How to change default application for XML files?

Question

I have Ubuntu 15.10

So changing the default application for XML files gets immediately overridden by the default browser and does not keep the changes.

How do you set Gedit as the default application for XML files?

EDIT: In case it's needed, I use GNOME as DE

You might also try checking the files ~/.local/share/mimeapps.list and ~/.local/share/mimeinfo.cache - if necessary - changing or adding the entry text/xml=gedit.desktop — Sadi, Dec 13 '15 at 17:35
No help, but just wanted to let you know I'm experiencing the same issue. Must be a bug in 15.10. I already had ubuntu tweak installed, but it didn't work either. — gnomed, Feb 17 '16 at 16:21

score 11 · Accepted Answer · answered May 22 '16 at 08:20

Oh thank god, I have a solution.

First of all the problem is getting caused by "Default Applications" in "Settings" on "GNOME", in order to save the default application for something like browser it overrides whatever it has as default for a set off applications and creates a double entry under ~/.config/mimeapps.list. This way the default application for that mimetype cannot be changed unless you manually delete the entry for it. To do it:

edit the file: ~/.config/mimeapps.list
find the [Default Applications]
delete application/xml, there is a 2nd entry under [Added Associations] which we want to keep
save the file and exit
go to any xml file and now the default application can be changed by going Right Click > Properties > Open With

This is probably a bug within GNOME.

if you don't have ~/.config/mimeapps.list, look for .local/share/applications/mimeapps.list as Anthony Wong pointed out in the answer below — patzm, Jun 07 '17 at 16:12
For anyone as dumb as me: To find the proper file to edit, you need to go to your home folder, then click View->show hidden files (or Ctrl+H). Then the .config folder will appear. — pheidlauf, Dec 06 '17 at 18:44

score 4 · Answer 2 · edited Apr 04 '16 at 07:26

4

You need to change the Default application from defaults.list.

Open the defaults.list file in terminal by

sudo -H gedit /usr/share/applications/defaults.list

Search for xml=firefox if your default browser is Firefox and replace by xml=gedit.

That is

text/xml=firefox.desktop

to

text/xml=gedit.desktop

Enjoy!

edited Apr 04 '16 at 07:26

muru

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answered Apr 04 '16 at 07:23

lordparthurnaax

618

4

I prefer to add the line under the [Default Applications] section in ~/.local/share/applications/mimeapps.list, because this file is per-user. Changes in /usr/share/applications/defaults.list will be overwritten by system update. – Anthony Wong May 18 '16 at 05:30
1

This did not work for me on 16.04 - I HAD to add the line also to my local mimeapps.list – Dave Sep 22 '16 at 13:36

score 1 · Answer 3 · edited Jun 12 '20 at 14:37

1

Try one of these pages in the official guides:

Ubuntu Desktop Guide

https://help.ubuntu.com/stable/ubuntu-help/files-open.html
GNOME Help

https://help.gnome.org/users/gnome-help/stable/files-open.html

edited Jun 12 '20 at 14:37

Community

1

answered May 21 '16 at 01:29

Gunnar Hjalmarsson

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That will not help... the problem is that default browser entry keeps overwriting the default application for xml files. – cra0zy May 21 '16 at 09:57
@cra0zy: Maybe you need to change it in the browser too. In Firefox: Edit -> Preferences -> Applications – Gunnar Hjalmarsson May 21 '16 at 17:16
This answer helped me. – Christine May 30 '16 at 20:56

score 0 · Answer 4 · answered Mar 01 '18 at 14:44

0

In GNOME 3.26:

Right click the file you want to open
Select "Properties"
Click on the "Open With" tab
Select the application
Click on "Set as default"

answered Mar 01 '18 at 14:44

gtirloni

101

score 0 · Answer 5 · answered Apr 28 '18 at 10:50

0

Go to file-

.config/mimeapps.list

and Open it. Then under default Applications, look for a line that starts with-

application/xml

Change it to-

application/xml=org.gnome.gedit.desktop;

answered Apr 28 '18 at 10:50

Mohd Zaid

141

Sadi · Answer 6 · 2015-12-14T19:00:25.387

My favorite tool for changing Default Applications and/or Open With... options is the good old Ubuntu Tweak here:

https://launchpad.net/ubuntu-tweak

Yes, it hasn't been updated for a long time, but it still works! (Currently on Ubuntu 15.10)

Simply download and install this: https://launchpad.net/ubuntu-tweak/0.8.x/0.8.7/+download/ubuntu-tweak_0.8.7-1~trusty2_all.deb

Or add the PPA by tweaking for trusty.

Then you just need to start Ubuntu Tweak and go to Admins and then to File Type Manager, find the file type you need, double click on the entry, and there add/remove apps and/or set the default.

Non-GUI way:

Make sure that files

~/.local/share/applications/defaults.list ~/.local/share/applications/mimeapps.list ~/.local/share/applications/mimeinfo.cache

contain the required entry, e.g. text/xml=gedit.desktop and/or application/xml=gedit.desktop

Doesn't allow gedit to be set, that is I can select it, but after the dialog closes the system resets it back to default web browser. — cra0zy, Dec 14 '15 at 17:27

How to change default application for XML files?

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