diff --git a/scripts/xdg-utils-common.in b/scripts/xdg-utils-common.in
index f920799..ad66b29 100644
--- a/scripts/xdg-utils-common.in
+++ b/scripts/xdg-utils-common.in
@@ -20,11 +20,16 @@ first_word()
 
 #-------------------------------------------------------------
 # map a binary to a .desktop file
+# Search every desktop file in standard locations, and if one contains any
+# Exec line whose target (after resolving symlinks) is the same as the given
+# parameter file (after resolving symlinks), then print the name of that
+# desktop file. This only emits the first desktop file found. Luckily, wildcard
+# expansion is ordered, so the lexically-first filename of a match is returned.
 binary_to_desktop_file()
 {
     search="${XDG_DATA_HOME:-$HOME/.local/share}:${XDG_DATA_DIRS:-/usr/local/share:/usr/share}"
-    binary="`which "$1"`"
-    binary="`readlink -f "$binary"`"
+    binary=$(which "$1")
+    binary=$(readlink -f "$binary")
     base="`basename "$binary"`"
     IFS=:
     for dir in $search; do
@@ -37,13 +42,17 @@ binary_to_desktop_file()
             grep -q "^Exec.*$base" "$file" || continue
             # Make sure it's a visible desktop file (e.g. not "preferred-web-browser.desktop").
             grep -Eq "^(NoDisplay|Hidden)=true" "$file" && continue
-            command="`grep -E "^Exec(\[[^]=]*])?=" "$file" | cut -d= -f 2- | first_word`"
-            command="`which "$command"`"
-            if [ x"`readlink -f "$command"`" = x"$binary" ]; then
-                # Fix any double slashes that got added path composition
-                echo "$file" | sed -e 's,//*,/,g'
-                return
-            fi
+
+            # "TryExec" isn't good enough. Only "Exec". Test every Exec in the file. Only use one.
+            grep -E "^Exec(\[[^]=]*])?=" "$file" | cut -d= -f 2- | \
+                    while read command argumentlist; do
+                        command_full_path=$(which "$command")
+                        if [ $(readlink -f "$command_full_path") = "$binary" ]; then
+                            # Fix any double slashes that got added path composition
+                            echo "$file" | sed -e 's,//*,/,g'
+                            return  # That was out answer. Nothing else to do.
+                        fi
+                    done
         done
     done
 }
@@ -54,7 +63,7 @@ binary_to_desktop_file()
 desktop_file_to_binary()
 {
     search="${XDG_DATA_HOME:-$HOME/.local/share}:${XDG_DATA_DIRS:-/usr/local/share:/usr/share}"
-    desktop="`basename "$1"`"
+    desktop=$(basename "$1")
     IFS=:
     for dir in $search; do
         unset IFS
@@ -62,10 +71,13 @@ desktop_file_to_binary()
         file="$dir/applications/$desktop"
         [ -r "$file" ] || continue
         # Remove any arguments (%F, %f, %U, %u, etc.).
-        command="`grep -E "^Exec(\[[^]=]*])?=" "$file" | cut -d= -f 2- | first_word`"
-        command="`which "$command"`"
-        readlink -f "$command"
-        return
+        grep -E "^Exec(\[[^]=]*])?=" "$file" | cut -d= -f 2- | \
+                while read command argumentlist; do
+                    # Use while-read to process one line, not all lines.
+                    command_full_path=$(which "$command")
+                    readlink -f "$command_full_path"
+                    return  # Don't continue after the first.
+                done
     done
 }