How to Easily Integrate AppImages into your Linux Desktop
Jack Wallen helps eliminate the frustration of using AppImages on the Linux desktop with an easy-to-use application.
I don’t care where the application comes from, if it’s helpful I’ll use it. But with the Linux desktop, there are numerous ways to install an application. You can install from source, from your package manager, using Snap or Flatpak packages, and even AppImages.
All of these are great options and will ensure you have the applications you need. However, not all installation methods are created equal. For example, if you install from source, these applications cannot be easily updated through the built-in package manager. AppImages are a great way to run applications on Linux, but they don’t integrate with your desktop. Run an AppImage app and try pinning it to your dock, panel, or shelf. You can not. At least not out of the box.
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Luckily, there’s a small application you can install to make this process incredibly easy. This application is called AppImageLauncher and when used it adds an entry for each AppImage you run to your desktop menu. This app just creates shortcuts for your AppImages and automatically sets the execute permission.
I’m going to show you how to install and use this tool to make your Linux desktop life a little easier.
What you need to install and use AppImageLauncher
To use AppImageLauncher, you need a running Linux instance, a user with sudo privileges, and an AppImage or two to run. AppImageLauncher can be installed on any system that supports either .deb or .rpm packages. That’s all you need, so let’s get started.
How to install AppImageLauncher
Installing AppImageLauncher is quite easy. All you have to do is download either the .deb or .rpm file for your system architecture from the project’s GitHub page and save it in your ~/Downloads directory.
After saving the file, open a terminal window and enter one of the following two commands to install:
- For the .deb package:
sudo dpk -i appimagelauncher*.deb - For the .rpm package:
sudo rpm -i appimagelauncher*.rpm
After the package is installed, you will find a launcher for it in your desktop menu.
How to use AppImageLauncher
Launch AppImageLauncher and you will be greeted by the settings window (Figure A).
Figure A
The only configuration you need to worry about is the location of your AppImages folder. By default, this directory is in /home/USER (where USER is your username). However, AppImageLauncher does not create this directory. Because of this, you must either create the directory or set the home of your AppImages to a different location. If you choose to create the directory, you can do so with the following command:
mkdir ~/Applications
You can also add additional directories by clicking the appimagelauncherd tab, clicking the top button on the right side of the Additional Directories To Watch window, and then selecting the directory you want to add (Figure B).
Figure B
When you have configured the app, click OK.
Either download any AppImages you want into the newly created ~/Applications folder, or move any you’ve already downloaded there. When that’s done, open your file manager, navigate to the ~/Applications directory and double-click on one of the AppImages. AppImageLauncher opens a new window (Figure C), asking if you want to either “Run once” or “Integrate and run”. Click Integrate and Run to add a launcher to your desktop menu and run the application.
Figure C
Each time you launch a new AppImage from the monitored directory, AppImageLauncher will ask if you want to run it or run and integrate it. Be sure to integrate these new AppImages for easier access.
And that’s all you need to integrate these AppImage applications into your Linux desktop with AppImageLauncher.
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