How to set default application in Ubuntu Linux. Users on Ubuntu can change default application via command line or can reset default applications in Ubuntu Linux Systems.
Open files with other applications
When you double-click (or middle-click) a file in the file manager, it will be opened with the default application for that file type. You can open it in a different application, search online for applications, or set the default application for all files of the same type.
To open a file with an application other than the default, right-click the file and select the application you want from the top of the menu. If you do not see the application you want, select Open With Other Application. By default, the file manager only shows applications that are known to handle the file. To look through all the applications on your computer, click View All Applications.
If you still cannot find the application you want, you can search for more applications by clicking Find New Applications. The file manager will search online for packages containing applications that are known to handle files of that type.
Ubuntu users can easily change the default application for a type of file on the system. Let us see how:
Method 1:
Right click on Settings icon and select “About This Computer.” Now you can see “Default Applications” option in the left-side tab. Click on it to get more options. When you click on “Default Applications” you can see the list of options to set the default application for Web, Mail, Calendar, Music, Video and Photos. Click on the application type you wish to set the default for.
Let us assume that we want to change the default file application for Music, so we will click on Music and select the one desired. (screenshot above)
Method 2:
Second method easily let you set the default application for a specific file type. For example, if one wish to set the default application for a music file (mp3) simply do the following:
- Navigate the file.
- Right-click it.
- Select Properties.
- Click “Open With” tab and select the application you want to use.
- Select the “Set as default” button to make the set it as the default application. (screenshot below)
For example, you might want your favorite music player to open when you double-click an MP3 file.
- Select a file of the type whose default application you want to change. For example, to change which application is used to open MP3 files, select a .mp3 file.
- Right-click the file and select Properties.
- Select the Open With tab.
- Select the application you want and click Set as default. If Other Applications contains an application you sometimes want to use, but do not want to make the default, select that application and click Add. This will add it to Recommended Applications. You will then be able to use this application by right-clicking the file and selecting it from the list.
This changes the default application not just for the selected file, but for all files with the same type.
Method 3:
Apart from the GUI way, one can also change the default application using the Terminal way, i.e. Command. For example, if you want to change the system’s default web browser application. Run the following command in a terminal:
sudo update-alternatives --config x-www-browser
You’ll then see a list of installed we browsers. You can simply choose from them. Either press to keep the current choice[*], or type selection number. (screenshot below)
Similarly, you can also see all the choices for every alternative (file type) on the system. To see all the available options, run the following command:
sudo update-alternatives –all
You’ll then see a list of multiple applications and alternatives for them. Just as I said earlier, either press to keep the current choice[*], or type selection number.