On a relatively new installation, Thunar has become the default file browser simply by using it.
While I can open Nautilus easily enough, I'd rather it remained as the default file browser(especially when I choose to view files in dual pane).
How can I change my default file manager?
Another method to set nautilus as default using GUI :-
Click on the top-left Xubuntu logo, it will display a menu
Select Settings ➞ Settings manager
The Settings window will open, Click on the Preferred Applications icon.
Then click on the Utilities tab and select nautilus from File Manager section
That's it. Now nautilus becomes your default File manager.
I have a simple solution.
Run this command: exo-preferred-applications
I am using Opensuse 11.4 + Gnome 2.32.1
Thunar became default file browser after playing with XFCE, now I back on Gnome. ;-)
Edit: This method has been tested on Ubuntu by Park Jun-Hong and found to work.
Although convoluted, I believe this link will help you from help.ubuntu.com:
Check for the secion titled “Changing Your Default File Manager”
I assume this happens in the same way that it can with Dolphin. The fix (at least for 10.10) is to run a few gconf commands to get things back to normal. I suggest you run the following in a terminal:
gconftool-2 --set --type=string /desktop/gnome/url-handlers/file/command 'nautilus "%s"'
gconftool-2 --set --type=bool /desktop/gnome/url-handlers/file/enabled true
gconftool-2 --set --type=bool /desktop/gnome/url-handlers/file/need-terminal false
Go to "Preferred Applications." I couldn't find this item on the GNOME menu but was able to find it via Gnome-Do just by writing in preferred applications. Once there go to Utilities tab and select Nautilus from there.
Hope this helps someone later on -- I realise this is an old question.
The best way to stop that problem (because it's an issue that even solved can resurface anytime) is to get rid of Thunar if you use Gnome/Unity and not Xfce.
From my experience I can say that Nautilus and Thunar are not tuned up to be used one beside the other, both trying to take over each-other's business, changing the desktop and behaving like they were in their "normal" desktop environments (as if Thunar is asking for Xfce and Nautilus for Gnome/Unity). Their parallel use might make sense only for testing purposes. I think most combinations of file browsers are ok, but not that one.