Bug 510656

Summary: Add support for AppImage icons as a thumbnail for the Appimage file
Product: [Applications] dolphin Reporter: izzylaif <izzylaif>
Component: generalAssignee: Dolphin Bug Assignee <dolphin-bugs-null>
Status: CONFIRMED ---    
Severity: wishlist CC: dolphin-bugs-null, ilikefoss, kdedev, zxvb12z
Priority: NOR    
Version First Reported In: unspecified   
Target Milestone: ---   
Platform: unspecified   
OS: Linux   
Latest Commit: Version Fixed/Implemented In:
Sentry Crash Report:
Attachments: Current state of affairs
krita appimage
example
Dolphin settings
Multiple AppImage files having their icons displayed on Debian 14 + Plasma 6.5.3
Appimaged working on Manjaro
No tickbox on Fedora
libappimage

Description izzylaif 2025-10-15 21:44:37 UTC
Created attachment 185819 [details]
Current state of affairs

Implement native AppImage icon functionality without libappimage, appimaged and other non-native tools.

AppImage is a portable application, and each stores an icon and a desktop file, which are not constrained by the .desktop limitation of not allowing relative paths to icons. You also cannot expect to have an icon for a portable application in /usr/share/icons/ 

Current situation is ridiculous: alien programs such as Windows executables do show an embedded icon, while native Linux executable does not.
Comment 1 TraceyC 2025-10-16 20:53:02 UTC
Being able to use an appimage provided icon as the thumbnail might be do-able. I'll let the developers weigh in on this
Comment 2 zxvb12z 2025-10-30 14:32:49 UTC
Is this function not already implemented?  At least I see a suitable setting in the Dolphin settings
Comment 3 zxvb12z 2025-10-30 14:33:18 UTC
Created attachment 186334 [details]
krita appimage
Comment 4 izzylaif 2025-10-30 15:27:59 UTC
(In reply to zxvb12z from comment #3)
> Created attachment 186334 [details]
> krita appimage

You are probably using an appimage thumbnailer, i.e. xapp-thumbnailers or elfres/elficon 
Or you may have a krita icon in usr/share
Comment 5 zxvb12z 2025-10-30 15:46:25 UTC
(In reply to izzylaif from comment #4)

> You are probably using an appimage thumbnailer, i.e. xapp-thumbnailers or
> elfres/elficon 
> Or you may have a krita icon in usr/share

No, the specified packages are not installed on my system. it’s not just krita, I have a lot of appimage and most of them display the icon. I mean, if you go to Dolphin settings -> thumbnail view you won’t have any settings for Appimage? excuse me if I ask a stupid question
Comment 6 zxvb12z 2025-10-30 15:49:37 UTC
Created attachment 186337 [details]
example
Comment 7 izzylaif 2025-10-30 16:33:21 UTC
Created attachment 186340 [details]
Dolphin settings

That's what i got
Comment 8 izzylaif 2025-10-30 16:38:18 UTC
(In reply to zxvb12z from comment #5)

> if you go to Dolphin settings -> thumbnail view you won’t have any settings
> for Appimage? excuse me if I ask a stupid question

Your question is not stupid. You see the thumbnails because you have libappimage installed. That's a non-native way.
Comment 9 John 2025-12-05 23:13:25 UTC
Created attachment 187378 [details]
Multiple AppImage files having their icons displayed on Debian 14 + Plasma 6.5.3

Just for testing I've put a few AppImage files in a folder and they all have their icons shown.
I haven't done anything to enable this, everything is at the default configuration.
But of course, it's possible that the developers of maintainers of the distro, that I tried this on, did.
The distro where I tried it is Debian 14 (Forky) that at the moment has Plasma 6.5.3 and Dolphin 25.04.3.

If this is a non-native way, a workaround or something that the distro developers / maintainers have to do, I of course, support and with that a native, better way is available and the icons are shown for all the executable native to Linux.
And hopefully in the future, for Android too:
https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=501694
As Android is  open source and open source software should be supported as good as possible by other open source projects.
Comment 10 izzylaif 2025-12-06 12:59:04 UTC
(In reply to John from comment #9)
> Just for testing I've put a few AppImage files in a folder and they all have
> their icons shown.
> I haven't done anything to enable this, everything is at the default
> configuration.
> But of course, it's possible that the developers of maintainers of the
> distro, that I tried this on, did.
> As Android is  open source and open source software should be supported as
> good as possible by other open source projects.

appimaged is a daemon that handles registering and unregistering AppImages with the system (e.g., menu entries, icons, MIME types, binary delta updates, and such). The package comes also with appimage.validate CLI tool to verify signature of AppImage files.

For example, Dolphin on Manjaro's KDE does have an Appimage tickbox is PREVIEW settings, but ticking it does nothing unless you install appimaged.
On Fedora's KDE, there is no tickbox in Dolphin, and appimaged is not available for Fedora.

So appimaged is not a native way, and you can check on Debian if it's installed.
Comment 11 izzylaif 2025-12-06 13:00:12 UTC
Created attachment 187387 [details]
Appimaged working on Manjaro

Appimaged + Dolphin tickbox in Manjaro's KDE
Comment 12 izzylaif 2025-12-06 13:00:37 UTC
Created attachment 187388 [details]
No tickbox on Fedora
Comment 13 izzylaif 2025-12-06 13:14:09 UTC
Correction. I just checked and apparently you do not need appimaged daemon, but you need libappimage for this to work. That's still inline with the original issue.
Comment 14 izzylaif 2025-12-06 13:14:44 UTC
Created attachment 187389 [details]
libappimage