How to Create a .Desktop File for Your Linux Application

A .desktop file is simply a shortcut used to launch applications in Linux. Without a .desktop file, your application won't appear in the application list and can't be launched with third-party launchers like Ulauncher and Albert.

Most applications, when installed, automatically create .desktop files and place them in the "Applications" menu for quick access. However, if you compiled a program from source or downloaded an application in archive format, this may not be the case, and you may have to open the device to execute the binary every time you want to use it. Obviously, this can become a very tedious and annoying step. This tutorial shows how to create a .desktop file for any application you use that can be launched from the menu. "Application".

How to create .desktop players

A .desktop file is a simple text file that contains information about a program. It's typically located in "~/.local/share/applications" or "/usr/share/applications/," depending on whether you want the launcher to be accessible only to your local account or to everyone. If you navigate to either folder in your file manager, you'll see quite a few .desktop files that correspond to the applications installed on your computer.

For demonstration purposes, we're creating a .desktop file for Super Tux Kart, a car racing game we like to play occasionally. A version is available in the Ubuntu repositories, but it's often behind the latest stable release.

The only way to get the latest and greatest version is to download the tar archive, extract it, andExecute a file to run the game.

You can follow the program you want to create a launcher for, and it should work the same way.

Note: The following steps assume that you have an archive of the program for which you want to create a launcher in your Downloads folder.

1. Go to Guide Where the archive is stored, right-click on it and select Extract here.

2. Once the extraction is complete, change to the newly created folder and find the executable file.
3. Right-click on it and select Run as program Just to start the program to make sure it works.

4. In some cases, you will not see the option. "employment" In the list, this is often because the executable file is a text file. You can get around this by executing it via the terminal.

5. If you are sure that the application is working when you launch it, you can exit it.
6. Launch your text editor and paste the following into an empty text file:

[Desktop Entry] Encoding=UTF-8 Version=1.0 Type=Application Terminal=false Exec=/path/to/executable Name=Name of Application Icon=/path/to/icon

Note: You'll need to change the "Exec" field to the path to the executable file and the "Name" field to the name of the application. Most programs provide an icon somewhere in the archive, so don't forget to include that as well. In our case, the launcher file for Super Tux Kart looks like the image below.

7. Save the file in a folder. “~/.local/share/applications” Basim “application-name.desktop”. Vol “.local” It is a hidden folder in a directory. Home page You will need to enable the mode. Show hidden files To view it. If you want to make it globally accessible, run the following command in the terminal:

sudo mv ~/.local/share/applications/ /usr/share/applications/

Note: Don't forget to change to the actual name of the .desktop file.

8. Once done, open the menu. Applications On your desktop to find the .desktop application.

The method described here should work on all Linux-based operating systems. Here's another screenshot showing Super Tux Kart in the Xubuntu Application Launcher (XFCE).

How to copy .desktop files

As discussed above, you can get a .desktop file from a program you installed through a repository. This is useful if you want to create a custom desktop file as a way to fix a broken package in Ubuntu.

For the most part, every Linux distribution is pretty similar in its structure, so while this section focuses heavily on Ubuntu 22.04, you can still use these instructions in your favorite desktop environment.

1. To get started, open a file manager from your desktop. In this case, we're opening Nautilus, as it's the default for Ubuntu.
2. Press Enter Other sites In the left sidebar of Nautilus.

3. This displays a list of all system locations on your device. Tap "Computer".

4. Go to “/usr/share/applications”This directory contains the .desktop files that the .desktop manager uses to create its application menu.

5. Copy the application for which you want to create a shortcut. For example, right-click on firefox-esr.desktop and select "copies".

6. Go back to the desktop and place the .desktop file by right-clicking and choosing "sticky".

7. Right-click on the .desktop file and select Allow to operateDoing so will set the permission bits so that the desktop environment can use this file to run the program.

How to create .desktop files using third-party software

Aside from editing and copying .desktop files, it's also possible to create shortcuts in Linux through a graphical user interface (GUI) program. This is useful if you're not comfortable editing configuration files.

Unlike the previous methods, this will require you to install a program like Arronax, which may not be available in your distribution's repository. However, it can still be used by obtaining a copy of Developer's websiteTo install the GUI in Ubuntu, follow the instructions below.

1. Add a third-party repository by running the following command:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:diesche/stable

2. Install the GUI program by running the following command:

sudo apt install arronax

3. On the other hand, if you are installing it through tarball Then you need to decompress the archive using tar:

tar xvzf /home/$USER/Downloads/arronax-0.8.1.tar.gz

4. Turn on Arronax Either by running the command below or typing “arronax” While in the application menu, a window will appear where you can create and save .desktop files.

./setup.py && ./run.py

5. To create your first shortcut using Arronax, click the icon "new" In the menu bar in Arronax to create a template you can use for your shortcut.
6. Enter the shortcut name and file path for your program. For example, we're creating a .desktop file for Firefox by typing “Firefox” In a field "the address" و /bin/firefox-esr In a field "Orders".

7. Press Green Arrow In the menu bar in Arronax to save the shortcut.

    8. In this example, we save it as Firefox.desktop In our .desktop directory.

9. Right-click on this .desktop file and select Allow to operate To set the permission bits for it, as shown above.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. Is it possible to use a .desktop file even if I am using a window manager?
answer. No, a .desktop file will not work with most window managers, as it lacks support for the XDG Menu specification. While it is possible to create a .desktop file in a window manager, it will not appear as a shortcut on the desktop. One way to recreate this mechanism is to use shell scripts in conjunction with the Simple X Hotkey Daemon.

Q2. Is it possible to create a .desktop file for CLI and TUI applications using Arronax?

answer. Yes! You can easily create a .desktop file for a program that runs in the terminal, which is useful if you already use TUI programs and want a quick way to access them.

To do this using Arronax, create a new .desktop shortcut by providing “Title” and “Command,” then toggle the “Run in Terminal” option and save the new shortcut.

Q3. Is it possible to hide the desktop shortcut from the applications list?
answer. Yes! It is possible to modify a .desktop file so that it does not appear in your applications list by adding a single line of code to the file you want to edit. For example, if you want to hide Firefox from the applications list, open the .desktop file. firefox-esr.desktop in “/usr/share/applications”. From there, add Hidden=true At the end of the file, then restart your computer to apply the changes.