How To Remove Icons from All Applications in Ubuntu GNOME

In this article, we will guide you through the process of removing icons from the “All Applications” panel in Ubuntu GNOME, a popular desktop environment for Linux. This can be useful if you want to declutter your application menu or remove shortcuts to applications you no longer use. Let’s dive in.

Understanding the GNOME Desktop Environment

Before we begin, it’s important to understand how the GNOME desktop environment works. In GNOME, each application is represented by a .desktop file. These files contain information about the application, including its name, icon, and the command to launch it. They are typically stored in the /usr/share/applications/ directory, but can also be found in other directories, such as ~/.local/share/applications/.

Locating the .desktop Files

To remove an icon from the “All Applications” panel, you need to delete the corresponding .desktop file. Here’s how to locate these files:

1. Open the file browser or a terminal: You can open the file browser from the “All Applications” panel or by pressing Ctrl+Alt+T to open a terminal.
2. Navigate to the directory: Type .local/share/applications/ in the file browser’s address bar or use the cd ~/.local/share/applications/ command in the terminal to navigate to the directory where the .desktop files are stored.
3. Identify the .desktop files: Look for the .desktop files that correspond to the icons you want to remove. These files will typically have the name of the application in their filename.

Deleting the .desktop Files

Once you have located the .desktop files, you can delete them to remove the corresponding icons from the “All Applications” panel. Follow these steps:

1. Delete the .desktop file: In the terminal, use the rm <name-of-application>.desktop command to remove a specific .desktop file. Replace <name-of-application> with the actual name of the application’s .desktop file you want to remove. For example, if you want to remove the icon for the Firefox web browser, you would use the command rm firefox.desktop. Note: Be careful when using the rm command, as it permanently deletes files. Make sure you are deleting the correct file.
2. Restart your device: After removing the .desktop files, restart your device to ensure that the changes are reflected in the “All Applications” panel.

Conclusion

Removing icons from the “All Applications” panel in Ubuntu GNOME can help you declutter your application menu and make it easier to find the applications you use most frequently. However, remember to exercise caution when deleting .desktop files, as this can affect how your system operates.

We hope this guide has been helpful. If you have any questions or run into any issues, feel free to ask for help on the Ubuntu Forums or the GNOME community. Happy computing!