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I'm setting up a new install of Ubuntu 20.04. I installed the Zoom Client app. It opens from the Applications window. I want a desktop shortcut for it. Looking for how to do that, I see various methods, but they all require that I find where it is. Navigating the indicated path to Applications, I see nothing with zoom in the name. Likewise when I look in snap packages. Searching for zoom in my files yields no result. Thinking it might not have installed properly, I reinstalled it from the software repository, and again from the Zoom Download Center. I don't see it in my Downloads directory either. Since I can open the app in the Applications window, I know I have it somewhere, but I can't move it to the desktop until I know where to move it from. I am not knowledgeable about computers, and am unfamiliar with much of the terminology. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.

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    if you open Show Applications from the 9 dot grid menu on the bottom left of the screen (the dock) you can select it from there. Right click with your mouse and select Add to Favourites and it will appear and be save in the Dock for future use.
    – graham
    Commented May 25, 2021 at 13:55

2 Answers 2

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The applications in the App overview are usually saved as .desktop files depending on how you installed them in either:

  • /usr/share/applications
  • ~/.local/share/applications/
  • /var/lib/snapd/desktop/applications/

Check the file for the Exec= line to get the location of the executable:

grep '^Exec=' /usr/share/applications/Zoom.desktop

Or simply copy it from there and put it to where you like, e.g. ~/Desktop:

cp /usr/share/applications/Zoom.desktop ~/Desktop/

Adjust the path accordingly.


Alternatively, use the little tool alacarte (install via sudo apt install alacarte) to check where to find the executable. Find the Zoom entry and double click it to see the Command.

Application, get Command with alacarte

(I don't have Zoom installed, so that is just an example image)

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  • When I tried pasting those commands in a terminal, I was told no such file or directory exists. When I tried installing alacarte, I got: libdvd-pkg: apt-get check failed, you may have broken packages. Aborting... I tried so many different things trying to install the Zoom app that I don't know how I finally installed it. Are there alternative navigation paths than the one given that I could try?
    – Frank P
    Commented May 26, 2021 at 1:33
  • I finally got Zoom to launch from the desktop. It seems it's in a snap package. Thanks for the help.
    – Frank P
    Commented May 27, 2021 at 4:51
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Apps installed normally show up in the home directory of the user, depends on how you installed the apps tho, if its through snap it will show up in the ~/snap directory, at least from what I know.

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