Most applications, when installed, will create the .desktop files automatically and place themselves in the “Application” menu for quick access. However, if you compile a program from source or download an app in archive format, this may not be the case, and you may have to open the terminal to execute the binary every time you want to use it. Obviously, this can become a very tedious and troublesome step. This tutorial shows how you can create a .desktop file for any application you use that can be launched from the “Application” menu.
How to Create Desktop Launchers
A .desktop file is a simple text file that holds information about a program. It is usually placed in “~/.local/share/applications” or “/usr/share/applications/,” depending on whether you want the launcher to be accessible for your local account onlly or for everyone. If you navigate to either directory in your File Manager, you will see quite a few .desktop files that correspond with the installed apps on your computer. For demonstration purposes, we are creating a .desktop file for Super Tux Kart, a kart racing game we like to play sometimes. A version is available in the Ubuntu repos, but this is often behind the latest stable version. The only way to get the latest and greatest release is by downloading a tar archive, extracting it and executing a file which will launch the game. You can follow along with whichever program you want to create a launcher for, and it should work the same way. Note: the following steps assume you have the archive for the program you want to create a launcher for in your “Downloads” folder. Note: You’ll need to change the “Exec” field to the path to the executable and “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 following image. Note: don’t forget to change <application-name.desktop> to the actual name of the .desktop file. The method described here should work on all mainstream Linux-based operating systems. Here’s another screenshot showing Super Tux Kart in Xubuntu’s application launcher (XFCE).
How to Copy .Desktop Files
As discussed above, you can obtain a .desktop file from a program that you have installed through a repository. This is helpful if you want to create a custom .desktop file as a way of fixing a broken package in Ubuntu. For the most part, each Linux distribution is largely similar in its structure, so while this section will heavily focus on Ubuntu 22.04, you can still use these instructions in your favorite desktop environment.
This brings up a list of all the system locations in your machine. Press “Computer.”
How to Create .Desktop Files With a Third-Party Program
Aside from editing and copying .desktop files, it is also possible to create shortcuts in Linux through a Graphical User Interface (GUI) program. This is useful if you are not comfortable with editing configuration files. Unlike the previous methods, this will require you to install a program like Arronax, which may not be present in your distribution’s repository. Despite that, it is still possible to use it by obtaining a copy from the developer’s website. To install the GUI in Ubuntu, follow the below instructions. Image credit: Charles-Adrien Fournier via Unsplash All screenshots by Ramces Red. To do this using Arronax, create a new .desktop shortcut by providing both a “Title” and a “Command,” then toggle the “Run in Terminal” option and save the new shortcut.
