.DESKTOP File Format

Introduction

A .desktop file tells a Linux desktop how to show and start an application: its name in each language, its icon, the command to run, the file types it opens and where it belongs in the menu. Every application in the GNOME, KDE Plasma, Xfce and other menus has one, usually in /usr/share/applications or ~/.local/share/applications. Files in ~/.config/autostart start programs at sign-in.

The format is the Desktop Entry Specification from freedesktop.org, shared by the free desktops so that one file works in all of them. A desktop entry can also be a link to a web address or describe a folder.

Structure

A desktop entry is UTF-8 text in the style of an INI file. It starts with the group [Desktop Entry], followed by Key=Value lines. Type is Application, Link or Directory. Name is required, and can be translated with keys such as Name[fr]. Exec gives the command line, where codes such as %f and %U stand for the files or addresses being opened. Categories and MimeType are lists separated by semicolons. Further groups, such as [Desktop Action new-window], add extra actions to the launcher’s menu. Lines starting with # are comments.

[Desktop Entry]
Type=Application
Name=Text Editor
Exec=gnome-text-editor %U
Icon=org.gnome.TextEditor
Categories=Utility;TextEditor;
MimeType=text/plain;

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