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Zoom supposedly installed.

I click on the meeting link in an e-mail, Firefox opens and asks for an application to open the link.

Now, what?

It's odd that no file/link association exists, having just installed Zoom, but whatevs.

I navigate to /opt/zoom and double-click on the zoom application file to select the application to open the link, and nothing happens.

How does one open a Zoom meeting link in Linux?

NOTE: The solution here fails on Ubuntu Desktop 22.04.

user68186
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ebsf
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    Workaround: https://askubuntu.com/questions/1399383/how-to-install-firefox-as-a-traditional-deb-package-without-snap-in-ubuntu-22/1404401#1404401 – Archisman Panigrahi May 24 '22 at 01:46

2 Answers2

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Oh Snap!

Firefox is a snap app by default in Ubuntu 22.04. This means it is sandboxed and cannot interact with other apps. This is a security feature, not a bug!

Alternately: Zoom in Browser

According to this article Tom's Guide published March 18, 2022, it is safer to "join Zoom meetings through your web browser instead of via the Zoom desktop software. The web browser version gets security enhancements faster and "sits in a sandbox" to limit security problems, notes antivirus company Kaspersky."

Caution: Danger Ahead

Before we get to the workaround, let me be clear that the sandboxing of Firefox in a snap closes a security risk. In particular, opening links from a browser that opens a third party app like Zoom is a point of entry for malwares.

For example, clicking on a link inside an email that looks like an invite to a Zoom meeting from a colleague may be a malicious phishing attempt. Instead of opening Zoom, it may do something bad to your computer. It may be a bit of extra work, but it is best to copy and paste the meeting number and password directly in Zoom rather than clicking on a link that is supposed to open Zoom.

In today's news: Linux malware is booming, so stay secure, Microsoft warns

Workaround

One workaround is to uninstall the snap version of Firefox and install the deb version. This approach is complicated by the fact that deb version of Firefox in the default repository now points to the snap app.

How to install Firefox as a traditional deb package (without snap) in Ubuntu 22.04 (jammy)

The above link goes into the details.

Hope this helps

user68186
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  • That's really good to know, and explains much. I'll give it a try. Thanks! – ebsf May 23 '22 at 16:02
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    1 thing to add: it is a security issue. Opening links from a browser is a point of entry into your system. Sandboxing prevents this. Using a normal FF makes it possible but make sure you click links that are meant for you and are from a trusted source. – Rinzwind May 23 '22 at 16:23
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    @Rinzwind Done! :-) – user68186 May 23 '22 at 18:14
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    "This is a security feature, not a bug!" - It's a security feature. It's also a usability bug ;) – marcelm May 24 '22 at 11:56
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    My guess is it'll turn out that this kind of thing won't make people go "yes, I want snaps" – Andreas May 24 '22 at 15:27
  • I agree that it is a usability bug, especially today with Zoom being a requirement for many things and not just a fun pastime. I can plat Netflix in Firefox so why not Zoom? – DonP Jul 19 '22 at 01:00
  • @DonP you can use Zoom's web page just like you can use Netflix web page. The problem is opening the Zoom desktop app by clicking on a link in Firefox. As far as I know there are no Linux desktop app for Netflix. – user68186 Jul 19 '22 at 02:18
  • I would have thought so too but I wasn't given the option. It wanted some kind of plugin that the new Firefox snap for Ubuntu Linux doesn't have. There was one for Netflix without which it would not work but not for Zoom. – DonP Jul 21 '22 at 20:53
  • This is most definitely a bug. – Gabriel Devenyi Mar 06 '24 at 18:46
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Last week I upgraded to Ubuntu 22.04 (got a request from the system to do that). The Zoom-client was previously installed via Ubuntu-Gnome Software in version 20.x.x. But the zoom-client version 5.0.413237.0524 stayed that, although I upgraded it via snap to version 5.11.3.3882. Joining a zoom-meeting was not possible in the client, only in the Firefox browser. Via zoom.us I downloaded zoom_amd64.deb and installed it, but that didn't solve this problem: I still had to upgrade... Finally I removed the zoom-client in Ubuntu-Software and restarted the system. Then I opened a terminal and put in:

cd home/usrname/Downloads

sudo apt install gdebi       | (it had gone, why? I installed it last week too)


sudo apt autoremove


sudo gdebi zoom_amd64.deb

Now it seems to work correctly in the latest version. I understand that opening another app like zoom out of Firefox is a "security feature", but I never open anything from a unknown sender. And for zoom I prefer the meeting-id and password method.

ScandAMMM59
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