I clicked on something and now have irfanview opening all pictures in C:/temp and I have to move them from there to the folder I want before I can work on them. I would prefer if I could get them to open immediately in gimp as I use the program predominately for editing. I don't want to turn off irfanview as my picture viewer unless I have to.
Can I change the initial program that opens pictures from downloads & how do I?
I have had a look through my default apps and browser settings and cannot see what to do.

If I got you right, you mean that when you are browsing images using IrfanView,
how to open them easily in Gimp?
Properties/Settings: Miscellaneous, set external editors. Browse to Gimp .exe, click OK.
If you used first field, Shift+1 will open images in Gimp.

If you download images to specific folder, you can set also that easily.
Properties/Settings: Start/Exit options. Switch to "specific folder" from the default setting that is "Last used folder".
Browse there, and remember to click OK.

IF you have accidentally changed file associations, use Options: Set file associations.
Untick the desired image extension, click OK.
Then you can associate the image format with Gimp, by right-clicking one of the images, use "Open with, Choose default program"
Choose Gimp, and make sure "Always use the selected program to open this kind of file".

My advice is to keep other formats, than Gimp's own native formats associated with IrfanView.
Because viewing images is something you will do more often than edit.
There's no need to turn off IrfanView as your image viewer.

another way

I am never sure which version of Gimp you use Last definitive post seemed to be Gimp 2.10. in Win10 Home. But since then, might be either Parthas version or Samj's portable.

Assuming regular Gimp 2.10

You could add a right-click context menu item specifically opening a file in Gimp.

Something like this: Before


and with an added menu item


You need to create a something.reg file to add the entry. This one for a regular Gimp 2.10 installation The path needs to be edited for anything else.



and if you ever need to remove it


zipped and attached the two files: unzip, click on the file to start, ok all the dire warnings Windows throws at you.

To open image in Gimp.

Create a Gimp shortcut in: C:\Users\You\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\SendTo\Gimp shortcut


Right click image>Send to>Gimp shortcut

Maybe I should have made myself clearer by mentioning. I always had the option of choosing where items would download to. Now pictures download to C:/temp and open immediately in my picture viewer (I use Irfanview)

I have the menu 'edit in gimp'

@ rich, I have the 2.10.2 vs. and cannot recall where I got it from - either Partha or official Gimp site. [May have got Partha's as I knew he was only putting out 64 bit vs and I can use 64bit now] my forgettory is not as good as it use to be.

@Nidhogg, I didn't change the download position as I didn't have one, I haven't had my files downloading straight to the downloads folder or similar for ages. There was a little 'pop up' nearly everytime I downloaded a picture and if I remember correctly it said something like "do you want to have all files like this open with this program?" What ever it was I ignored it for ages but finally clicked on it because it kept coming up.
I tried to make an external editor from irfanview. did it 4 times. Each time it said my program was read only (while opening) and it cannot be changed until I get write permisison. (I am the admin of this computer) And after I made a external editor point it said I didn't have one.

@TimeLord. I have never had a problem with opening images in gimp. I usually browse for them from within gimp. Thanks for your input.