Setting Neovim As Default Application On Linux Mint 22.1

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Hey guys! Ever wanted to make Neovim your go-to text editor in Linux Mint 22.1? It's a pretty cool move, especially if you're all about that efficient, keyboard-centric workflow. The user in our discussion was facing a bit of a snag trying to set the latest Neovim release as the default, since the one in the apt repositories is a little behind the times. If you've been there, you know the drill. But don't worry, we're going to break it down and make it super easy to set up. So, let's dive into how you can make Neovim your default application in Linux Mint 22.1!

Understanding the Challenge

First off, let's talk about why this might be a bit tricky. When you install software through your package manager (like apt in Linux Mint), the system knows exactly where to find it. But when you download and install something manually, like a shiny new Neovim release from GitHub, the system might not automatically recognize it as an option for opening files. This is where we need to step in and tell Linux Mint, “Hey, use this Neovim version when I open a text file, okay?”

The main challenge revolves around making your system aware of the manually installed Neovim executable and ensuring it's correctly associated with the file types you want to open with it. This involves a few key steps: making the Neovim executable accessible, creating or modifying a .desktop file, and then setting Neovim as the default application for specific file types. It sounds like a lot, but trust me, it’s totally manageable. We're going to walk through each part step by step so you can get your system purring with the latest Neovim.

Think of it like this: your operating system has a list of applications it knows about, and when you double-click a file, it consults this list to figure out which application should open it. When you install an application manually, you need to make sure it gets added to that list, or else your system will keep defaulting to the older version (or a different text editor altogether). So, gear up, and let’s get Neovim set as your default!

Step 1: Installing Neovim from GitHub

Okay, first things first, let’s assume you’ve already downloaded the latest Neovim release from GitHub. Awesome! You’re one step ahead. Now, we need to get it installed properly. Usually, this involves extracting the downloaded archive and placing the Neovim executable in a directory that's in your system's PATH. This is crucial because the PATH is a list of directories where your system looks for executable files. If Neovim isn't in one of these directories, you won't be able to launch it just by typing nvim in your terminal.

So, where should you put it? A common choice is /usr/local/bin because it's specifically meant for locally installed software. To get started, open up your terminal and navigate to the directory where you downloaded the Neovim archive. Then, you'll want to extract the archive. The exact command will depend on the type of archive (e.g., .tar.gz, .zip), but it'll generally look something like tar -xvzf <archive_name>.tar.gz or unzip <archive_name>.zip. Once extracted, you should find the nvim executable inside.

Next, you'll need to move this executable to /usr/local/bin. You'll probably need administrator privileges for this, so you'll use the sudo command. The full command might look like this: sudo mv nvim /usr/local/bin. After entering your password, the nvim executable should be safely tucked away in its new home. To make sure everything's working, open a new terminal and type nvim --version. If you see the version information for the Neovim release you just installed, you're golden! If not, double-check that you moved the executable to the correct directory and that /usr/local/bin is included in your system's PATH.

Step 2: Creating or Modifying the .desktop File

Alright, with Neovim installed, the next step is to create or modify a .desktop file. These files are what Linux uses to represent applications in menus, launchers, and as options for opening files. Think of them as the bridge between your shiny new Neovim executable and the graphical interface of Linux Mint.

A .desktop file is basically a text file with a specific format, containing information like the application's name, a description, the command to execute, and an icon. It lives in one of two places: either /usr/share/applications for system-wide applications, or ~/.local/share/applications for applications specific to your user account. If you want Neovim to be available for all users on your system, you'll need to create the file in the system-wide directory (which requires sudo privileges). If it's just for you, the user-specific directory is the way to go.

Let's create a .desktop file for Neovim. Open your favorite text editor (maybe not Neovim just yet!) and paste in the following template:

[Desktop Entry]
Name=Neovim
Comment=A powerful text editor
Exec=/usr/local/bin/nvim
Icon=nvim
Terminal=true
Type=Application
MimeType=text/plain;text/x-chdr;text/x-csrc;text/x-c++;text/x-cpphdr;text/x-java;text/x-makefile;text/x-python;text/x-shellscript;text/html;text/markdown;
Categories=TextEditor;Development;

Let's break down what each line does:

  • [Desktop Entry] : This is the header that tells the system this is a desktop entry file.
  • Name=Neovim : The name of the application as it will appear in menus and file associations.
  • Comment=A powerful text editor : A short description of the application.
  • Exec=/usr/local/bin/nvim : This is the crucial part! It specifies the command to execute when the application is launched. Make sure this path matches where you put the Neovim executable.
  • Icon=nvim : The name of the icon to use. You might need to find or create an icon file and place it in the appropriate directory (e.g., /usr/share/icons) for this to work perfectly.
  • Terminal=true : This tells the system to run Neovim in a terminal window. If you're using a GUI version of Neovim, you might want to set this to false.
  • Type=Application : Specifies that this is an application entry.
  • MimeType=... : This is a list of MIME types that Neovim can handle. It tells the system what types of files Neovim can open. Feel free to customize this list to suit your needs.
  • Categories=TextEditor;Development; : Categories help organize the application in menus.

Save this file as nvim.desktop in either ~/.local/share/applications or /usr/share/applications (using sudo if necessary). Once the file is saved, your system should recognize Neovim as an application!

Step 3: Setting Neovim as the Default Application

Okay, we're in the home stretch now! We've got Neovim installed, and we've got a .desktop file so the system knows it exists. Now, the final piece of the puzzle is to actually set Neovim as the default application for the file types you want to open with it. This is where we tell Linux Mint,