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$ xdg-mime query default video/avi smplayer.desktopRunning the command "$ xdg-mime query default video/avi" on the command line returns the output "smplayer.desktop" If it were set to VLC, you could change it to SMPlayer using the command: xdg-mime default smplayer.desktop video/aviReview:Three different ways to set what application will open a specific file type in Linux Mint Cinnamon, one of which uses the desktop graphic environment and the other two using command line interface.* Preferred Applications * gio* xdg-mimeUsing Preferred Applications is not as precise and sometimes malfunctions. Using gio gets the job done but may not be the best recommended technique and using xdg-mime also works and is less distribution or desktop manager specific. Each option will edit the ~/.config/mimeapps.list within the user's own home directory. Although mimeapps.list could be edited manually using a text editor however this practice is discouraged due to very specific syntax required and bypasses error checking. Depending on factors regarding your installation, which of these options works best for you is unknown, however, one of these options will work.