required for the default file assosiation

Set apps as default you want to use	Use a Windows 10 reference computer
Export default file association	PowerShell or Command Prompt
Edit the XML file	NotePad++
Encode to base64 Format	Base64 Encode and Decode - Online
Create a Custom Configuration profile	Microsoft Endpoint Manager admin center

In this Blog

In this blog, I will explain step by step how to create a default file association policy in Intune. For my blog, I will configure Microsoft Edge and Adobe Reader DC as default apps.

Use the XML below if you want to configure Edge and Adobe Reader DC as default apps yourself. Then you can proceed directly to step number four

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<DefaultAssociations>
  <Association Identifier=".htm" ProgId="MSEdgeHTM" ApplicationName="Microsoft Edge" />
  <Association Identifier=".html" ProgId="MSEdgeHTM" ApplicationName="Microsoft Edge" />
  <Association Identifier="http" ProgId="MSEdgeHTM" ApplicationName="Microsoft Edge" />
  <Association Identifier="https" ProgId="MSEdgeHTM" ApplicationName="Microsoft Edge" />
  <Association Identifier=".pdf" ProgId="AcroExch.Document.DC" ApplicationName="Adobe Acrobat Reader DC" />
</DefaultAssociations>

Make sure you have set the default apps
Default Apps (Edge, Adobe DC)

Open default apps screen.
Make sure to set all applications, needed as default apps.
In my example, I'm going to use Edge and Adobe DC.

Export Default file associations
Export XML

Open PowerShell or a Command Prompt as an Administrator and run this command:
Dism /Online /Export-DefaultAppAssociations:"c:\temp\DefaultAssociationsConfiguration.xml"
The XML file containing the data, can be found at the following location "C:\Temp".

Edit the XML File (Notepad++)
XML

Open C:\temp\DefaultAssociationsConfiguration.xml with NotePad++ (my recommendation)
Remove all unnecessary associations from the XML file
Save the XML file

Encode to Base64 format
Base64 Encoder

Use an encoder to convert the XML Base64 Encode and Decode.
Copy the contents of the XML to the encoder.
Save the output to create the policy with.

Create a Custom configuration profile - Part 1
Custom configuration profile

Sign-in Microsoft Endpoint Manager admin center.
Browse to Devices – Windows.
On the Configuration Profiles tab click Create profile.
Select the right platform (Windows 10 and later).
Profile Type Templates and Template Name Custom.
Create.

Create a Custom configuration profile - Part 2
Custom configuration profile

Name: Application Defaults
Description: Edge and Adobe DC
OMA-URI: ./Vendor/MSFT/Policy/Config/ApplicationDefaults/DefaultAssociationsConfiguration
Data Type: String
Value: The output from the Base64 encoder
Create the Policy and Assign the policy to a security group.

End-user experience
Windows 10

In Intune it is easy to check if the policy has already been applied to a specific device. If synchronization is not forced it can take up to 8 hours before the policy is actually applied. Before the policy becomes active a restart is required. At the following location on the device you can check if the aps are set as default; In the search box, type "Default Apps"