Extract text from Linux application shortcuts (DESKTOP)
To convert DESKTOP shortcuts to another format, you need GNOME or other System software.
To convert other file formats to the "Desktop Entry Shortcut" file type, you need software like GNOME or a similar tool.
A .desktop file is a plain text configuration file that acts as an application shortcut or launcher in Linux operating systems. Following the Desktop Entry Specification maintained by freedesktop.org, these files define how an application appears in system menus. They specify the application name, system icon, and the exact terminal command required to execute the software. You can easily view them in text editors like gedit or Nano.
The primary disadvantage of the .desktop format is its strict limitation to Linux X11 and Wayland desktop environments like GNOME or KDE. If you transfer a .desktop file to Windows or macOS, it becomes completely useless as a functional shortcut. Furthermore, these files frequently break when moved between Linux machines, as the Exec path must perfectly match the local binary location. Opening them manually requires an understanding of INI-style syntax, which often confuses average users who expect a simple double-click execution.
To safely extract the data or utilize the execution commands elsewhere, conversion is highly recommended. Convert to TXT to easily read the configuration values across any operating system. Convert to JSON if you need to parse the shortcut metadata programmatically. If you want to automate the launch command, extract the payload to a shell script (SH).
Convert.Guru analyzes your DESKTOP file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted P7S, PKG, PDF, ZIP, TRASH_DATABASE, DIA, HTA, QBO, TV, NAS and SERVER files.
If you want to convert DESKTOP file to QBO, TV, NAS, SERVER, TMP, TEMP, CACHE, LOG, BAK, OLD, NEW or PART, you can use GNOME or similar software from the "Linux Application Shortcut File" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert DEVICE, CACHE, SOCK, SYMLINK, PID, MOUNT, FIFO, LOG, PIPE, TMP, JUNCTION or TEMP files to DESKTOP, try GNOME or another comparable tool in the "Linux Application Shortcut File" category.
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our DESKTOP converter.