Using RCDefault to change the default Web browser/Mail client (and more)

Yesterday we noted Apple's somewhat draconian instructions for changing the default Web browser and e-mail client in Mac OS X, which involve changing the settings from within Safari and Mail.app respectively. In fact, Apple's Knowledge Base article on the subject says the user "should never delete" either Safari or Mail.app, so that they can change this setting in the future.

Fortunately, there are some less restrictive means for changing these settings. The most prominent is through the use of RCDefaultApp, a freeware preference pane (accessible through System Preferences) that allows designation of default Web, Mail, RSS, FTP clients and more.

The RCDefaultApp interface is straightforward. Simply download the 283 KB disk image, mount it, and double click the file RCDefaultApp.prefPane, after which you will be prompted to install it as a preference pane. Alternatively, you can drag it to ~/Library/PreferencePanes if you would like it to apply only to the current user, or /Library/PreferencePanes if you would like it to be accessible for all users, then log out and back in.

Open System Preferences and click on the Default Apps pane, which will be located under Other. You will then be presented with the below screen:

Use the Internet tab to set default Web, Mail, etc. applications. If, for instance, Firefox is set as the default browser, it will be launched when appropriate URLs are clicked in other applications.

You can also use the Applications tab to set which applications will open documents with specific indicators like filename extensions, MIME types, and even specifically formed URLs.

Feedback? Late-breakers@macfixit.com.

Previous coverage:

• Instructions for changing the default Web browser/Mail application in Mac OS X

Resources