How do you stop wordpad from opening files?

To stop WordPad from opening files automatically, you can change the default program for specific file types. Right-click on a file you want to open with a different application, select "Open with," and then choose "Choose another app." From there, select the desired program and check the box that says "Always use this app to open .txt files" (or the relevant file type). Additionally, you can modify settings in your operating system's default apps section to change the default file associations for various file types.