Double clicking an application on my desktop won't run it, but right clicking and choosing "run as a program" will

General Help
1

If I double click on an application on my desktop to run it, I get an error that says "Can't open the file. Failed to find default application for content type 'application/x-executable'". If I right click and choose "run as a program", it will run. Curiously, if I use Files and navigate to the desktop and then double click on the application in files, it will run. I've already checked "Executable as a Program" in the properties of the application.

Any tips on how to get the double click on the desktop to launch the application? I have a sense there's some simple terminal thing I can use to fix this, but I'm a recent windows convert and haven't fully wrapped my head around this stuff.

Many thanks to anyone who can offer a word of advice!

2

desktop icons go thru a different path than Files. double click looks for a default app for application/x-executable and there isnt one, so it yells. Run as a Program just execs it, which is why that works.

for me a .desktop on the desktop beats the bare binary:

-make ~/Desktop/MyApp.desktop

-put this in it:

[Desktop Entry]
Type=Application
Name=MyApp
Exec=/full/path/to/your/binary
Terminal=false
Categories=Utility;

-chmod +x ~/Desktop/MyApp.desktop

-right click → Allow Launching if zorin asks

check what that icon actually is first:

-file ~/Desktop/whatever

-ls -l ~/Desktop/whatever

if its an AppImage that full path goes in Exec=.

3

Hi and welcome.

This occurs as a built-in security measure.

To fix simply right click the icon, choose properties then select permissions tab and checkmark allow to run as a program.

Often Apps show up like a 'text' icon, changing the permission will then show the correct icon for the application.

4

Welcome to the Forum!

Can You say what Program this is about? Came it preinstalled or have You installed it?

5

It's a thing I had my business partner whip up. We're game developers. I'm the artist. In windows I had a little app from someones github that takes a collection of pngs and compiles them into a spritesheet. My partner created a clone of it for me after I couldn't get the windows version to run through wine.

6

So, it was a Windows-only Program and Your Partner ported it into a .deb Version and You installed it, right? Could You name the Program?

7

Thank you for this thorough reply, but unfortunately I get an error on the first line.

"make: *** No rule to make target 'home/adam/Desktop/spriteStitcher.desktop'. Stop."

I looked up this error but I'm having a little trouble making sense of the various forum posts about it. Sorta feels like it's above my level at this point. I'll get there eventually.

8

make is a build tool so that line blew up. just create the file:

-nano ~/Desktop/spriteStitcher.desktop

paste this in:

[Desktop Entry]
Type=Application
Name=spriteStitcher
Exec=/full/path/to/spriteStitcher
Terminal=false
Categories=Utility;

-chmod +x ~/Desktop/spriteStitcher.desktop
-right click the .desktop → Allow Launching

find the real binary path first:
-which spriteStitcher
or
-ls -l ~/Desktop/