How to Configure Desktop Launchers on Ubuntu 24 with Standard Icons

Desktop launchers on Ubuntu 24 (and most Linux desktops) are defined by .desktop files : small, text-based config files that describe an application or link. Once you know where to put them and which keys to set-such as Icon= and Exec= -you can add custom launchers to your Desktop or application menu. This guide covers how to configure them and where to find standard icons on Ubuntu for the Icon= field. What is a .desktop file? A .desktop file is a freedesktop.org Desktop Entry: a UTF-8 text file with a .desktop extension. It has a [Desktop Entry] group and key-value pairs. Three types are defined: Application (launch a program), Link (open a URL), and Directory (folder in menus). For launchers you care about Application and optionally Link . The format is used by GNOME (Ubuntu default), KDE, XFCE, and others. System-wide entries are typically in /usr/share/applications/ ; for Ubuntu package management and installs, new .desktop files there appear in the application menu. User-defined