How to Edit Program Shortcuts in GNOME Shell (App Launchers)

In GNOME Shell, a “program shortcut” usually means an application launcher in the Applications grid. Change its displayed name, description, or launch command with Alacarte, or edit a per-user copy of its .desktop file. This is different from a keyboard shortcut; change key combinations in Settings under Keyboard.

Alacarte is the simpler graphical option. The terminal method below creates a user-level override, so you do not have to edit a package-owned system file.

Method 1: Edit an app launcher with Alacarte

Step 1: Install and open Alacarte

Install the alacarte package with your distribution’s package manager:

• Ubuntu or Debian: sudo apt install alacarte (Ubuntu package; Debian package).
• Fedora: sudo dnf install alacarte (Fedora package).
• Arch Linux: sudo pacman -S alacarte (Arch package).

Open Activities or Applications, search for Alacarte, and launch it. Some distributions call it Main Menu. Alacarte is a GNOME menu editor, as described on its official project page.

Step 2: Find the application entry

Select a category on the left, locate the app in the list, and click its row. The category may vary by distribution. This changes the launcher entry in the menu; it does not rename or reinstall the program.

Step 3: Change launcher properties

Choose Properties and edit the fields you need:

• Name is the label shown in GNOME search and the app grid.
• Comment is a short description or tooltip.
• Command is the program and arguments GNOME runs.

Use the app’s actual executable and valid arguments. Do not paste shell syntax such as pipes or && into the command field. Click OK to save.

Step 4: Test the change

Confirm the edited name appears in Alacarte, then search for and launch it from the GNOME overview. If GNOME still shows the old label, sign out and back in to refresh the application index.

Method 2: Edit a per-user desktop entry

Use the terminal when you need to change a specific launcher field. GNOME documents /usr/share/applications for system entries and ~/.local/share/applications for user entries. Alacarte’s manual says it saves edited and new app entries in the user applications directory by default. A local copy is easier to undo and avoids overwriting a package-managed file.

Step 5: Locate the launcher and copy it

Find the app’s actual .desktop file in /usr/share/applications or the directory used by its installer. The example below uses example.desktop; replace it with the real filename. If the file is already in your local applications folder, edit that copy directly.

mkdir -p ~/.local/share/applications
cp /usr/share/applications/example.desktop ~/.local/share/applications/

Keep the same filename so the per-user entry takes precedence. You do not need sudo to copy it into your home directory.

Step 6: Edit the launcher fields

Open the copied entry with Nano:

nano ~/.local/share/applications/example.desktop

Desktop entries include a [Desktop Entry] group. For example:

[Desktop Entry]
Name=Example App
Comment=Opens Example App
Exec=example-app
Terminal=false

Change the existing Name, Comment, or Exec value, preserving other lines. Exec is a desktop-entry command line, not a shell script; follow the Desktop Entry Specification when quoting arguments with spaces. If the file has DBusActivatable=true, GNOME may use D-Bus activation and ignore Exec. A TryExec value pointing to a missing program may also hide the entry. Save with Ctrl+O, press Enter, then exit with Ctrl+X.

Step 7: Validate the file

If desktop-file-utils is installed, check the entry with:

desktop-file-validate ~/.local/share/applications/example.desktop

A return to the prompt without an error means the file passed this syntax check. GNOME’s integration guide recommends this validator. It does not verify that the app command itself works.

Step 8: Refresh GNOME Shell and test

Search for the updated name in the Applications overview and launch it. If the old entry remains, sign out and back in. If it opens incorrectly, recheck the executable and arguments in Exec, any TryExec line, and whether DBusActivatable is enabled.

Choose the right method

GNOME’s desktop-file guide explains launcher fields and file locations. The freedesktop.org key reference documents Exec, TryExec, and DBusActivatable.