Default applications

To change the default application associated with a filetype you must use the xdg-mime command and point to the desired desktop file.

For programs that do not ship a desktop entry file, one must be created.

Example

The following example makes mupdf the default command to open pdf files.

Create a desktop file, because mupdf doesn't provide one:

Contents of ~/.local/share/applications/mupdf.desktop

[Desktop Entry] Type=Application Terminal=false Exec=/usr/bin/mupdf-gl Name=mupdf

Use xdg-mime from xdg-utils to associate the desktop file with the pdf extension:

$ xdg-mime default mupdf.desktop application/pdf

See also

• ArchWiki: Default applications