diff --git a/tools/lammps-gui/CMakeLists.txt b/tools/lammps-gui/CMakeLists.txt
index de1d28e21d..d807547a2f 100644
--- a/tools/lammps-gui/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/tools/lammps-gui/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -192,6 +192,8 @@ elseif((CMAKE_SYSTEM_NAME STREQUAL "Windows") AND CMAKE_CROSSCOMPILING)
 elseif(CMAKE_SYSTEM_NAME STREQUAL "Linux")
   install(TARGETS lammps-gui DESTINATION ${CMAKE_INSTALL_BINDIR})
   install(FILES ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/lammps-gui.desktop DESTINATION ${CMAKE_INSTALL_DATADIR}/applications/)
+  install(FILES ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/lammps-input.xml DESTINATION ${CMAKE_INSTALL_DATADIR}/mime/packages/)
+  install(FILES ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/lammps-input.xml DESTINATION ${CMAKE_INSTALL_DATADIR}/mime/text/x-application-lammps.xml)
   install(DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/icons/hicolor DESTINATION ${CMAKE_INSTALL_DATADIR}/icons/)
   install(CODE [[
     file(GET_RUNTIME_DEPENDENCIES
diff --git a/tools/lammps-gui/lammps-gui.desktop b/tools/lammps-gui/lammps-gui.desktop
index c6fd985b20..ffd903b1d9 100644
--- a/tools/lammps-gui/lammps-gui.desktop
+++ b/tools/lammps-gui/lammps-gui.desktop
@@ -1,10 +1,11 @@
 [Desktop Entry]
 Version=1.0
 Type=Application
-Categories=Science;Engineering;
+Categories=Education;Science
+MimeType=text/x-application-lammps
 Exec=lammps-gui %f
 Name=The LAMMPS GUI
 Terminal=false
-GenericName=MD Simulator
+GenericName=LAMMPS MD Simulator GUI
 Keywords=MD Simulation;LAMMPS;Molecular Dynamics;N-Body
 Icon=lammps
diff --git a/tools/lammps-gui/lammps-input.xml b/tools/lammps-gui/lammps-input.xml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..20e1646316
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/lammps-gui/lammps-input.xml
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+<?xml version="1.0"?>
+<mime-info xmlns='http://www.freedesktop.org/standards/shared-mime-info'>
+  <mime-type type="text/x-application-lammps">
+    <comment>LAMMPS input file</comment>
+    <glob pattern="*.lmp"/>
+    <glob pattern="in.*"/>
+  </mime-type>
+</mime-info>