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Use your desktop environment’s Default Applications settings to choose a new browser; the exact menu path varies between Ubuntu GNOME, KDE Plasma, and XFCE. If links or HTML files still open in another app, check the specific URL or file association involved: Linux can keep those handlers separate.
Set the default browser in your desktop settings
Start with the settings panel for the desktop session you are using. Ubuntu’s current instructions use Settings ▸ Apps ▸ Web; other GNOME versions and other desktop environments may label or arrange the option differently.
Ubuntu with GNOME
- Open Activities and type Apps.
- Open Settings ▸ Apps.
- Under Web, select the browser you want to use.
Ubuntu notes that a browser may prompt to become the default when you open it. If that prompt comes from a browser you do not want as your default, cancel it. Menu wording can vary by Ubuntu release; follow the labels shown on your installation. Ubuntu Help: Change which web browser opens websites by default.
Other GNOME sessions
Open the default applications setting and choose a web browser. GNOME Help describes the path as Settings ▸ Details, while current Ubuntu Help uses Settings ▸ Apps. The labels therefore depend on the GNOME version and distribution. GNOME Help: Web browsers.
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KDE Plasma
- Open System Settings ▸ Applications ▸ Default Applications.
- Choose Web Browser and select the application to open HTTP and HTTPS URLs.
If clicking an .html file in the file manager still launches a different application, set the HTML file preference separately in File Associations. Debian Wiki: DefaultWebBrowser.
XFCE
Open Settings ▸ Default Applications ▸ Internet and choose the browser. If a web link or HTML file behaves differently from that choice, inspect the relevant handlers for text/html and application/xhtml+xml. XFCE’s Debian Sensible Browser choice can use helper behavior that differs from applications that read XDG associations directly. Debian Wiki: DefaultWebBrowser.
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Change the browser from a terminal
Within your desktop session, xdg-settings can read, set, and check the default web-browser value:
xdg-settings get default-web-browser
xdg-settings set default-web-browser browser.desktop
xdg-settings check default-web-browser browser.desktopReplace browser.desktop with the installed browser’s desktop-file identifier, such as firefox-esr.desktop or google-chrome.desktop where that file is installed. Use the identifier provided by your browser package; a wrong or missing identifier may not select a usable handler.
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Run these commands as your regular user in a desktop session, not as root. The xdg-settings manual also cautions that check can fail even when get prints the requested value, because some underlying settings may not reflect it. Ubuntu Noble manpage: xdg-settings.
When links or HTML files still open in another browser
“Default browser” is not necessarily a single setting for every kind of content. Applications may consult the desktop’s browser preference, XDG MIME associations, or a helper; web URL schemes and HTML/XHTML files can be associated separately. Test the kind of item that is actually failing before changing additional handlers.
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- Identify the desktop environment and set its browser preference first.
- Open an HTTP or HTTPS link from the application that has the problem.
- If relevant, open an HTML file separately; success with a web link does not establish that HTML files use the same app.
- If the results differ, check the handler for the affected URL scheme or file type instead of resetting every association.
For example, if HTML files are the problem, Debian documents this XDG MIME command:
xdg-mime default browser.desktop text/htmlOther potentially relevant association names include x-scheme-handler/http, x-scheme-handler/https, application/xhtml+xml, and application/xhtml_xml. Which one needs changing depends on the failing link or file and the desktop environment. Debian Wiki: DefaultWebBrowser.
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A system-wide Debian update-alternatives choice for x-www-browser is not guaranteed to override a user’s GNOME or KDE preference. Desktop settings, mimeapps.list, and browser helpers can therefore disagree; changing an alternative alone may not fix links opened by a particular desktop application. Debian Reference, Chapter 9.
Quick Recap
Which method should you use?
| Method | Best for | Scope and limitation |
|---|---|---|
| Desktop settings panel | Most users changing which browser opens web links | Uses the desktop environment’s preference; labels vary across environments and versions. |
xdg-settings |
Setting or checking the browser from a terminal or script | Intended for a desktop session and should not be run as root; does not prove every handler agrees. |
xdg-mime |
Correcting a specific MIME association, such as HTML files | Targets the named file type rather than every browser-related setting. |
| Debian system alternatives | System-wide Debian browser selection where applicable | May not control a user’s desktop-specific preference. |
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