There are a couple of ways to add a desktop link. The simplest way is to right-click on the background and select New from the Desktop menu that appears. The New menu offers a number of choices for the type of link to create: Directory, Link to Application, Link to Location (URL), Floppy Device, Hard Disc, CD/DVD-ROM Device, Text File, or HTML File. If you have KOffice installed, you’ll also see options to add Office documents. When you make a selection, the properties window for that link type appears.
The properties window vanes slightly depending on the type of link, but for most links you need to specify a name for the link file, the label for the icon, and the executable command or file location. You can also set the permissions for the Mnk file and select a new icon.
The following example shows how to create an application desktop link that opens the Kate text editor. First, right-click on the desktop and select New —> Application. The properties window opens, showing four tabs: General, Permission s, Execute, and Application.
The General tab shows «Link to Application» in the text box. That text represents both the name of the link file being created and the text that appears under the icon on the desktop. Enter a filename that reflects the purpose of the link; in Figure 18-3, it is Kate.
The tab) also displays an image of the icon that will appear on the desktop and additional information about the filev The default icon for an application is a picture of a gear. You can change the icon by clicking the button showing the current icon. This opens a window that displays a set of default KDE icons found on your system. Pick the one you like and click OK.
Figure 18-3. General tab of desktop link properties
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Figure 18-3. General tab of desktop link properties
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The final step is to supply a tooltip comment. Fill in the Comment box on the Application tab with a descriptioe of the application (Figuri 18-5). Click the OK button to finish the configuration. If you want to change a property of your link later, right-click on the icon and choose Properties .
Figure 18-5. Application tab of desktop link properties
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When you create a link to a URL, a window appears with the text «New Link To Location (URL)» and an empty text box (hihuri 18-6). Enter the URL in the text box and click the OK button.
Figure 18-6. Desktop window for URL link
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Entering a new directory link is similar to entering a URL link, except the prompt above the text box reads «New Directory.» Enter the path to the directory, and click the OK button.
For a new device link, select the appropriate device and set the link name and permissions if needed. On the Device tab, select the device from the drop-down list. That sets the device location, such as /dev/fd3, -ni displays the mount pomt as well.
You can also add a link to the desktop by dragging an item from a file manager window. You can do this with any file or directory. After you drag the item to the desktop, a small pop-up window asks whether you want te copy, move, or link the item. Copy simply makes a copy of the item in the Desktop directory; move removea the item from its original location and places it in the Desktop directory. If you choose link, the desktop icot contains a symbolic link that points to the item’s current location.
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How to Add Application Shortcuts on Ubuntu Desktop
Last updated June 27, 2021 By Abhishek Prakash 44 Comments
In this quick tutorial, you’ll learn how to add application shortcuts on desktop in Ubuntu and other distributions that use GNOME desktop.
A classic desktop operating systems always have icons on the ‘desktop screen’. These desktop icons could include the file manager, the trash bin and the shortcut to applications.
While installing applications in Windows, some of the programs ask if you want to create a shortcut on the desktop. That’s not the case in Linux though.
But if you are a fan of this feature, let me show you how you can add desktop shortcuts to your favorite applications in Ubuntu and other Linux distributions.
In case you are wondering about the looks of my desktop, I am using Ant theme with Tela icons. You can also get some GTK themes and icons for Ubuntu and change them as you like.
Adding desktop shortcut in Ubuntu
Personally I prefer the Ubuntu launcher for application shortcuts. If I use a program frequently, I add it to the launcher. But I know not everyone has the same preference and a few people prefer the shortcuts on the desktop.
Let’s see the simplest way of creating an application shortcut on the desktop.
This tutorial has been tested on Ubuntu 18.04 LTS with GNOME desktop. It may work in other distributions and desktop environments but you have to try it on your own. Some GNOME specific steps may change so please pay attention while trying it on other desktop environments.
Prerequisite
First and foremost thing is to make sure that you have icons allowed on the GNOME desktop.
If you followed the Ubuntu 18.04 customization tips, you know how to install GNOME Tweak tool. In this tool, make sure that you have ‘Show Icons’ option enabled.
Once you have made sure of that, it’s time to add some application shortcuts on the desktop.
Step 1: Locate the .desktop files of applications
Go to Files -> Other Location -> Computer.
From here, go to the directory usr -> share -> applications. You’ll see icons of several Ubuntu applications you have installed here. Even if you don’t see the icons, you should see the .desktop files that are named as application.desktop.
Step 2: Copy the .desktop file to desktop
Now all you have to do here is to look for the application icon (or its desktop file). When you find it, either drag-drop the file to the desktop or copy the file (using Ctrl+C shortcut) and paste it on the desktop (using Ctrl+V shortcut).
Step 3: Run the desktop file
When you do that, you should see a text file kind of icon on the desktop instead of the logo of the application. Don’t worry, things will be different in a moment.
Option 1: In newer Ubuntu versions, you may right click on the .desktop file and click on “Properties“. In here, give the file execute permission.
Now if you right click on the file, you’ll find find an “allow launching” option. Select it and you’ll see that the file has turned into an application shortcut.
Option 2: On the older Ubuntu versions like 18.04, things were pretty straightforward. What you have to do is to double click on that file on the desktop. It will warn you that it’s an ‘untrusted application launcher’ so click on Trust and Launch.
The application will launch as usual but the good thing that you’ll notice that the .desktop file has now turned into the application icon. I believe you like the application shortcuts this way, don’t you?
Troubleshoot for Ubuntu 19.04 or GNOME 3.32 users
If you use Ubuntu 19.04 or GNOME 3.32, you the .desktop file may not launch at all. You should right click on the .desktop file and select “Allow Launching”.
After this, you should be able to launch the application and the application shortcut should be displayed properly on the desktop.
Conclusion
If you don’t like a certain application launcher on the desktop, just select it and delete it. It will delete the shortcut but the application will remain safely in your system.
I hope you found this quick tip helpful and now you can enjoy the application shortcuts on Ubuntu desktop.
If you have questions or suggestions, please let me know in the comments below.
Like what you read? Please share it with others.
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Creating a link to an application that is installed but does not show up in Applications folder
New to Linux and Ubuntu.
I want to create a link to Slic3r in a folder i’ve created on the desktop. All the other apps that I wanted to show up in this folder I copied from the /usr/share/applications folder and they all worked. Slic3r does not seem to show up in that the applications folder though. I installed in using a long complex list of instructions that I can’t find now. It works perfectly, but I still would like to create an icon in the design folder that I’ve created on the desk top. Where else might I be able to find the app if it does not show up in the applications folder?
1 Answer 1
In Ubuntu, shortcuts to applications are text files with .desktop file extention. These are usually provided with the application if you installed it via the Software Center or apt. However, if you installed it using a different method, you most likely have to create the .desktop file yourself.
First of all, you have to know the location of the executable you want to run. If you don’t, but can start it by typing its name in the terminal, the command which will tell you its absolute path (e.g. which firefox ).
Now open your favorite text editor (e.g. gedit). A simple .desktop file may look like this:
Replace the name of the application and the path to the executable. Save the file as * .desktop (e.g. slic3r.desktop) to your Desktop.
If you want it to appear in the Dash, place a copy in
/usr/share/applications (visible for every user)
/.local/share/applications (visible for your user only)
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How to Create a .Desktop File For Your Application in Linux
A .desktop file is simply a shortcut that is used to launch application in Linux. Without the .desktop file, your application won’t show up in the Applications menu and you can’t launch it with third-party launchers such as Synapse and Albert.
Most applications, when installed, will create the .desktop file 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 article will describe how you can create a .desktop file for any application you use that you can launch from the Application menu.
Also read:How to Add App Drawers to Unity Launcher in Ubuntu
How to create Desktop launchers
A “.desktop” file is basically a simple text file that holds information about a program. It is usually placed in “
/.local/share/applications” or “/usr/share/applications/” depending whether you want the launcher to be accessible only for local account or for everyone. If you navigate to either directory in your File manager, you will see quite a few “.desktop” files that correspond to the installed apps on your computer.
For demonstration purposes, I will create a .desktop file for Super Tux Kart, a kart racing game which I 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 whatever 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.
1. Navigate to the directory where the archive is stored, right-click it and select “Extract here”.
2. Once the extraction is complete, Change to the newly created folder and find the executable. One you find it, right-click it click “Run” to launch the program, just to make sure it is working.
3. In some cases, you won’t see the “Run” option in the menu. This is often because the executable is a text file. You can get around this by executing it via the terminal or, if you use GNOME, click the Files menu in the top bar, and select “Preferences”.
4. Select the “Behavior” tab and choose the “Run them” option under “Executable Text Files”. Now the “Run” option should appear when you right-click the executable text file.
5. If you’ve confirmed that the application works when you launch it, you can exit it. Then launch your text editor and paste the following into the empty text file:
You need to change the “Exec” field to the path to the executable and “Name” field to the name of the application. Most programs would provide an icon somewhere in the archive so don’t forget to include that as well. In my case, the launcher file for Super Tux Kart looks like this:
6. Save the file in “
/.local/share/applications” folder as “application-name.desktop”. The “.local” folder is a hidden folder in your Home directory and you will have enable “Show Hidden Files” mode to view it. If you want it to be globally accessible, run the following command in the terminal:
7. Once done, just open the Applications menu on your desktop, and the application will be right there to use.
The method described here should work on all mainstream Linux based operating systems. Here’s another screenshot showing Super Tux Kart in elementary OS’s application launcher (slingshot)
Feel free to leave a comment below if you found this tutorial helpful.
Ayo Isaiah is a freelance writer from Lagos who loves everything technology with a particular interest in open-source software. Follow him on Twitter.
One comment
I tried doing the “sudo mv
/.local… ” command but it says “No such directory”. When i tried doing manually using copy and paste option, it gives error message saying permission denied because it is not trusted program. Hope you have solution for this issue 🙂
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