Signal Desktop on Linux no longer uses the app icon

[mneptok]

Using a supported version?

• I have searched searched open and closed issues for duplicates.
• I am using Signal-Desktop as provided by the Signal team, not a 3rd-party package.

Overall summary

As of the update of Signal Desktop for Linux 7.73.0 the application icon will launch the app, but a generic app icon is displayed in the GNOME dash for the app actually running.

Debian 13 (Trixie) x86-64
GNOME 48

The signal-desktop.desktop stub contains the seemingly proper information:

cat signal-desktop.desktop
[Desktop Entry]
Name=Signal
Exec=/opt/Signal/signal-desktop %U
Terminal=false
Type=Application
Icon=signal-desktop
StartupWMClass=Signal
Comment=Private messaging from your desktop
MimeType=x-scheme-handler/sgnl;x-scheme-handler/signalcaptcha;
Categories=Network;InstantMessaging;Chat;

And the icons exist in /usr/share/icons/hicolor:

/usr/share/icons/hicolor/1024x1024/apps/signal-desktop.png
/usr/share/icons/hicolor/128x128/apps/signal-desktop.png
/usr/share/icons/hicolor/16x16/apps/signal-desktop.png
/usr/share/icons/hicolor/24x24/apps/signal-desktop.png
/usr/share/icons/hicolor/256x256/apps/signal-desktop.png
/usr/share/icons/hicolor/32x32/apps/signal-desktop.png
/usr/share/icons/hicolor/48x48/apps/signal-desktop.png
/usr/share/icons/hicolor/512x512/apps/signal-desktop.png
/usr/share/icons/hicolor/64x64/apps/signal-desktop.png

Steps to reproduce

Launch Signal using the expected application icon.

Expected result

The GNOME dash should display a dot under the Signal icon indicating it is running. There should not be a generic icon.

Actual result

The GNOME dash displays a generic icon.

Screenshots

Signal version

7.73.0

Operating system

Debian 13 (Trixie)

Version of Signal on your phone

7.57.2

Link to debug log

NA

[hvbakel]

I'm experiencing the same issue. In addition, the window controls show up on the left rather than the right side of the title bar. This is on Ubuntu 24.04.

[chandandas-3025]

Same experience restarted the system then uninstall and reinstall signal but issue persist.

[Jvlsc]

I was experiencing this problem too. The issue comes from the StartupWMClass property in the .desktop file. The window WMClass is signal (all lowercase), but the .desktop file uses Signal (with an uppercase "S"). This mismatch prevents proper behavior in some desktop environments.

Workaround:

1. Locate the .desktop file. If installed via the APT repository, it is usually at:

   /usr/share/applications/signal-desktop.desktop
   

2. Edit the file with root privileges:

   sudo nano /usr/share/applications/signal-desktop.desktop

3. Find the line:

   StartupWMClass=Signal
   

   and replace it with:

   StartupWMClass=signal
   

4. Save and exit.

---

Optional (Prevent overwrite on updates):

To make sure the fix persists after updates, copy the file to your local applications directory where it takes precedence:

mkdir -p ~/.local/share/applications && \
cp /usr/share/applications/signal-desktop.desktop ~/.local/share/applications/

This way, the local copy will override the system one and won’t be overwritten by package updates.

[Jvlsc]

I'm experiencing the same issue. In addition, the window controls show up on the left rather than the right side of the title bar. This is on Ubuntu 24.04.

The window buttons issue seems to be an upstream bug in Electron 38.2.0. See electron/electron#48422

[MatejKovacic]

I am experiencing the same issue on Ubuntu 24.04.3 LTS.

[hvbakel]

As a temporary work-around for both issues, the following modified .desktop file seems to address both issues, by incorporating the capitalization change and the suggested upstream workaround for the electron bug (unsetting XDG_SESSION_TYPE) as provided by Jvlsc:

[Desktop Entry]
Name=Signal
Exec=env -u XDG_SESSION_TYPE /opt/Signal/signal-desktop %U
Terminal=false
Type=Application
Icon=signal-desktop
StartupWMClass=signal
Comment=Private messaging from your desktop
MimeType=x-scheme-handler/sgnl;x-scheme-handler/signalcaptcha;
Categories=Network;InstantMessaging;Chat;

Note that this causes signal to run as an xwayland application rather than wayland.

[mneptok]

sudo sed s/StartupWMClass\=Signal/StartupWMClass\=signal/g -i /usr/share/applications/signal-desktop.desktop

did indeed fix the generic icon issue. The bug is a capitalization mismatch in the .desktop file.

Thanks jvlsc!

[tukten]

I had the same issue on Ubuntu 24.04.3 LTS and changing the .desktop entry to lowercase "s" worked for me.

[MatejKovacic]

Also, minimize and close "icons" on title bar are now on a left - should be on a right.

and this proposed solution (change of. desktop file) did not solve it.

[chandandas-3025]

After applying below solution get a new issue:

Name=Signal
Exec=env -u XDG_SESSION_TYPE /opt/Signal/signal-desktop %U
Terminal=false
Type=Application
Icon=signal-desktop
StartupWMClass=signal
Comment=Private messaging from your desktop
MimeType=x-scheme-handler/sgnl;x-scheme-handler/signalcaptcha;
Categories=Network;InstantMessaging;Chat;

my mouse pointer just got changed while I am in the signal.

[petercsomai]

Same issue on Ubuntu 25.04. Missing Signal app icon and the buttons (minimize, full window, close) on the left.

[kbailey4444]

I was experiencing this problem too. The issue comes from the StartupWMClass property in the .desktop file. The window WMClass is signal (all lowercase), but the .desktop file uses Signal (with an uppercase "S"). This mismatch prevents proper behavior in some desktop environments.

Workaround:

1. Locate the `.desktop` file. If installed via the APT repository, it is usually at:
   ```
   /usr/share/applications/signal-desktop.desktop
   ```

2. Edit the file with root privileges:
   sudo nano /usr/share/applications/signal-desktop.desktop

3. Find the line:
   ```
   StartupWMClass=Signal
   ```
   
   
       
         
       
   
         
       
   
       
     
   and replace it with:
   ```
   StartupWMClass=signal
   ```

4. Save and exit.

Optional (Prevent overwrite on updates):

To make sure the fix persists after updates, copy the file to your local applications directory where it takes precedence:

mkdir -p ~/.local/share/applications &&
cp /usr/share/applications/signal-desktop.desktop ~/.local/share/applications/

This way, the local copy will override the system one and won’t be overwritten by package updates.

What commit/s does it look like introduced this issue? I didn't experience this bug on the previous version of Signal-Desktop.

[joewilliams]

I am on Ubuntu 24.04.3 and the above change to StartupWMClass worked for me.

[ProactiveServices]

If you're using the beta version the string needs to be "signalbeta".

[papamoose]

Confirming Ubuntu 24.04 is broken and that the fixes described in this thread worked though the close, minimize, maximize buttons are still on the wrong side.