diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index b18e8908..b6a26574 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -7,6 +7,11 @@ Additional customization to make it more friendly towards major distros (which `
 ## Modifications
 
 - File associations
+    - Environment variable **NOICE_OPENER** to override all associations and open all files with your desktop environments default file opener. Examples:
+
+        $ export NOICE_OPENER=xdg-open
+        $ export NOICE_OPENER=gnome-open
+        $ export NOICE_OPENER=gvfs-open
     - Associate plain text files with vim (using `file` command)
     - Remove video file associations (to each his own favourite video player)
     - Associate common audio file types with lightweight fmedia (http://fmedia.firmdev.com/)
diff --git a/noice.1 b/noice.1
index 789cd0a3..603af051 100644
--- a/noice.1
+++ b/noice.1
@@ -104,9 +104,15 @@ files.
 .Sh ENVIRONMENT
 The SHELL, EDITOR and PAGER environment variables take precedence
 when dealing with the !, e and p commands respectively.
+.Pp
+\fBNOICE_OPENER:\fR set to your desktop environment's default
+mime opener to override all custom mime associations.
+.br
+Examples: xdg-open, gnome-open, gvfs-open.
 .Sh EXAMPLES
 The following example shows one possible configuration for
-file associations which is also the default:
+file associations which is also the default if environment
+variable NOICE_OPENER is not set:
 .Bd -literal
 struct assoc assocs[] = {
 	{ "\\.(c|cpp|h|txt|log)$", "vim" },