Schizophrenic about file associations

[HanogThamers]

Something has changed on my system recently: although file extensions have default programs associated with them, if I double click a file - say, a .jpg or .png which is associated with Irfanview, or a .wav which is associated with Audacity - it brings up a "select an app to open this .png file" dialog, with the "default app" highlighted and shown at the top.

It used to open straight away. Because that's what file associations are for. Now Windows11 wants me to confirm all my file associations a second time.

I'm supposed to select "just once" or "always", despite echatspin echatrandom this program already being the "default app". It's like Windows11 now has a second layer of file associations which it wants me to use to confirm the underlying layer.

This new "just once" / "always" thing mimics Android.