How To Integrate AppImages To Application Menu Using AppImageLauncher In Linux

If you’re using Linux, you’ve probably come across AppImages—those portable, standalone apps you can run without installing anything. They’re convenient, but there’s one downside: they don’t automatically appear in your application menu. That’s where AppImageLauncher comes in.

AppImageLauncher bridges the gap by integrating AppImages into your system the right way—clean, simple, and menu-friendly.

What Is AppImageLauncher?

AppImageLauncher is a small utility that makes handling AppImages effortless. When you open an AppImage, AppImageLauncher can:

• Move it to a centralized location (~/Applications)
• Automatically add it to your application menu
• Create a desktop shortcut with icon and metadata
• Handle updates and remove entries cleanly

Why Use It?

Without AppImageLauncher, you’d have to manually:

• Move the file
• Extract the icon
• Create a .desktop file
• Set executable permissions
• And deal with updates yourself

It’s a pain. AppImageLauncher automates all that.

How To Set It Up

Here’s how to get AppImageLauncher running on your Linux system.

1. Install AppImageLauncher

AppImageLauncher is available for major distributions like Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, and Arch.

For Ubuntu/Debian:

Download the .deb file from the official GitHub releases page and install it:

sudo dpkg -i appimagelauncher*.deb
sudo apt-get install -f  # Fix dependencies if needed

For Fedora:

sudo dnf install appimagelauncher*.rpm

For Arch (via AUR):

yay -S appimagelauncher

2. Use It to Run AppImages

Once installed, just double-click any AppImage. AppImageLauncher will prompt you with:

“Would you like to integrate this AppImage with your system?”

Click Yes, and it will:

• Move the AppImage to ~/Applications
• Add it to your app menu with the correct icon
• Let you launch it like any other app

Boom. Done.

3. Update or Remove AppImages Easily

Integrated AppImages show up in your system like native apps. If you need to:

• Update: Right-click the AppImage in your menu or open it again—AppImageLauncher checks for updates.
• Remove: Delete it from ~/Applications. AppImageLauncher cleans up the menu entry too.

Final Thoughts

AppImageLauncher is one of those tools that makes using Linux feel seamless. It takes the hassle out of AppImage management and makes your application menu behave like it should.

If you rely on AppImages (and more and more apps are shipping that way), AppImageLauncher is a must-have.

Got questions or a preferred way to handle AppImages? Drop a comment below—let’s talk Linux.