VERSION="20150527 (Tumbleweed). With the new plasma5 desktop I cannot change the default file manager. When I open System Settings, click Applications and under Default Applications select for File Manager Dolphin and click apply the updating systems dialog box comes up. However when I close System Settings and reopen it the default is back to File Manager PCMan FM. How can I select Dolphin as default?
Cheers
Uli
Did you install KDE from the outset?
Yes, I always use KDE although I install as well LXDE since my computer (laptop i568) is fairly old. In the system settings I could set firefox as default browser and it stayed but with file manager it seems to go back to File Manager PCMan FM. If you use e.g. USB stick there is only the option “open with file manager” and the “File Manager PCMan FM” does not show the drive (only the mounted file system). So in dolphin you can right click the drive and eject - with the “File Manager PCMan FM” there is no such option. I looked for a config file to edit the default settings with a text editor but didn’t find it.
Cheers
Uli
This is probably the same bug as “Bug 931316 Cannot set default browser in Plasma 5”](https://bugzilla.opensuse.org/show_bug.cgi?id=931316)
It looks similar, only in this case I have set the browser to Firefox and it stayed. Only file manager does not work.
AIUI, this is the exact opposite problem. You cannot change it to anything other than Firefox.
Only file manager does not work.
I just tried, and this works fine here.
Try to run “kbuildsycoca5” after you applied the change. Sometimes updating the “system cache” does not work. (an old-standing problem, happened in KDE3 already)
If that doesn’t help, try to change the “File Association” for the file type “inode/directory” directly.
It could of course be that PCMan or XFCE set the default file manager in a different file that has higher priority.
You might try to rename the folder ~/.local/share/applications/ as a test to see if it helps.
Thanks wolfi323, I ran “kbuildsycoca5” after applying the change and I renamed the folder ~/.local/share/applications to ~/.local/share/applications.old and logged off and on again. Still “File Manager PCMan FM” is again the default.
How do I do this? I could only find /usr/share/mime/inode/directory.xml but there are only language settings.
Cheers
Uli
Go into systemsettings5->File Associations and search/browse for inode/directory.
Then move dolphin to the top of the list of preferred applications (assuming that PCMan is at the top currently).
But please rename ~/.local/share/applications back first (delete the new folder if it has been recreated in the meantime).
Thanks, wolfi323 but that has no effect. As soon as I go back to default application “File Manager PCMan FM” is again on top and the default. I have tried this before and after going back to ~/.local/share/applications (deleted applications.old and mv applications.old applications). It seems that default application setting there does not accept any change. That System Settings GUI writes its results in a config file I presume. So where is this file and can I edit it manually?
Cheers
Uli
It’s ~/.local/share/applications/mimeapps.list and you can edit it with a text editor.
You need to change the lines starting with “inode/directory=” (there should be two), i.e. the preferred applications for the mimetype “inode/directory”.
thanks, wolfi323, the file is:
[Added Associations]
inode/directory=kde4-dolphin.desktop;kde4-kfmclient_dir.desktop;pcmanfm.desktop;kde4-gwenview.desktop;org.gnome.Nautilus.desktop;kde4-dolphinsu.desktop;
[Default Applications]
inode/directory=kde4-dolphin.desktop;
So it looks as if the default application is dolphin but in systemsettings5 there is still the PCMan FM on top and the radio button higlights it as default. So I deleted the “pcmanfm.desktop;” from the top line but nothing changed and after a login it is there again. But why it kde4-dolphin?
Cheers
Uli
I have exactly the same problem described here… the file manager default is Files and won;t be changed to dolphin
I’m not using TW or F5
But do you have a similar view to this in your settings
http://paste.opensuse.org/93828714
yes, dolphin on top and files underneath… however it jumps back to Files on top when I log out and back in to KDE
Yes.
And what’s in .local/share/applications/mimeinfo.cache?
Maybe delete that and run “kbuildsycoca5” afterwards, or logout/login.
What could also interfere is ~/.local/share/mime/, try to delete that as well, it’s only a cache anyway.
But why it kde4-dolphin?
That translates to /usr/share/applications/kde4/dolphin.desktop, where dolphin’s .desktop file (i.e. application launcher entry) is located.
There is no KF5 based dolphin released yet, but it will probably be part of the KDE Applications 15.08 release in August.
And what’s in .local/share/applications/mimeinfo.cache?
no mimeinfo,cache there
uli@linux-top:~/.local/share/applications> ls
Amarok.desktop chromium-browser-2.desktop kde4-knetattach.desktop mimeapps.list
What could also interfere is ~/.local/share/mime/, try to delete that as well, it’s only a cache anyway.
made no difference.
I found a mimeinfo.cache in /usr/share/applications
[FONT=monospace]uli@linux-top:/usr/share/applications> cat mimeinfo.cache | grep dolphin
inode/directory=kde4-**dolphin**su.desktop;kde4-gwenview.desktop;kde4-**dolphin**.desktop;kde4-kfmc
lient_dir.desktop;org.gnome.Nautilus.desktop;pcmanfm.desktop;[/FONT]