Double-clicking a SAS file type in the Microsoft Windows operating system might batch-submit the SAS program.

This is not the expected behavior. The expected behavior is that the file would open in an editor window in an application such as the Display Manager or SAS^® Enterprise Guide^®.

In most cases, this unexpected behavior occurs when you associate the file type with an incorrect application. Here are some examples:

• You right-click a SAS file type in Windows Explorer and select Open with in Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10, Windows Server 2008, and newer operating systems.
• You use the tools in the Windows Control Panel to select Programs ► Default Programs ► Set Associations.
• You incorrectly associate file types using Tools ► Folder Options ► File Types with earlier operating systems such as Windows XP. 

Important: To prevent this issue from occurring in the future, do not use the File Explorer tool or the tools under the Windows Control Panel to associate SAS file types with a specific program. Instead, make sure that you use the Manage SAS File Types utility.

Associating SAS File Types Using the Manage SAS File Types Utility

Note: The Manage SAS File Types utility modifies the Windows registry. If you receive an error when running the utility, verify that you have the required permissions.

For SAS^® 9.4

1. Select Start ► Programs ► SAS ► SAS^® Deployment Manager 9.4.

   On Windows Vista and newer systems, right-click SAS Deployment Manager 9.4 and select Run as Administrator.

2. When prompted for the Select SAS Deployment Manager Task, select Manage SAS File Types.

   Select either SAS^® Foundation or SAS Enterprise Guide, click Select All, and click OK.

3. Select the product with which a file type needs to be associated.
4. Double-click your file again to verify that it opens in the application that you chose to associate your file types with in Step 3.

For SAS^® 9.3

1. Select Start ► Programs ► SAS ► Utilities ► Manage SAS File Types.

   On Windows 7, Windows 8, or Windows Server 2008, right-click Manage SAS File Types and select Run as Administrator.

2. Select the product with which a file type needs to be associated.

   Select either SAS Foundation or SAS Enterprise Guide, click Select All, and click OK.

   Note: If you do not see SAS Foundation in the list, run the utility from here:
   C:\Program Files\SASHome\SASFileTypeManagementTool\9.3\SASFileExtensionManager.exe

3. Double-click your file to verify that it opens in the application that you chose to associate your file types with in Step 2.

For SAS^® 9.2

1. Select Start ► Programs ► SAS ► License and Renewal Utilities ► Manage SAS File Types.

   On Windows Vista, Windows 7, or Windows Server 2008, right-click Manage SAS File Types and select Run as Administrator.

2. Select the product with which a file type needs to be associated.

   Select either SAS Foundation or SAS Enterprise Guide, click Select All, and click OK.

3. Double-click your file again to verify that it opens in the application that you chose to associate your file types with in Step 2.

If These Steps Do Not Solve the Problem

If your operating system is Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10, Windows Server 2008, or newer and you have tried the steps mentioned above but the issue persists, complete the steps under The SAS File Type Registry Fix for Microsoft Windows Operating Systems section below.

Note: Do not attempt the SAS File Type Registry fix on any operating system other than Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10, or Windows 2008 operating systems.

The SAS File Type Registry Fix for Microsoft Windows Operating Systems

Caution: SAS is not responsible when you edit the Windows registry. Always back up your registry before you make any registry changes. Changes in the Windows registry can render your system unusable and will require that you reinstall the operating system. For assistance, see Windows Help, Microsoft documentation, or the Microsoft Windows website.

Note: The screen captures shown below were captured using Internet Explorer. The steps that you see might differ, depending on which browser you use.

To correct the file-type association issues, complete these steps:

1. Download and unzip the SASFileTypeRegFix.reg file from the SASFileTypeRegFix.zip folder. 

2. If the File Download - Security Warning dialog box appears, complete the following steps. If it does not appear, go to step 3.

a. Click Save and choose a location to save the file to on the local machine.

 

b. When the Download complete dialog box appears, click Run. 

 

c. When the Registry Editor dialog box appears, click Yes to continue: 

 

3. Double-click and run the SASFileTypeRegFix.reg file. Note: The same warning shown in step c above might occur.

4. Click OK when the Registry Editor dialog box displays the message that the registry keys have been successfully added. 

 

5. Double-click your SAS file to retest it. The file should now open in the application that you chose to associate SAS file types with above, in Step 2 of the Associating SAS File Types Using the Manage SAS File Types Utility section.

Note: If you continue to have issues with your file type association, right-click the SAS Filetype Utility executable file that is located on the local hard drive, select Run As Administrator, and follow the file type registration process.

Additional File Type Notes

• SAS Note 32464, "Registering file types via the SAS File Type Management Tool for SAS^® 9.2, SAS^® 9.3, and SAS^® Enterprise Guide^®"
• SAS Note 44031, "The SAS^® 9.3 default file type associations for SAS data set and SAS data view files might be incorrect"
• SAS Note 32558, "Installing SAS^® 9.2 after SAS^® 9.1 removes SAS^® 9.1 file type registrations such as 'Open with SAS 9.1'"
• SAS Note 45821, "Double-clicking a .sas file does not open the file in the SAS^® windowing environment"
• Double-Clicking a SAS® File: What Happens Next?