I can't change the default web browser

[el_gallo_azul]

what you’re trying to achieve

The default browser is Mozilla Firefox. I want to change it to Epiphany, because it starts faster.

what steps you take

I have changed the nominated default in System Settings...-->Details--> Default Applications to Epiphany. (I have also updated both /etc/hosts and /etc/hostname.) I have also followed all the steps in

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/WebBrowsers

which are

Setting Default Browser

In the command line, type sudo update-alternatives --config x-www-browser

A list of installed browsers will be displayed with a different number next to each browser. Type the number corresponding to the browser of your choice.

defbrowser.png

what happens

However, if I right-click on a document of type 'HTML document (text/html)', there is no 'Open with...' option, so I select 'Open', and the web page opens with Mozilla Firefox. After carrying out each of the above steps, I restarted my computer each time, and I have just finished starting it again before writing this.

what you think should happen instead

If I right-click on a document of type 'HTML document (text/html)', and select 'Open', the web page opens with Epiphany.

[Ubuntu Foundations Team Bug Bot (crichton)]

Thank you for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make Ubuntu better. It seems that your bug report is not filed about a specific source package though, rather it is just filed against Ubuntu in general. It is important that bug reports be filed about source packages so that people interested in the package can find the bugs about it. You can find some hints about determining what package your bug might be about at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Bugs/FindRightPackage. You might also ask for help in the #ubuntu-bugs irc channel on Freenode.

To change the source package that this bug is filed about visit https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+bug/1166017/+editstatus and add the package name in the text box next to the word Package.

[This is an automated message. I apologize if it reached you inappropriately; please just reply to this message indicating so.]

[el_gallo_azul (el-gallo-azul)]

I received an e-mail from

Ubuntu Foundations Team Bug Bot <email address hidden>;

that said

It seems that your bug report is not filed about a
specific source package though, rather it is just filed against Ubuntu
in general. It is important that bug reports be filed about source
packages so that people interested in the package can find the bugs
about it.

I tried everything that the e-mail suggested to find the name of the package, without success.

I have tried using the Package --> Choose... link above, but when I try to search for things like 'kernel' or 'Ubuntu' I receive the message

Too many matches. Please try to narrow your search.

[el_gallo_azul (el-gallo-azul)]

I just discovered that a link with Software Updater

eg '* Fix directory expansion. (LP: #778627)'

(which points at https://launchpad.net/bugs/778627)

opens in Epiphany by default, whereas a link on my desktop of

Type: HTML document (text/html)

opens in Firefox by default.

[Bryan Fullerton (fehwalker)]

Please confirm which version of Ubuntu you are using.

[el_gallo_azul (el-gallo-azul)]

Ubuntu 12.04

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[Hans Deragon (deragon)]

Same problem on Ubuntu 16.04 LTS Xenial Xerus.

[Hans Deragon (deragon)]

Reading on the web, I learned that ~/.local/share/applications/mimeapps.list exists. And I found the following in mine:

# fgrep -i firefox ~/.local/share/applications/mimeapps.list
x-scheme-handler/ftp=firefox.desktop
x-scheme-handler/chrome=firefox.desktop
application/x-extension-htm=firefox.desktop
application/x-extension-html=firefox.desktop
application/x-extension-shtml=firefox.desktop
application/xhtml+xml=firefox.desktop
application/x-extension-xhtml=firefox.desktop
application/x-extension-xht=firefox.desktop
x-scheme-handler/http=firefox.desktop;
x-scheme-handler/https=firefox.desktop;
text/html=firefox.desktop;

This, despite I have used the GUI "System settings / Details / Default Applications". That said, I changed all reference of "firefox" for "google-chrome" and then logged out/ logged in, to no vail. Firefox remains the default browser when I click on a link displayed on a PDF document, rendered by evince. So this is problably not the problem. That said, shouldn't 'System settings' update the file anyway, in case it is being used by some other application?

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[Paul White (paulw2u)]

Thank you for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make Ubuntu better. We are sorry that we do not always have the capacity to review all reported bugs in a timely manner.

Ubuntu 16.04 (xenial) reached end-of-standard-support on April 29, 2021.
Ubuntu 12.04 (precise) reached end-of-life on April 28, 2017.

I'm setting the status of this bug to 'Incomplete' as it's not seen any activity for some time. If this is still an issue when using a currently maintained release of Ubuntu then please let us know which one(s) otherwise this bug report can be left to expire in approximately 60 days time.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

[Expired for Ubuntu because there has been no activity for 60 days.]

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

[Expired for unity-control-center (Ubuntu) because there has been no activity for 60 days.]