🐧 Linux Notes

5. Default application

Aug 21, 20242 min read

Association between MIME types and applications : « this specification solves the remaining issues: which application should open a file by default, how to let the user change the default application, and how to let the user add or remove associations between applications and mimetypes. »

mimeapps.list file format

The information is located into a file called mimeapps.list.

mimeapps.list can contain the following groups

  • [Default Applications]
  • [Added Associations]
  • [Removed Associations] for blacklisting (someting added by a mimeapps.list file can be blacklisted by another one)

Here is a basic example

[Added Associations]
image/jpeg=org.gnome.gThumb.desktop;shotwell-viewer.desktop;gimp.desktop;ristretto.desktop;
audio/mpeg=vlc.desktop;

[Default Applications]
text/html=firefox.desktop
image/jpeg=org.gnome.gThumb.desktop

mimeapps.list file location

  • user overrides, desktop-specific (for advanced users) $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/$desktop-mimeapps.list → ~/.config/xfce-mimeapps.list

  • user overrides (recommended location for user configuration GUIs) $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/mimeapps.list → ~/.config/mimeapps.list

  • sysadmin and ISV overrides, desktop-specific $XDG_CONFIG_DIRS/$desktop-mimeapps.list → /etc/xdg/xdg-xubuntu/xfce-mimeapps.list and /etc/xdg/xfce-mimeapps.list

  • sysadmin and ISV overrides $XDG_CONFIG_DIRS/mimeapps.list → /etc/xdg/xdg-xubuntu/mimeapps.list and /etc/xdg/mimeapps.list

  • distribution-provided defaults, desktop-specific $XDG_DATA_DIRS/applications/$desktop-mimeapps.list → /usr/local/share/applications/xfce-mimeapps.list and /usr/share/applications/xfce-mimeapps.list distribution-provided defaults $XDG_DATA_DIRS/applications/mimeapps.list → /usr/local/share/applications/mimeapps.list and /usr/share/applications/mimeapps.list

  • DEPRECATED For completeness, desktop-specific $XDG_DATA_HOME/applications/$desktop-mimeapps.list → ~/.local/share/applications/xfce-mimeapps.list

  • DEPRECATED For compatibility $XDG_DATA_HOME/applications/mimeapps.list → ~/.local/share/applications/mimeapps.list

Programs

ASK for the default application for managing a mime type xdg-mime query default text/plain → org.gnome.gedit.desktop

UPDATE the default application for managing a mime type xdg-mime default org.gnome.gedit.desktop text/plain

Opens a file or URL in the user’s preferred application xdg-open myfile.jpg

xdg-utils package alternatives