To set a default browser, make sure that a .desktop file exists for your preferred browser. I’ll be setting Mozilla Iceweasel for this example:
ls /usr/share/applications/iceweasel.desktop
Output:
iceweasel.desktop
Assured you have the file, run:
xdg-settings set default-web-browser iceweasel.desktop
# Test that it works
xdg-open "http://example.com"
If you don’t have a .desktop file:
I use the program surf, which doesn’t have a .desktop file. To set this as your web browser, first create the file ~/.local/share/applications/surf.desktop with this following content:
[Desktop Entry]
Type=Application
Name=surf
Comment=Surf minimal web browser
Terminal=false
Exec=surf
Categories=Network;WebBrowser
While not all of this content is required, it helps categorize the file for any future use.
Set the default browser like normal:
xdg-settings set default-web-browser surf.desktop
And now you’re good to go!