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Linux desktop entry


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There are .desktop files in Linux that are used to populate application lists and launchers. This is separate from grabbing a list of all executables in $PATH.

Specifically, it has more metadata like human-readable application names, icons and categories.

There are paths for system-level applications. But the user can also add .desktop files in their $HOME directory. In my system, the path for user-local .desktop files is ~/.local/share/applications/.

Useful links

  • https://specifications.freedesktop.org/desktop-entry-spec/latest/index.html
  • https://specifications.freedesktop.org/menu-spec/latest/category-registry.html
  • https://specifications.freedesktop.org/menu-spec/latest/additional-category-registry.html
  • https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Desktop_entries

Citation

If you find this work useful, please cite it as: 
@article{yaltirakli,
  title   = "Linux desktop entry",
  author  = "Yaltirakli, Gokberk",
  journal = "gkbrk.com",
  year    = "2025",
  url     = "https://www.gkbrk.com/linux-desktop-entry"
}
Not using BibTeX? Click here for more citation styles.
IEEE Citation
Gokberk Yaltirakli, "Linux desktop entry", August, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://www.gkbrk.com/linux-desktop-entry. [Accessed Aug. 16, 2025].
APA Style
Yaltirakli, G. (2025, August 16). Linux desktop entry. https://www.gkbrk.com/linux-desktop-entry
Bluebook Style
Gokberk Yaltirakli, Linux desktop entry, GKBRK.COM (Aug. 16, 2025), https://www.gkbrk.com/linux-desktop-entry

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