--- title: "Brilliant Ways on How to Run a Program in Linux" description: "Learn many ways on how to run a program in Linux, both via GUI and a command-line environment. From a novice Linux user to a power user, you will find knowing these methods to run a program helpful." canonical: "https://adamtheautomator.com/how-to-run-a-program-in-linux/" --- # Brilliant Ways on How to Run a Program in Linux > Learn many ways on how to run a program in Linux, both via GUI and a command-line environment. From a novice Linux user to a power user, you will find knowing these methods to run a program helpful. Source: https://adamtheautomator.com/how-to-run-a-program-in-linux/ --- ATA Learning Tap to hide [ ATA Learning ](/) * [Home](/) * [Tutorials](/tutorials/) * [Instructors](/author/) * [Advertising](/advertising/) * [Recommended Resources](/resources/) * [About Adam](/about-adam/) Search for: * [](https://twitter.com/adbertram) * [](https://github.com/Adam-the-Automator) * [](https://www.linkedin.com/company/adam-the-automator-llc) * [](/feed/) ![Brilliant Ways on How to Run a Program in Linux](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Linux-101-How-to-Run-a-Program-in-Linux.jpg) # Brilliant Ways on How to Run a Program in Linux [![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/6d48255930266909c215c7daae8b9ad349694d07e1fa6135a9c20951309a96ce?s=192&d=mm&r=g)Michael Franklin](https://adamtheautomator.com/author/michael-franklin/)15 September 20214 min. read Categories: [IT Ops](/category/it-ops/) Tags:[Linux](/tag/linux/)[Ubuntu Linux](/tag/ubuntu-linux/) Table of Contents * [Prerequisites](#prerequisites) * [Launching Programs with the Application (App) Launcher](#launching-programs-with-the-application-app-launcher) * [Launching Programs with the Applications Menu (Unity Dash)](#launching-programs-with-the-applications-menu-unity-dash) * [Using the Run Command to Launch Program](#using-the-run-command-to-launch-program) * [Running Programs Using Hot Keys](#running-programs-using-hot-keys) * [Setting Up Keyboard Shortcuts to Run Programs in Linux](#setting-up-keyboard-shortcuts-to-run-programs-in-linux) * [Running a Program within the Terminal](#running-a-program-within-the-terminal) * [Conclusion](#conclusion) If you are new to Linux, particularly the command line, and want to learn how to run a program in Linux, you’ve come to the right spot. Running programs in Linux is no different than how it’s done in Windows. Easy to say, right? But no worries, you’ll get to run any program in no time. In this tutorial, you’ll learn many ways to run programs in Linux, both via GUI and a command-line environment. From a novice Linux user to a power user, you will find knowing these methods to run a program helpful. Ready? Let’s get started! ## Prerequisites Ubuntu Desktop 15.04 or later – Ensure you have a [Linux](https://adamtheautomator.com/linux-directory-commands/) host ready to go. This tutorial uses Ubuntu 15.04 (Desktop version) with GNOME installed, but any newer distribution should work similarly. Related:[Your Guide to Managing Directories in Linux \[Step by Step\]](https://adamtheautomator.com/linux-directory-commands/) ## Launching Programs with the Application (App) Launcher There are generally multiple ways to run a program within Windows, and Linux is no different. We will start with the most common way to run a program using the Launcher. The most common method to run programs in Linux is to use the Launcher. The Launcher is a bar similar to the Windows start menu that contains a list of icons you can click on to run programs. In Ubuntu, the App Launcher is located on the left side of the screen, as you can see below, containing default commonly run applications. To open the program, simply click the icon representing the program. ![Accessing the Launcher programs through GUI](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/image-90.png) Accessing the Launcher programs through GUI ## Launching Programs with the Applications Menu (Unity Dash) You can also run programs in Ubuntu Linux with Unity Dash. The Applications Menu or Unity Dash is a handy way to search for and run programs in GNOME. To use the Applications Menu, click on the Ubuntu button in the top left corner. ![Selecting the icon to search and launch programs using the Unity Dash](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/image-91.png) Selecting the icon to search and launch programs using the Unity Dash You’ll see below that the menu opens a search bar with any recently run programs. ![Search for the program you want to run using the Unity Dash in older versions of Ubuntu](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/image-92.png) Search for the program you want to run using the Unity Dash in older versions of Ubuntu Type in the correct name of the program you are looking for (i.e Firefox) and it will appear, then select it to launch the program. > _In Ubuntu Linux v20.04+, **Unity Dash** has been replaced with **Activities** in the upper left of your screen but the process to run a program remains the same._ ## Using the Run Command to Launch Program Another way to launch programs in Linux is to use the Run command. The Run command is a handy way to quickly run a program in Linux by typing the program and executing it. To run programs via the Run command, select the **Alt-F2** to open the Run Command box. > _You can also hit Alt-F2 as a shortcut to the run command._ ![Using the run command](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/image-93.png) Using the run command Next, type the name of the program you want to run. In this example, you’ll run the Terminal application, type _terminal_, select the Terminal icon and hit Enter. ![Selecting the icon or hitting enter will launch the program](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/image-94.png) Selecting the icon or hitting enter will launch the program You’ll see below that Linux will launch the Terminal application. ## Running Programs Using Hot Keys If you’re more of a keyboard ninja and would rather skip the mouse like we started with in the last example, you can also run programs with hotkeys. In all Linux distros, you can use the **Super Key (Windows Key) + A**. The Super Key will bring up all applications in alphabetical order and a text box to type in the name of a program, as shown below. You can type the name of the program in the search box to navigate to the program or click on the program with your mouse if it appears immediately. ![Running Programs Using Hot Keys](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/image-95.png) Running Programs Using Hot Keys ## Setting Up Keyboard Shortcuts to Run Programs in Linux Now that you have learned the GUI options to run programs, the remainder of this tutorial will focus on using non-GUI-based options to run programs. Let’s first begin with keyboard shortcuts. Using keyboard shortcuts can remove a lot of clicking around. To set up keyboard shortcuts in Ubuntu: 1\. Select the icon **i**n the top left corner again and **Keyboard Shortcut**. The **Keyboard** application should show up below. When it does, click on it. ![Selecting the icon and launching the Keyboard Shortcut](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/image-96.png) Selecting the icon and launching the Keyboard Shortcut 2\. In the **Keyboard** application, click on the **Shortcut t**ab. > _In Ubuntu 20.04 and newer, selecting **Keyboard Shortcut** from the **Activities** menu brings you directly to the **Shortcuts** tab._ ![Accessing the Shortcuts Tab](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/image-98.png) Accessing the Shortcuts Tab 3\. Click on the + icon to create a new keyboard shortcut. Ubuntu will direct you to the **Custom Shortcuts** section. ![Adding a New Shortcut](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/image-100.png) Adding a New Shortcut 4\. Next, enter a descriptive **Name** for the shortcut key and provide the **Command** (program) to execute and click **Apply**. ![Entering the name and program to use for the Shortcut](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/image-101.png) Entering the name and program to use for the Shortcut When Ubuntu creates the shortcut, you’ll see that the Name shows up under Custom Shortcuts but it’s disabled. ![Seeing the Created, but not Active Shortcut Key ](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/image-102.png) Seeing the Created, but not Active Shortcut Key 5\. Now, click on the Disabled text as shown above and press the desired keyboard shortcut such as Ctrl+T. Once you type your desired shortcut, it will show up, as shown below. ![Activating the Shortcut](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/image-103.png) Activating the Shortcut 6\. Finally, launch the application by pressing the keyboard shortcut! ## Running a Program within the Terminal Although if you’re a newcomer to Linux, chances are you’ll be running programs with the GUI but if you need to use the command line for any reason, the Terminal makes it easy to do so. The Terminal is a command-line application that allows you to manage all facets of Linux with the keyboard. To run programs in the Terminal, open the App Launcher (or Activities) in the upper left corner and run the **Terminal** application as shown below. ![Accessing the Terminal ](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/image-104.png) Accessing the Terminal When the Terminal opens, as shown below, simply type the name of the program and press Enter. Related:[Your Guide to Managing Directories and Files in Linux \[Step by Step\]](https://adamtheautomator.com/linux-directory-commands/) > _Running programs in the Terminal will not work for all programs. Some programs may not be in the [PATH](https://opensource.com/article/17/6/set-path-linux)._ ![Launching the program end result](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/image-105.png) Launching the program end result ## Conclusion In this tutorial, you’ve learned many different methods to run programs in Linux. Using both GUI-based and command-line-based methods, you should now know how to launch programs wherever you are within Linux. Try installing programs in Linux such as the [tutorial to install a common program such as Docker](https://adamtheautomator.com/docker-ubuntu/) for practice and then run it using a shortcut, command line, or GUI Interface. Which way will you use most often to run your favorite programs? 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