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I had some issues and tried to reset my Ubuntu desktop back to defaults, but the results were poor. After comparing all the settings side by side with a fresh Ubuntu install, I got it back to about 95%, but one issue still lingers...my custom .desktop files aren't appearing in the applications view. When I bring it up I see the icons that got installed system-wide, but the ones in ~/.local/share/applications aren't there.

If I launch one via gtk-launch, it starts up fine and behaves as expected, and I can pin it to my dock.

Editing the file info, such as the title, is reflected immediately.

g051051@ubuntu:~$ env | grep XDG
XDG_CONFIG_DIRS=/etc/xdg/xdg-ubuntu:/etc/xdg
XDG_MENU_PREFIX=gnome-
XDG_SESSION_DESKTOP=ubuntu
XDG_SESSION_TYPE=x11
XDG_CURRENT_DESKTOP=ubuntu:GNOME
XDG_SESSION_CLASS=user
XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=/run/user/1000
XDG_DATA_DIRS=/usr/share/ubuntu:/usr/local/share/:/usr/share/

What magic setting am I missing?

Edit: I meant ~/.local/share, not shared.

g051051
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    I don't see a `XDG_DATA_HOME` - it should default to `$HOME/.local/share` (not share*d*) according to the [XDG Base Directory Specification](https://specifications.freedesktop.org/basedir-spec/basedir-spec-latest.html). Where exactly that happens may depend on the desktop session. – steeldriver Nov 13 '21 at 23:13
  • XDG_DATA_HOME isn't set in my reference system, either. Everything works fine there...I created a simple .desktop file and it showed up as expected. – g051051 Nov 14 '21 at 00:11
  • Maybe an answer might help in https://askubuntu.com/a/538590/231142 – Terrance Nov 14 '21 at 05:35
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    Does this answer your question? [Is $HOME/.local/share the default value for $XDG\_DATA\_HOME in Ubuntu 14.04?](https://askubuntu.com/questions/538526/is-home-local-share-the-default-value-for-xdg-data-home-in-ubuntu-14-04) – N0rbert Nov 14 '21 at 08:49
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    @Terrance (and N0rbert) Those both link to the same answer page. I had found that previously, and setting the env variable explicitly as described didn't help. In addition, the working reference system doesn't have that value set either. – g051051 Nov 14 '21 at 12:50

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