Application launchers are software whose primary goal is to start and locate other computer programs. They are a type of productivity software that not everyone is familiar with, but most people use the basic concepts without realizing it.
Application launchers provide a lightning-fast way to access and launch apps and are especially useful for people who prefer keyboard navigation to a mouse.
Ulauncher is a beautiful application launcher for Linux written in Python. Above all, it is open source and easily customizable.
The app has a minimal design and is dependent on only a few resources. In addition, it is speedy and works on virtually all Linux desktops. Launching applications is, unsurprisingly, the most basic operation. This is comparable to the majority of modern desktop environments.
Just press the default shortcut key ctrl + space to launch the Ulauncher and directly type the application name to launch it.
While the built-in functionality is excellent, installing extensions significantly improves productivity with Ulauncher. Extensions can go far beyond what custom shortcuts can do, most notably by providing suggestions as arguments are typed.
Installing a new extension is simple, but it could be a more integrated experience. Navigate to the Extensions tab in the preferences window after finding an interesting extension, either on the Ulauncher extensions website or anywhere on GitHub.
Next, click “Add Extension” and enter the GitHub URL. This loads the extension and displays a preferences page for any available options.
There are plenty of extensions available for it, which can be found on the official website. For example, Ulauncher can send search queries to Google and Wikipedia.
Main Features
Ulauncher comes with very reasonable defaults, looks good, and just works. In addition, it can be customized with many themes.
- Fuzzy search: Type in an application name without worrying about the spelling. Ulauncher will figure out what you meant. It also remembers your previous choices and automatically selects the best option for you.
- Custom color themes: Provides by default four themes built-in. But if you need something different, you can always create a custom color theme.
- Shortcuts & extensions: Customizable shortcuts and extensions will improve your workflow.
- Fast directory browser: Browse files and directories with ease. Type
~or/to start. PressAlt + Enterto access an alt menu.
How to Install Ulauncher
To install Ulauncher on Ubuntu or Linux Mint, you need to execute the below commands.
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:agornostal/ulauncher
sudo apt update && sudo apt install ulauncherFedora and Debian users can download the RPM (Fedora) or DEB (Debian) package file directly from the website. Then, with the package done downloading, you’ll be able to install it very quickly.
On Fedora:
sudo dnf install package-name.rpmCode language: CSS (css)On Debian:
sudo dpkg -i package-name.debCode language: CSS (css)Finally, launch the Ulauncher application.
Once started, Ulauncher will sit in your system tray by default. Just press Alt + Enter to launch it.
