In this tutorial, we will guide you through the process of adding a ‘Show Desktop’ icon to the Unity Launcher in Ubuntu. This feature can be extremely handy for quickly minimizing all open applications and accessing the desktop.
To add a ‘Show Desktop’ icon to the Unity Launcher in Ubuntu, you can either use the built-in system settings, MyUnity or CompizConfig Settings Manager (for older versions of Ubuntu), or create a custom launcher using the xdotool command.
Pre-requisites
Before we start, ensure that you have administrative access to your Ubuntu system. You should also be familiar with basic terminal commands.
Method 1: Using System Settings (For Ubuntu 13.04 and later)
This is the simplest method to add a ‘Show Desktop’ icon to the Unity Launcher.
- Open the
System Settingsfrom the Ubuntu main menu. - Navigate to the
Appearancesection. - Look for the
Behaviortab, where you will find theshow-desktopicon option. - Toggle the switch to
ONto enable the ‘Show Desktop’ icon on the Unity Launcher.
Method 2: Using MyUnity or CompizConfig Settings Manager (For Ubuntu 12.04 and earlier)
If you are using an older version of Ubuntu, you can use either MyUnity or CompizConfig Settings Manager to add the ‘Show Desktop’ icon.
Using MyUnity
- Install MyUnity with the following terminal command:
sudo apt-get install myunity- Open MyUnity and go to the
Desktoptab. - Enable the
Show Desktopoption.
Using CompizConfig Settings Manager
- Install CompizConfig Settings Manager (ccsm) with the following terminal command:
sudo apt-get install compizconfig-settings-manager- Open ccsm and navigate to the
Ubuntu Unity Pluginsettings. - Select the
Experimentaltab and check the box next toShow 'Desktop Icon' in the launcher.
Method 3: Creating a Custom Launcher
This method involves creating a custom launcher that uses the xdotool command to minimize all windows and show the desktop.
- Install
xdotoolwith the following terminal command:
sudo apt-get install xdotool- Create a new file named
show-desktop.desktopin the~/.local/share/applications/directory with the following terminal command:
touch ~/.local/share/applications/show-desktop.desktop- Open the file in a text editor and paste the following code:
[Desktop Entry]
Type=Application
Name=Show Desktop
Exec=xdotool key super+d
Icon=user-desktop
Terminal=false
StartupNotify=falseThis code creates a new application shortcut named ‘Show Desktop’ that executes the xdotool key super+d command when clicked. The super+d key combination is the default keyboard shortcut for showing the desktop in Ubuntu.
- Save the file and close the text editor.
- Make the file executable with the following terminal command:
chmod +x ~/.local/share/applications/show-desktop.desktop- Finally, open the file manager, navigate to
~/.local/share/applications/, and drag theshow-desktop.desktopfile to the Unity Launcher.
Conclusion
Adding a ‘Show Desktop’ icon to the Unity Launcher in Ubuntu can help improve your productivity by providing quick access to the desktop. Depending on your Ubuntu version, you can use the built-in system settings, MyUnity, CompizConfig Settings Manager, or create a custom launcher. We hope this tutorial was helpful, and you were able to add the ‘Show Desktop’ icon to your Unity Launcher successfully.
Yes, you can add a ‘Show Desktop’ icon to the Unity Launcher in Ubuntu using the methods described in this tutorial.
Before adding a ‘Show Desktop’ icon, ensure that you have administrative access to your Ubuntu system and are familiar with basic terminal commands.
The method you should use depends on your Ubuntu version. For Ubuntu 13.04 and later, use the System Settings method. For Ubuntu 12.04 and earlier, you can use either MyUnity or CompizConfig Settings Manager.
You can install MyUnity by running the command sudo apt-get install myunity in the terminal.
You can install CompizConfig Settings Manager by running the command sudo apt-get install compizconfig-settings-manager in the terminal.
The ‘xdotool’ command is a tool used to automate keyboard and mouse actions. In this case, it is used to simulate the key combination for showing the desktop.
You can make the custom launcher file executable by running the command chmod +x ~/.local/share/applications/show-desktop.desktop in the terminal.
Yes, you can modify the Exec line in the custom launcher file to use a different keyboard shortcut. Just replace xdotool key super+d with the desired key combination.
