Ubuntu comes with a useful set of apps pre-installed, including the Mozilla Firefox web browser and the Thunderbird e-mail client.

web browser
Navigate the web with your preferred app

While both of those apps are great choices, not everyone wants to use them as their default.

Indeed, we often receive emails and tweets from users asking us how to change the default browser and mail apps in Ubuntu.

Because they want their preferred browser to open whenever they click a link in another app.

The good news is that is easy to change the default browser in Ubuntu, as well as your preferred app for other types of content, be it e-mail, text documents, or music and video files.

Let’s take look at how.

Change Default Browser in Ubuntu

Settings your preferred default apps in Ubuntu using the Settings app
Settings your preferred default apps is easy in Ubuntu

Ubuntu ships with Mozilla Firefox by default. It’s a solid, open-source and well-featured web browser that’s every-bit as capable of web browsing as other apps — but it’s not everyone’s browser of choice.

  • Open-source web browsers, including GNOME Web, Chromium, and IceWeasel are available to install from Ubuntu Software/App Center.
  • Big-name web-browsers, including Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Opera, and Vivaldi are also available for Linux but you’ll need to download them.

Whatever web browser you choose, and however you choose to install it, once it’s installed you can make it default.

To set the default browser for opening web links you click in other applications like instant messengers, social media clients, and e-mails Ubuntu’s Settings app:

  1. Open the Settings app 
  2. Select the Apps entry in the sidebar
  3. Click the ‘Default Applications’ button at the top
  4. In the ‘Web’ row, choose a browser listed in the drop-down menu

That’s it; your chosen web browser is now the default web browser.

Change Default Mail Client in Ubuntu

ubuntu system settings changing default mail client
Make Ubuntu handle mail the way you want it to

Ubuntu’s expanded install includes Thunderbird as the default mail application. Thunderbird will open automatically if you click on an email address or a mailto link in a web-browsers, a PDF, instant message, etc.

While this convenience is handy if you use Thunderbird, many don’t; you may use a different Linux e-mail client like Geary, Evolution, Proton Mail, Vivaldi Mail, etc.

Don’t want to use a desktop e-mail client at all, and would rather force mail links to open in Gmail? Install the ‘gnome-gmail’ package (‘Viagee’ in the app picker), enter your preferred e-mail address, and when you time you click a mail link Gmail open in the default web browser.

Assuming you have one of this installed, you can replace Thunderbird.

  1. Open the Settings app 
  2. Select the Apps entry in the sidebar
  3. Click the ‘Default Applications’ button at the top
  4. In the ‘Mail’ row, choose a client listed in the drop-down menu

That’s it; next time you click a mailto link the e-mail client or web-mail redirect tool you set will open.

Going Further

Follow the steps above to set other default apps, such as your preferred music player when double-clicking on an MP3 file; your favourite video player, e.g., VLC, Celluloid, or Clapper; and more.