Desktop File Cleaner

A Qt GUI application for Linux that scans for and removes broken desktop application entries (.desktop files) whose executables no longer exist.

Screenshot

Features

• 🔍 Scan for broken desktop files: Automatically searches standard desktop file locations
• 🔐 Superuser support: Uses sudo credentials to read and delete system-owned files
• 🗑️ Batch deletion: Select multiple broken files and delete them all at once
• 🎨 Visual indicators: Root-owned files are highlighted in red
• ✅ Select/deselect all: Easily manage multiple files with a single click
• 📋 Detailed information: Shows application names and file paths with tooltips

Supported Desktop File Locations

• ~/.local/share/applications/
• /usr/share/applications/
• /usr/local/share/applications/
• /var/lib/flatpak/exports/share/applications/
• ~/.local/share/flatpak/exports/share/applications/

Requirements

Build Dependencies

• Qt 5 or Qt 6 with development packages
• C++ compiler with C++11 support
• Make or Ninja build system
• qmake (usually included with Qt)

Ubuntu/Debian

sudo apt install qtbase5-dev qt5-qmake g++ make

Fedora/RHEL

sudo dnf install qt5-qtbase-devel gcc-c++ make

Arch Linux

sudo pacman -S qt5-base

Runtime Dependencies

• sudo for managing root-owned files
• Standard Linux desktop environment

Building from Source

Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/ArtNazarov/DesktopFileCleaner.git
cd DesktopFileCleaner

Build the Application

Using qmake (recommended)

# Clean previous builds (if any)
make clean 2>/dev/null || true
rm -f DesktopFileCleaner moc_* 2>/dev/null || true

# Generate Makefile and build
qmake DesktopFileCleaner.pro
make

Using CMake (alternative)

mkdir build
cd build
cmake ..
make

Install (Optional)

# Copy executable to /usr/local/bin
sudo cp DesktopFileCleaner /usr/local/bin/

# Or run directly from build directory
./DesktopFileCleaner

Usage

1. Launch the application

   ./DesktopFileCleaner

2. Enter credentials (if checking system files)

   • Username: Your sudo username (defaults to current user)
   • Password: Your sudo password

3. Scan for broken files

   • Click "Find Broken Desktop Files" button
   • The application will scan all desktop file locations
   • Broken files will appear in the list with checkboxes

4. Review and select files

   • Files requiring sudo permissions are shown in red
   • Hover over files to see full paths
   • Use "Select/Deselect All" checkbox to manage multiple files

5. Delete selected files

   • Select the files you want to remove
   • Click "Delete Selected Files" button
   • Confirm the deletion when prompted

How It Works

1. File Discovery: The app scans standard desktop file directories
2. Permission Handling:
   • User-owned files are read directly
   • Root-owned files are read using sudo credentials
3. Broken File Detection:
   • Extracts the Exec= line from each .desktop file
   • Checks if the executable exists and is executable
   • Accounts for both absolute paths and PATH-resolved executables
4. File Deletion:
   • User-owned files are deleted directly
   • Root-owned files are deleted using sudo

Security Notes

⚠️ Important Security Information

• Password handling: The application temporarily stores your sudo password in memory while scanning and deleting files
• File operations: The app only modifies .desktop files, not executables
• Superuser access: Requires sudo privileges to manage system-wide desktop files
• Recommendation: Review the source code before entering sensitive credentials

For enhanced security, consider:

• Running the application in a sandboxed environment
• Using a dedicated sudo configuration with limited permissions
• Reviewing which files will be deleted before confirming

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. "No desktop files found"

   • Ensure you have read permissions for desktop directories
   • Enter sudo credentials if checking system files

2. "Permission denied" when deleting

   • Make sure sudo credentials are correct
   • Check if the file still exists
   • Verify you have appropriate permissions

3. Build errors

   • Ensure all Qt development packages are installed
   • Check Qt version compatibility
   • Clean build directory and rebuild

4. Missing system desktop files

   • The app shows system files only when sudo credentials are provided
   • Enter your sudo password to see all files

Debug Mode

Enable debug output by rebuilding with:

qmake "CONFIG+=debug" DesktopFileCleaner.pro
make clean
make

Author

Nazarov A.A., Orenburg, Russia, 2025

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License

Note: Always back up important files before using cleanup utilities. Use this tool at your own risk.