What to do with .desktop files that comes in tar.gz

I recently downloaded Blender from its website and when I unpacked the tar.gz archive I found out that there is a blender.desktop file. I know that it is used for creating menu or desktop shortcuts. I just don't know how can I use .desktop files.

Solution 1:

What are .desktop files (launchers)

.desktop files are text configuration files that, when properly installed, inform the menu system of the desktop on the existence of an application on the system.

The desktop environment will populate its application menu based on the information found in .desktop files present in system folders (including /usr/share/applacations), or in the folder $HOME/.local/share/applications in the user's home folder. When the user clicks the menu item, the application is launched based on the information contained in the .desktop file.

What to do with your desktop file

1. Move it to the folder ~/.local/share/applications.
2. Check whether the Exec= line is correctly pointing to the executable. Open your .desktop file with a text editor. Make sure that the line starting with Exec= points to the actual executable file of the program. If the executable is in a folder included in the the search PATH (issue echo $PATH in the terminal to see the search path), it is sufficient to include the name of the executable. Else, the full path of the executable must be provided.

If the Exec= line points to a correct executable, the launcher will automatically appear in your application menu.