A Powerful Linux App Launcher to Improve Your Productivity

App launchers allow you to launch apps and discover recordsdata in your pc’s native storage with ease. Aside from looking native storage, some app launchers even allow you to search for issues on the net, carry out calculations, run shell instructions, and translate textual content, amongst different issues.

If you happen to’re on Linux, there are a number of app launchers you need to use to streamline your system operations. Ulauncher is certainly one of these. It is touted to be the quickest app launcher on Linux with an intensive extensions library.

Let’s dive proper in and discover Ulauncher in additional element.

What Is Ulauncher?

Ulauncher is a free, light-weight, and easy-to-use app launcher for Linux. It permits you to carry out numerous operations in your pc, starting from looking recordsdata and launching apps to working scripts, trying up issues on the web, and rather more, proper from the desktop.

Plus, comparable to a couple different app launchers, Ulauncher additionally provides extensions, which you need to use to increase its performance even additional. What’s extra, you possibly can even create your personal extensions and add them to Ulauncher.

Set up Ulauncher on Linux?

Ulauncher is straightforward to put in. It is accessible on just about all Linux distros, and you’ll set up it in your machine utilizing the next directions:

On Ubuntu/Debian-based distros, open the terminal and run:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:agornostal/ulauncher
sudo apt replace
sudo apt set up ulauncher

To put in Ulauncher on Fedora, CentOS, and RHEL:

sudo dnf set up ulauncher

Arch Linux customers can set up Ulauncher from the AUR utilizing:

yay -S ulauncher

Ulauncher First Run

First, begin by launching the Ulauncher app. Open the Purposes menu and seek for Ulauncher or run the next command within the terminal:

ulauncher

Upon launching Ulauncher, you may see its icon within the system tray on the backside of your desktop. Proper-click on it and choose Preferences to open Ulauncher Preferences. Alternatively, press the Ctrl + House hotkey to invoke the Ulauncher search and click on on the gear icon within the search field to go to Preferences.

Whilst you’re right here, you possibly can change numerous settings, such because the hotkey, colour theme, and extra.

Change Hotkey

Hotkey is the keyboard shortcut you utilize to invoke Ulauncher. To vary it, faucet on the textual content area subsequent to Hotkey, press your required keyboard shortcut, and hit Enter.

Allow Launch at Login

Over time, for those who determine to make use of Ulauncher because the default launcher in your system, it’s your decision it to launch mechanically if you log in to remove the necessity to run the app manually.

For this, go to Ulauncher Preferences and tick the checkbox subsequent to Launch at Login.

Exclude a Listing From Being Listed

If there’s any listing in your file system that you do not need Ulauncher to look into (in response to your question), you possibly can blacklist it to forestall it from being listed within the first place.

To do that, go to the listing you wish to blacklist and replica its absolute path. Head again to Ulauncher Preferences and scroll right down to the Superior part. Faucet on the empty textual content area beneath Blacklisted App Dirs and paste absolutely the path of the listing you wish to blacklist.

Hit Enter to avoid wasting the adjustments.

Use Ulauncher

With Ulauncher configured, now you can use it for all types of searches and system operations. Beneath is a listing of all of the operations you possibly can perform with Ulauncher in its default state (with out extensions).

Ulauncher, by default, permits on-line searches on Google, Stack Overflow, and Wikipedia.

1. Discover a File or Listing in Native Storage

Ulauncher comes with a built-in native storage explorer. This allows you to discover recordsdata and directories in your system proper out of your desktop.

To make use of it, invoke the Ulauncher search (by hitting the hotkey) and append it together with your question. It’s also possible to use wildcards with Ulauncher (utilizing tilde (~) for the house listing, for instance).

If you happen to aren’t aware of the contents of a listing, kind its identify within the Ulauncher search and hit Enter to disclose its recordsdata and directories.

Do that till you get to your required listing/file in a folder. When it’s good to open a file within the record, click on on it or press the devoted keyboard shortcut (often Alt + x, the place x is a quantity).

2. Launch an App

Together with discovering recordsdata and directories, Ulauncher may assist you to discover and launch apps current in your system.

To do that, carry up the Ulauncher search and begin typing the identify of the app you wish to open. When it exhibits up within the outcomes, hit Enter or click on on it to launch it.

3. Search an Merchandise On-line

Discovering objects on the net is one other helpful Ulauncher characteristic. In its default state, Ulauncher permits you to search issues on Google, Wikipedia, and Stack Overflow.

For a Google search, fireplace up the Ulauncher search, enter “g,” and append it together with your search time period. If you would like to look Wikipedia, substitute “g” with “wiki“, and for trying up on Stack Overflow, use “so.”

4. Carry out Calculations

Much like searches, Ulauncher additionally means that you can make calculations immediately out of your desktop. For this, enter your question within the Ulauncher search, and Ulauncher will return the end in real-time. To repeat the outcome, hit Enter.

Set up Extensions on Ulauncher

In its default state, Ulauncher can solely carry out a number of fundamental operations. However if you would like to make use of it for extra than simply offline and on-line searches, you may have to put in extensions.

Observe these steps to put in extensions on Ulauncher:

1. Go to Ulauncher Preferences.
2. Faucet on the Extensions tab on the high and choose Uncover extensions to go to the Extensions web site.
3. If you happen to discover an extension attention-grabbing, faucet on it to be taught extra and reveal its URL. It’s also possible to use Ctrl + F to search out an extension by identify.
4. Click on on the copy icon subsequent to the textual content area with the extension’s URL to repeat it.

5. Return to the Extensions tab within the Ulauncher Preferences.
6. Hit the Add extension button and paste the copied URL.

7. Click on on Add so as to add the extension.

Wait a number of seconds for the set up to finish. When it is achieved, the extension will seem within the Extensions record. If it would not, hit the Reload button to replace the record.

Greatest Ulauncher Extensions You Should Use

Ulauncher provides an intensive number of extensions on its web site. Beneath is a listing of all the most effective Ulauncher extensions you need to use to simplify lots of your system operations:

1. Run instructions: Execute terminal instructions
2. Calculate Something: Calculate something from models and currencies to timezones and complicated calculations
3. Speedtest: Do a fast pace check in your community
4. Customized Scripts: Execute customized scripts
5. IpCopy: Rapidly discover and replica your private and non-private IP handle to your clipboard
6. DuckDuckGo Bangs: Use DuckDuckGo Bangs to look the online effectively
7. Lock Display: Lock display screen immediately from the Ulauncher search
8. Clipboard: View your clipboard historical past
9. Course of Assassin: Kill a system course of by its identify
10. Spotify API: Management Spotify playback on any system from Ulauncher
11. Higher file browser: Browse file system with higher visuals
12. YouTube Search: Search movies on YouTube
13. English dictionary extension: Search for definitions of phrases
14. ShortIT: Rapidly shorten a URL utilizing any of the favored URL shorteners
15. Open URL on default browser: Open a URL in your default browser

Virtually all Ulauncher extensions have a set off key phrase. It is what triggers these extensions within the Ulauncher search and allows you to use it to search out solutions to your queries. To search out the set off key phrase for an extension, go into the Extensions tab and choose the extension. Discover the Executer Key phrase area on the appropriate, and there you may see its set off key phrase.

If you would like to vary it, faucet on the present initials, add your required key phrase, and hit the Save button.

Streamline Your Pc Operations With Ulauncher

Ulauncher makes it extraordinarily straightforward to carry out numerous day-to-day operations in your Linux pc. With it, you possibly can invoke the Ulauncher search and get solutions to your search queries immediately, proper from the desktop, with no need to make use of any further apps.

If you would like to discover extra choices earlier than settling with Ulauncher, then there are a number of different Linux app launchers that you need to take a look at.

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