how do I tell a browser in osx which plugin should handle a certain file type?

September 17, 2008 9:35 PM

how do I tell a browser in osx which plugin should handle a certain file type?

I installed the vlc plugin for osx to enable safari and firefox to handle vlc-streams.

vlc also tries to handle mp3 files opened in either browser.
I don't want it to do that. I prefer quicktime handling such files in-browser, which is exactly what used to happen. (the qt plugin can begin playing while still downloading, the vlc plugin says "no video" until the whole download is completed.)

how do I tell a browser in osx which plugin should handle a certain file type? is my only option to trash the vlc plugin completely?

I tried RCDefaultApp 2.0.1 but had no luck.

posted by krautland to computers & internet (6 comments total)

Firefox lets you decide this in the Preferences window's Applications tab. Safari has no UI for this as far as I know.
posted by w0mbat at 9:56 PM on September 17, 2008

In Firefox, hit Firefox->Preferences-->Content-->File Types-->Manage, then scroll down to the file type you want to change; highlight it, hit "change action", navigate to the app or plugin you want it to default to and hit OK.

I don't use Safari, so I can't help ya there.
posted by LuckySeven~ at 9:57 PM on September 17, 2008

is there a way to keep this plugin active only in firefox then?

the plugin itself sits in library>Internet Plug-Ins ,which causes both browsers to access it. blocking only safari from using it would be another way to fix this that would work for me.
posted by krautland at 10:17 PM on September 17, 2008

I'm not sure, but you can make it default to opening in Firefox and not Safari by using RCDefaultApp. Try opening up RCDefaultApp again.

System Preferences-->DefaultApps-->Apps-->Internet-->Web choose Firefox.

You can also make VLC stop handling your mp3s by doing this:

System Preferences-->DefaultApps-->Apps scroll down to VLC, scroll down to Extensions-->mp3 and uncheck the box.

This works for other applications too, if, for example, you want to kick StuffIt to the curb and let iArchiver or some other program handle unzipping your files.
posted by LuckySeven~ at 5:13 AM on September 18, 2008

LuckySeven~ - I think you must be describing how to do this on Windows - FF3 on Mac has preferences that look nothing like that, and the Mac System Preferences app has no "DefaultApps" panel. This question is about the Mac.
posted by w0mbat at 7:11 PM on September 18, 2008

@w0mbat - Nope. Mac. Click the link in the second sentence of my reply.
posted by LuckySeven~ at 9:07 PM on September 24, 2008