Drop any file to identify it
No upload. No signup. No sending your file halfway across the internet.
We tell you what it is, right here in your browser.
Drop it!
Let go to identify this file.
Couldn't identify this file
Need to convert it? fwip it →
A .desktop file is a freedesktop.org Desktop Entry — the standard way Linux desktop environments (GNOME, KDE, XFCE) define application launchers, links, and menu entries. Every icon in your Linux application menu corresponds to a .desktop file that tells the system what to display and what to execute.
The format is a simple INI-like text file with standardised keys. A typical entry includes `Name` (display name), `Exec` (command to run), `Icon` (icon path or theme name), `Type` (Application, Link, or Directory), `Categories` (menu categories), and optional keys like `Terminal` (run in terminal), `MimeType` (associated file types), and `Actions` (right-click menu options). Multiple language translations can be embedded using locale suffixes like `Name[fr]=Éditeur de texte`.
Desktop files live in `/usr/share/applications/` (system-wide), `~/.local/share/applications/` (per-user), or on the desktop itself. They're the mechanism behind "Add to favourites," custom app launchers, and autostart entries (~/.config/autostart/). If you've ever wondered how Linux knows what icon to show for an application and what command to run — this is it.