I have a bit of a silly question, but I'm using Debian 12 with the GNOME desktop environment, and I'm confused about the desktop setup. On Windows, the desktop is filled with app shortcuts that are easily accessible, but in my case, the home/desktop directory just seems empty of that functionality. I can save shortcuts there, but they don't appear in my applications tab or anywhere useful. I'm really just trying to find out what the home/desktop directory is for and how to create a desktop experience similar to what I had on Windows. I know I might be phrasing this awkwardly, but I hope you get what I'm trying to say. Thanks a lot!
3 Answers
Different desktop environments handle the items in the desktop folder differently. For GNOME, it tends to have a more streamlined approach compared to traditional setups. To make your desktop behave more like Windows, you might need to alter your settings a bit. The hidden settings in GNOME can control what icons show up on your desktop, so you might want to check if your desktop icons are set to be shown or hidden.
For applications to show up on your desktop, you'll need to create a .desktop file that points to those programs. It's pretty standard in Linux systems. If you've got a few .desktop files in your home/desktop directory but they aren't showing like in Windows, make sure you've got the right settings enabled in GNOME to display those icons on your desktop.
I have some .desktop files already, but how can I make them visible on the desktop like Windows? Also, what’s the process to place shortcuts in the applications tab if that’s a no-go?
GNOME has some built-in options for showing or hiding desktop icons. There’s been a trend towards minimizing the clutter of desktop icons. If your .desktop files aren’t being displayed, check the settings for showing desktop icons, or you may need to install a GNOME extension that enables desktop icons, similar to what's available in Ubuntu. Just make sure your Debian setup includes this option.
Is there a way to avoid switching desktop environments and still achieve this? I'm interested in how to send any application shortcut directly to the applications tab especially since some apps only allow this for a few options.