If you came to Ubuntu from Windows, you may be wondering why it’s impossible to create desktop shortcuts in Linux. The truth is that it’s not impossible, but it is somewhat more complicated. Read on to learn how to do it.
Desktop Files
In Linux, every application that you can launch from the desktop comes with an extra file that defines how that should happen. It’s a simple text file with a range of parameters, like the application’s name, file location, icon, and the name presented on the desktop.
Those files are crucial to creating desktop shortcuts for our applications, for they are the desktop shortcuts to our apps.
On Ubuntu you can find those files in the “/usr/share/applications” directory – other distributions may use a different path. To create a desktop shortcut:
1. Open the File Manager.
2. Click on “+ Other Locations -> Computer” and navigate to “/usr/share/applications.” You will find many files with the “.desktop” extension.
3. Scroll down the list to find the application you want to place on Desktop. Right click and select “Copy.”
4. Paste to the Desktop.
Allow Launching
The files you’ve copied to your desktop in the previous step already contain everything you need to launch their respective applications by double-clicking on them. And yet, if you try it, nothing will happen, and to add insult to injury, they all look identical. Thankfully, both those problems are fixable with a single move.
Right-click on your first file and, from the pop-up menu that appears, choose “Allow Launching.”
That was all you had to do to turn the desktop file into an actual desktop launcher/shortcut. Repeat the process for the rest of your files.
No Desktop File, No Problem!
If the desktop application you want a shortcut for doesn’t come with a .desktop file, you can create one from scratch. Note that you can also edit any existing .desktop file in a typical text editor to customize its parameters to your liking. We suggest you don’t modify the original files, though.
To create a new launcher for any application, open the text editor and add the following information:
[Desktop Entry] Version=VERSION_NUMBER Type=Application Terminal=false Exec=/FULL/PATH/OF/EXECUTABLE/FILE Name=Application Name Icon=/LOCATION/OF/IMAGE/TO/USE/FOR/THE/ICON.png
Change the “VERSION_NUMBER” and the path to the executable file. Also change the file path for the icon of the app.
Once done, save it as “APP_NAME.desktop” on the Desktop folder. You can change the “APP_NAME”, but keep the “.desktop” extension intact.
For more details, you can refer to this tutorial to create a .desktop file in Linux.
Now that you know how to create desktop shortcuts in Ubuntu, you can also do the opposite: eliminate all icons from your desktop and maybe even the top bar and the dock.
Do you believe desktop shortcuts are useful? Are you in the haters camp and think that icons make any desktop look like a mess? Tell us in the comments section below.
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Odysseas Kourafalos
OK’s real life started at around 10, when he got his first computer – a Commodore 128. Since then, he’s been melting keycaps by typing 24/7, trying to spread The Word Of Tech to anyone interested enough to listen. Or, rather, read.
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