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Old Zorin Forum archive → Help and Support

[SOLVED]how to put a shortcut on the desktop?

Hensyr Wolf

Thu Jan 12, 2017 8:15:22 am

Hi there,

I like to know how you can put a shortcut on the desktop.
When i go to the file explorer > computer > usr > share > applications and drag for example the Firefox icon to the desktop i got a message: access denied.

What is the proper way to put some shortcuts on the desktop in Zorin OS 12?

Swarfendor437

Thu Jan 12, 2017 12:44:39 pm

Are you set as an administrator or standard user? I thought from memory I could just drag and drop. Wondering if an update has locked the folder down. I don't know if it is a permanent fix, but another way to do it would be to either:

1. Open a terminal and enter:

Code:
gksudo nemo


then browse to the folder in question and drag and drop, or

2. Ensure not connected to internet, open a terminal, navigate to 'share' then:

Code:
sudo chown [your username] applications


In both cases you will be asked for your login password - you should now have free reign of the applications folder.

Log out and back in again and connect to internet - your root rights should be back to 'normal'. ;) :D

Hensyr Wolf

Thu Jan 12, 2017 7:03:50 pm

Hi dear Swarfendor437,

Your suggestions have not worked, I always got a different icon on the desktop with a padlock on it. But no shortcut, even if you drag and drop the shortcut, then it disappears from the applications folder which can not be the intention.
Meanwhile, I have found out that there is still a simple way to place a shortcut on the desktop without being an administrator.

You go to the folder applications (open explorer, select computer in other locations, open the folder usr, open the folder share, open the folder applications).
Then surch for the icon you want a shortcut from.
Right click on it and choose in the menu for "copy to" then select desktop and voila the schortcut appears on the desktop.

Swarfendor437

Thu Jan 12, 2017 8:23:47 pm

I think that is what I did last time I looked at it but forgot the procedure! LOL! Ageing fast! :lol:

Hensyr Wolf

Thu Jan 12, 2017 8:33:05 pm

Haha aging fast counts for both of us, :lol:

I'm gonna mark this topic as solved, thank you very much to think this over. :P

star treker

Fri Jan 13, 2017 3:21:12 am

I don't like the overly complicated way of making shortcuts on the desktop with this OS. I miss the days when I was on Windows and all I had to do was go to the program in the start menu, right click, then click send to desktop.

amn70

Sat Jan 14, 2017 2:33:07 am

I just installed OS 12 and I am also stumped on this shortcut thing. As I recall on Zorin OS 9 you used to be able to simply go the start menu go to the category and right click the program you wanted a shortcut to and it would give you a few options one being the ability to create a desktop shortcut. Seems like this would a be basic function and would not be omitted. Many Linux distros have this basic ability. I really hope this can be addressed or I am moving on to a different distro which is sad because I like Zorin.

Adam

Swarfendor437

Sat Jan 14, 2017 4:13:32 am

Hi, take a look here:

https://launchpad.net/arrange

from this long thread:

http://askubuntu.com/questions/64222/ho ... ktop#66918

Den Hook

Sat Jan 14, 2017 8:17:01 pm

Upper link (https://launchpad.neuwarrange) doesn't work.

I've found out that when you go to folder /usr/share/applications, then you can copy an icon of an application and then paste on the desktop. It works but don't know if this is the best or official way.

PS. I've managed to go to /user/share/applications by going to the folder Downloads and then left-under choose "+ Other Locations"

Swarfendor437

Sat Jan 14, 2017 10:28:29 pm

Den Hook wrote:Upper link (https://launchpad.neuwarrange) doesn't work.

I've found out that when you go to folder /usr/share/applications, then you can copy an icon of an application and then paste on the desktop. It works but don't know if this is the best or official way.

PS. I've managed to go to /user/share/applications by going to the folder Downloads and then left-under choose "+ Other Locations"


I'm sure that is all I did but Hensyr has been having difficulties and I am struggling to remember exactly how I did it! :lol:

MBMz10

Mon Jan 16, 2017 1:09:49 am

Hensyr isn't the only one having trouble with what should be a simple task!

Dragging and dropping from the 'applications' folder (usr/share/applications) to the desktop doesn't work, gives and error from memory!
This is how I have done it with success;
Open "Files" then click Other Locations, Computer, usr, share, applications (usr/share/applications) and right click the app you want, select copy and then paste onto the desktop or into the desktop folder of the file manager should also work from memory. Basically the same as the other procedure above but just a copy and paste version of it.

For future use you can drag the 'applications' folder to the left hand side bar of the file manager window (below Home Pictures Videos etc) and you should get an option to create a Bookmark (shortcut) to it there, you can right click it (the new shortcut) and rename it also.

IMHO this is just way too hard especially considering Zorin OS is aimed at newer or ex Windows users...

Swarfendor437

Mon Jan 16, 2017 12:49:58 pm

MBMz10 wrote:Hensyr isn't the only one having trouble with what should be a simple task!

Dragging and dropping from the 'applications' folder (usr/share/applications) to the desktop doesn't work, gives and error from memory!
This is how I have done it with success;
Open "Files" then click Other Locations, Computer, usr, share, applications (usr/share/applications) and right click the app you want, select copy and then paste onto the desktop or into the desktop folder of the file manager should also work from memory. Basically the same as the other procedure above but just a copy and paste version of it.

For future use you can drag the 'applications' folder to the left hand side bar of the file manager window (below Home Pictures Videos etc) and you should get an option to create a Bookmark (shortcut) to it there, you can right click it (the new shortcut) and rename it also.

IMHO this is just way too hard especially considering Zorin OS is aimed at newer or ex Windows users...


Just for clarity, this is not a Zorin only issue - it's a Gnome Shell issue - and has been since 2012:

https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1990093

One area I have not looked at is to see if anything can be done via dConf-Editor - the solution of 'Create Launcher' is NOT then answer as stated in the ubuntuforum thread I posted above from 2012! It should be simple - again Gnome Project is so up itself once more like it was with Orca, the screenreader - I have only come across fairly recent documentation that instructs how to launch the settings of Orca - Insert and Spacebar!!!