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Change default browser in Thunderbird?

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dloyer4
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Change default browser in Thunderbird?

When using Thunderbird Portable, if I click on a link included in an email. Thunderbird opens the default browser on the system I'm using. I'd prefer it to open the portable browser on my thumb-drive. Is there any way to change that behavior?

ottosykora
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Last seen: 7 hours 47 min ago
Joined: 2007-10-11 17:48
open the browser

first and try then

it is not very good idea to set any portable browser as default, since this breaks the portability and then leaves the system looking for browser where there is none.

Otto Sykora
Basel, Switzerland

mgagnonlv
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Joined: 2008-04-04 21:51
It won't work, but there is a workaround

Unless you hack the registry, setting Thunderbird Portable as default won't register properly. However, there is a workaround.

– Install a local version of Thunderbird on the computer you use and set it as your defaut mail application.

– Open Thunderbird Portable manually before you click on any mailto links. Then, when you'll click on links in other programs and documents, they will be automatically opened by Thunderbird Portable. The cross-program compatibility works with Firefox, Internet Explorer, Acrobat Reader and Office 2003 documents. I haven't tested it with other programs but it should work as well.

Obviously, it works only with your own computers, not on ones that you visit. And I think you need administrative rights to do so.

Michel Gagnon
Montréal (Québec, Canada)

consul
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how about thunderbrowse ...

if you want to keep it just within thunderbird? It opens the url as another tab in tbird. It's an add-on, https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/addon/5373/ I like it, I use.

Don't be an uberPr∅. They are stinky.

x0pherl
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Joined: 2009-05-28 11:41
It can be done in a highly portable way

This allows you to click on links within Thunderbird and have them open within Firefox Portable, even on a system with a different default browser:

  • In Thunderbird Portable, click on Tools.. Options, Go to the Advanced Tab and click config editor
  • Promise to be careful
  • In the filter box, type "Network.protocol-handler.warn-external"
  • Double click on the entries for "Network.protocol-handler.warn-external.http" and "Network.protocol-handler.warn-external.https", setting them to "true"
  • OK your way out of the config boxes
  • Click on a link within an email for an http address and browse to the path of Firefox Portable (e.g. X:\PortableApps\FirefoxPortable\FirefoxPortable.exe) - do NOT go inside the App path for App\Firefox\firefox.exe- this is bad
  • Repeat above step with an https link

These procedures seem to be non-drive-letter dependent (at least with a very quick test it worked for me after changing the drive letter on a win-7 machine), and could be easily modified to change the ftp handler as well (if you get a lot of ftp links mailed to you). One obvious caveat- you must point this to a Portable Browser on the same drive to maintain portability.

consul
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i wonder if this works the other way around ...

where a mailto in firefox can be sent to the tb portable?

Don't be an uberPr∅. They are stinky.

MichaelDW
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setting mailto in firefox

Tools -> Options -> Applications

OsakaWebbie
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Joined: 2012-02-16 02:11
Can it be undone again?

This was a great tip, and worked well for me while traveling with my PortableApps. But now I'm home again, and I copied my TB profile back into my regular non-portable version of TB. Apparently the browser path settings are in my profile somewhere, because it is still trying to use Firefox Portable from my home-based Thunderbird. Where is the browser path stored, so that I can erase it and allow it to use the system default again (or change it manually to the non-portable Firefox)?

EDIT: Never mind - I found it. I didn't consider this functionality an "attachment", but the setting is indeed in Tools->Options->Attachments.

pigphish
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Last seen: 10 years 8 months ago
Joined: 2011-06-24 14:51
that did the trick

great find on tools -> options -> attachments

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