If you manually delete .desktop entries from the /home/wm/.local/share/applications directory in Linux Mint with the Cinnamon desktop environment, you might notice that the Cinnamon Menu Editor doesn’t automatically update to reflect these changes. If the deleted entries still appear in your menu, here are some ways to refresh and update it:
1. Restart Cinnamon
A quick way to refresh the menu without logging out is to restart Cinnamon:
- Press
Alt+F2 - Type
rin the prompt that appears and press Enter
This will restart Cinnamon and should force the menu to update.
2. Re-login
If restarting Cinnamon doesn’t work, try logging out and back in to refresh the session and update the menu entries.
3. Clear Cinnamon’s Cache
Cinnamon may cache menu data, preventing immediate updates. To clear it:
- Move or delete the
.cinnamondirectory in your home folder:
mv ~/.cinnamon ~/.cinnamon_backup- Log out and log back in to force Cinnamon to rebuild its cache.
4. Update the Desktop Database
While this step is more relevant for system-wide updates, it can sometimes help in user-specific cases:
- Run the following command to refresh the application database:
update-desktop-database ~/.local/share/applications5. Manually Refresh the Menu Editor
Check the Cinnamon Menu Editor for an option to refresh or reload entries. Some versions may include a “Reload” or “Refresh” option.
6. Check for Duplicate Entries
If unwanted menu items persist, they might exist in the system-wide applications directory (/usr/share/applications). Check this directory and remove any duplicate .desktop files if necessary.
Final Thoughts
These steps should help keep your Cinnamon menu clean and up to date. However, behavior may vary slightly depending on your Linux Mint version and Cinnamon updates. If issues persist, consider rebooting or looking into additional Cinnamon troubleshooting resources.