Make OSX default web browser (Linux) Firefox

C

ClausA

Junior Member
I have updated to the latest Parallels 13, hoping that I can make the Lubuntu Linux Firefox (VM) the default browser on my Mac. However, the Mac's System Preferences would not let me chose Lubuntu's Firefox as the default browser. (I could pick MS Edge, which also runs in a Parallels VM.)
Is there a way to make Lubuntu Firefox (running inside a Parallels VM) my default browser on my Mac?
Thanks for any hint.
C.
 
Is Linux applications sharing enabled in VM configuration (Options -> Applications -> Share Linux applications with Mac)?
 
App sharing is switched on and I can start Firefox (Linux Guest) by clicking on the Firefox icon at macOS (~/Applications (Parallels)/Lubuntu/Firefox Web Browser).
The problem is that Firefox (Linux Guest) does not appear in the default browser list in macOS System Preferences -> General tab. The default browser popup list shows Internet Explorer and Edge (Windows 10 guest) as options, but not Linux browsers.
 
Sorry, yes. This feature is not implemented for Linux guests.

But I may suggest a "manual" workaround. This is not an official way, no guarantee that it functions always properly.
0. Open file ~/Applications (Parallels)/{$VM_ID} Applications.localized/Firefox Web Browser.app/Contents/Info.plist in your text editor and add these keys there:
<key>CFBundleURLTypes</key>
<array>
<dict>
<key>CFBundleURLSchemes</key>
<array>
<string>http</string>
<string>https</string>
</array>
</dict>
</array>
1. Unregister Firefox guest app from LaunchServices database first:
$ /System/Library/Frameworks//CoreServices.framework/Versions/A/Frameworks/LaunchServices.framework/Versions/A/Support/lsregister -u ~/Applications\ \(Parallels\)/\{VM_ID\}\ Applications.localized/Firefox\ Web\ Browser.app/
2. Reregister Firefox app:
$ /System/Library/Frameworks//CoreServices.framework/Versions/A/Frameworks/LaunchServices.framework/Versions/A/Support/lsregister -v ~/Applications\ \(Parallels\)/\{VM_ID\}\ Applications.localized/Firefox\ Web\ Browser.app
 
Thanks for your reply. I have tried to add CFBundleURLSchemes already a couple of days ago. It would let me pick Firefox (Linux guest) as the default browser. When clicking on a link Firefox opens as expected, however, Firefox open file:///home/parallels/ independent of the clicked link.
Obviously, the URL is not being passed to Firefox. This makes it useless.
Is there another way or are there any plans to add this feature again to Parallels? (I remember using Firefox on Linux guest in Parallels 10 or so.) You do offer this feature for Windows, so why not for Linux (since it has worked in previous versions)?
 
rkulikov said:
Sorry, yes. This feature is not implemented for Linux guests.

But I may suggest a "manual" workaround. This is not an official way, no guarantee that it functions always properly.
0. Open file ~/Applications (Parallels)/{$VM_ID} Applications.localized/Firefox Web Browser.app/Contents/Info.plist in your text editor and add these keys there:
<key>CFBundleURLTypes</key>
<array>
<dict>
<key>CFBundleURLSchemes</key>
<array>
<string>http</string>
<string>https</string>
</array>
</dict>
</array>
1. Unregister Firefox guest app from LaunchServices database first:
$ /System/Library/Frameworks//CoreServices.framework/Versions/A/Frameworks/LaunchServices.framework/Versions/A/Support/lsregister -u ~/Applications\ \(Parallels\)/\{VM_ID\}\ Applications.localized/Firefox\ Web\ Browser.app/
2. Reregister Firefox app:
$ /System/Library/Frameworks//CoreServices.framework/Versions/A/Frameworks/LaunchServices.framework/Versions/A/Support/lsregister -v ~/Applications\ \(Parallels\)/\{VM_ID\}\ Applications.localized/Firefox\ Web\ Browser.app
Click to expand...


Any updates on this functionality? I would like to be able to target a browser in my Ubuntu VM when clicking a web link within macOS host. Is that possible?

for a quick test I tried to target both Cromium and Firefox, but neither worked. Chromium simply opens an empty tab, and Firefox opens the local user home folder like ClausA reports above
 
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