gnome-desktop-item-edit

gnome-desktop-item-edit [OPTION...] [FILE]

--help
    Display help and exit

--version
    Output version information and exit

FILE
    Optional path to .desktop file for editing; omits creates new one

The gnome-desktop-item-edit command launches a graphical dialog for creating or editing .desktop files, which define application launchers, menu entries, and desktop shortcuts in the GNOME environment.

These files follow the Desktop Entry Specification and contain keys like Name, Exec, Icon, and categories for integration with desktop menus and launchers. When invoked without arguments, it creates a new entry saved to ~/.local/share/applications/. Providing a file path opens it for editing, validating structure upon save.

Designed for user-friendly interaction, it handles MIME types, terminal execution flags, and trust settings. Ideal for non-technical users customizing their desktop without manual text editing. Requires a running X11 or Wayland session with GNOME libraries.

It integrates with libgnome-desktop, ensuring compatibility with GNOME Shell and other components.

Requires graphical session and GTK/GNOME; may not work in headless or non-GNOME environments.
Edited files must conform to Desktop Entry spec or save fails.

gnome-desktop-item-edit # Opens dialog for new .desktop file
gnome-desktop-item-edit ~/myapp.desktop # Edit existing file

Introduced in GNOME 2.14 (2006) as part of gnome-desktop; evolved through GNOME 3.x for Shell integration; now in gnome-desktop4 for modern GNOME.

desktop-file-edit(1), desktop-file-validate(1), xdg-desktop-menu(1)