Gnome Calculator is the default calculator application for Ubuntu. According to the developers, GNOME Calculator is an application that solves mathematical equations. Though it at first appears to be a simple calculator with only basic arithmetic operations, you can switch into Advanced, Financial, or Programming mode to find a surprising set of capabilities. The Advanced calculator supports many operations, including logarithms, factorials, trigonometric and hyperbolic functions, modulus division, complex numbers, random number generation, prime factorization, and unit conversions. The financial mode supports several computations, including periodic interest rate, present, and future value, double declining and straight-line depreciation, and many others. The financial mode supports several computations, including periodic interest rate, present, and future value, double declining and straight-line depreciation, and many others.
If you are a regular calculator user like me, you might be on a lookout for a way to launch the application through a method that best suits your needs. In this article, we will explain 6 ways for you to open the application from your Ubuntu. This includes opening the application both through the Ubuntu GUI and the command line.
We have run the commands and procedures mentioned in this article on a Ubuntu 18.04 LTS system.
Method 1: Search and Open through Ubuntu Application Launcher
The Ubuntu Application Launcher search bar helps you in searching for installed applications and system utilities, and also helps you in finding the ones you can install through the Ubuntu Software Manager. Since Gnome Calculator is installed by default, when you search for it through the launcher you will see the search result as follows:
Simply click the search result and your Calculator application will open.
Method 2: From the Applications list
The Gnome Calculator application is also available in your Ubuntu’s list of applications. As you might know, you can view the installed UI applications through the Applications button located in the down left corner of your Ubuntu desktop.
Method 3: Add to Favorites and Open from the Dock panel
You can add an application available in your Application listing as a favorite; this will add it in your Dock panel so that you can access it quickly. To add Calculator to your favorites, right-click on its icon and select Add to Favorites from the menu as follows:
The Calculator application will be added to your Dock, as shown below, from where you can access it through one-click.
Method 4: Open from the Terminal application
For a Terminal-savvy person, accessing Calculator through the command line is pretty simple. Open the Terminal either through the Application launcher or the Ctrl+Alt+T shortcut and run the following command:
$ gnome-calculator
You can exit the Terminal by using the exit command as follow:
$ exit
Method 5: Using the Run command window
The Run command window can be used to directly run commands that you would otherwise run by opening the Terminal. You can use the Run command window in order to open the Calculator as follows:
Use the Alt+F2 shortcut in order to open the Run command window. Then enter the following command and hit the Enter key:
gnome-calculator
Method 6: Use a custom keyboard shortcut
Open the Settings utility from Ubuntu application launcher search or the down-ward arrow button located at the top right corner of your screen. Click the Devices tab from the left menu of the Settings window. Then, click on the KeyBoard tab from the Devices menu. The following Keyboard view will be displayed in the right panel:
Alternatively, you can directly open the Settings utility in the Keyboard view as follows:
Scroll down the Keyboard view in Settings and click the + button. The Add Custom Shortcut dialog will appear. Enter the following information in the Add Custom Shortcut Dialog:
Name: Calculator
Command: gnome-calculator
Shortcut: Set a shortcut by pressing the “Set Shortcut” button and then setting a shortcut by pressing, for example, the Super+C keys simultaneously. The following dialog will appear:
Your new shortcut is now set. Press the X button to return to the Settings utility.
We have described all ways to open the Calculator application on your Ubuntu. You can now select which way to choose depending on your need and ease of use.