Hi all,

I would like to be able to add "categories" to the Application Menu in my KDE system, but haven't found a way to do so. I'm unsure if there's something I'm missing in the GUI editor for the Application Menu, or if this is something only possible by editing config files manually in a terminal. I'm not opposed to doing the latter, as long as I've been given detailed steps to do so — after all, it might end up helping others who come across this very same issue in the future!

By right clicking the Application Menu, I can select an option labeled "Edit Applications...", which runs the KDE Menu Editor. From here, I can easily add new items to the existing categories (non-submenus), I can even add submenus where-ever I chose as long as they are under these pre-existing categories, I can add separators for organization... I can do many things, but I can't figure out how to add a new category (non-submenu).

There are categories for things like "Internet" applications, "Multimedia" applications, &c. But there is no way for me to... add something like a new category called "All applications", and from then be able to add items or submenus below it. It would be immensely useful to users if they were given such an option in this GUI editor. I suppose users could simply edit a pre-existing category, but I'd prefer to be able to simply add a new one so that I don't have to lose what I already have — I'm sure other users would feel the same way.

In searching for help with this issue, I came across a single Reddit post under r/KDE of a user running into the same issue, and their suggestion was to exploit a bug in the KDE Menu Editor, wherein a user adds a new item, a submenu below it, and then whatever intended application(s) under that particular submenu. The top level item would not show when the menu was opened, but the submenu below it would actually act as a new folder or category. I believe this bug has since been patched, however, as this technique no longer works on my KDE Plasma version of 5.18.8. I wonder when this was patched, as the Reddit post was from 2018.

If there is not a way to do something like this with the KDE Menu Editor, can an end user simply edit some config file manually that is responsible for the configuration of the Application Menu? How would a user do so? In the future, can we work to add this functionality to the KDE Menu Editor?

With love and hope,

I'm not quite sure that I fully understand your question, but I'll take a stab. I apologize if I miss the mark.

If by "category," you are referring to the items such as "Games," "Graphics," etc., which appear when you click the menu icon, you can add an item to this list by clicking "Edit Applications-->New Submenu."

I note that in my Plasma menu on Slackware, there is already a category (Submenu) labeled "All Applications." (Note that I have not edited the menu.) As far as I can tell, its main use would be with the Search function, to make it easier to find an application if you don't know what submenu it's in.

If I've completely missed your point, please straighten me out.

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On my Ubuntu install I see an 'All Applications' menu item also. I am using the KDE backports for Ubuntu to get the freshest KDE builds.

My admittedly ancient KDE has a kmenuedit program which lets you add new submenus among other things. It can be invoked via (rightclick on the applications icon)-edit applications.

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This will only work once as the first thing you do then save, exit kmenuedit before trying again for another .
A fault in the program that has been there for years.

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If it adds the new submenu as a submenu to the last category you worked on, you can use the tree on the left to drag and drop it to the place and hierarchy level you want it to be. That confused me when I tried this first, as there seemed no way to add a new "main menu" when I reconfigured the default structure.