404931 - KB article: Links do not open in Firefox

Status: VERIFIED FIXED

(support.mozilla.org :: Knowledge Base Articles, task)

Description

[Chris Ilias [:cilias]]

This is the troubleshooting version of how to make Firefox the default browser, with an added element: Sometimes we get users saying that Firefox is already set as the default. Usually the solution to that is to set something else as the default, reboot, then set Firefox back as the default.

Comment 1

[Bo]

I've put up a start for standard troubleshooting in Windows at http://support.mozilla.com/tiki-index.php?page=Links+do+not+open+in+Firefox . It could probably use some Linux and Mac sections, but I took it as far as I can:

Comment 2

[Jason Barnabe (np)]

Bo, that article is a good start. I've made a few edits.

Can you tell me in which situations setting the default browser wouldn't work, but changing it via Set Program Access and Defaults or Windows File Types/ Protocol Settings would?

Comment 3

[Bo]

As Comment #0 notes, sometimes Firefox is already set as the default browser, but some program inexplicably won't open links in it. One way to fix this is "set something else as the default, reboot, then set Firefox back as the default."

I put the Access/Defaults instructions in the article because it avoids having to set another browser as default (do we want to have how to set IE as the default browser in the article?) and avoids having to reboot. I somehow recall reading that it does a more thorough job of setting default preferences systemwide, but I could be wrong there.

I've not had to resort to File Types/ Protocol Settings in years (since Mozilla 1.4 on Windows 9x), but I imagine there are some old applications out there that use those settings.

Comment 4

[Jason Barnabe (np)]

OK, I think we may want to comment out the File Types section unless we know of a specific instance where it would help. It's fairly complicated and I don't want to include it unless we know it'll help.

Comment 5

[Bo]

I got rid of the File Types section.

For Linux, searching for problems like the one in this article yields a ton of hits. The solution path looks like it's usually the same - first try to use Firefox to set itself as the default browser, then use whatever your distro/ Gnome/ KDE calls its "Preferred Applications" to set it (looks like Debian/Ubuntu's magic trick is: sudo update-alternatives --config x-www-browser ).

How should that be handled in the KB article?

Comment 6

[Jason Barnabe (np)]

I've added instructions for Ubuntu. We should add one for Mac if it's a problem on that OS.

Is it enough that you open the OS's thing and set Firefox as default, or do you have to set something else as the default and then back to Firefox?

Buttons should use the button quicktag, menus and tabs use path, and all other UI elements use just bolding. This doesn't only apply to UI elements in Firefox.

Comment 7

[Chris Ilias [:cilias]]

Right now, I think http://support.mozilla.com/kb/Setting+Firefox+as+the+default+browser+does+not+work and this may be serving the same purpose. 

Comment 8

[Bo]

The page for this bug is a bit more thorough. Perhaps a redirect would work?

I also think the
http://support.mozilla.com/kb/How+to+make+Firefox+the+default+browser
page should link to one or both.

Comment 9

[Jason Barnabe (np)]

There's also http://support.mozilla.com/kb/Setting+Firefox+as+the+default+browser+does+not+work

What we could do is add the detailed instructions for setting via the OS to that article, add the info on troublesome programs to the default article, then have this article point the default browser article.

Comment 10

[Bo]

I went ahead and combined the two articles - should this article now redirect?

Comment 11

[Chris Ilias [:cilias]]

Okay, here's what we're going to do:
No duplicate content. No redirect.
The "Links do not open in Firefox" article should first suggest that the user set Firefox as the default browser (link to http://support.mozilla.com/kb/How+to+make+Firefox+the+default+browser), then suggest that if it doesn't work, see http://support.mozilla.com/kb/Setting+Firefox+as+the+default+browser+does+not+work .

Comment 12

[Bo]

Giddy-up.

I left the bit about AIM and MSN; no need to lead users on a goose chase if those are what they're using.

Comment 13

[Chris Ilias [:cilias]]

Moved to KB at:
Thu 21 of Feb., 2008 00:44 EST