diff --git a/src/auth.zig b/src/auth.zig
index c9ff891..26de2cf 100644
--- a/src/auth.zig
+++ b/src/auth.zig
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ pub fn authenticate(config: Config, desktop: Desktop, login: [:0]const u8, passw
 
     // Set the XDG environment variables
     setXdgSessionEnv(current_environment.display_server);
-    try setXdgEnv(tty_str, current_environment.name, current_environment.xdg_name);
+    try setXdgEnv(tty_str, current_environment.xdg_session_desktop, current_environment.xdg_desktop_names orelse "");
 
     // Open the PAM session
     var credentials = [_:null]?[*:0]const u8{ login, password };
diff --git a/src/main.zig b/src/main.zig
index e713025..bff277b 100644
--- a/src/main.zig
+++ b/src/main.zig
@@ -163,11 +163,11 @@ pub fn main() !void {
     var desktop = try Desktop.init(allocator, &buffer, config.max_desktop_len, lang);
     defer desktop.deinit();
 
-    desktop.addEnvironment(.{ .Name = lang.shell }, .shell) catch {
+    desktop.addEnvironment(.{ .Name = lang.shell }, "", .shell) catch {
         try info_line.setText(lang.err_alloc);
     };
     if (config.xinitrc) |xinitrc| {
-        desktop.addEnvironment(.{ .Name = lang.xinitrc, .Exec = xinitrc }, .xinitrc) catch {
+        desktop.addEnvironment(.{ .Name = lang.xinitrc, .Exec = xinitrc }, "", .xinitrc) catch {
             try info_line.setText(lang.err_alloc);
         };
     }
diff --git a/src/tui/components/Desktop.zig b/src/tui/components/Desktop.zig
index 8811dbd..baaf976 100644
--- a/src/tui/components/Desktop.zig
+++ b/src/tui/components/Desktop.zig
@@ -17,7 +17,8 @@ const Desktop = @This();
 pub const Environment = struct {
     entry_ini: ?Ini(Entry) = null,
     name: [:0]const u8 = "",
-    xdg_name: [:0]const u8 = "",
+    xdg_session_desktop: [:0]const u8 = "",
+    xdg_desktop_names: ?[:0]const u8 = "",
     cmd: []const u8 = "",
     specifier: []const u8 = "",
     display_server: DisplayServer = .wayland,
@@ -26,7 +27,7 @@ pub const Environment = struct {
 const DesktopEntry = struct {
     Exec: []const u8 = "",
     Name: [:0]const u8 = "",
-    DesktopNames: [:0]const u8 = "",
+    DesktopNames: ?[]const u8 = null,
 };
 
 pub const Entry = struct { @"Desktop Entry": DesktopEntry = DesktopEntry{} };
@@ -56,6 +57,8 @@ pub fn init(allocator: Allocator, buffer: *TerminalBuffer, max_length: u64, lang
 pub fn deinit(self: Desktop) void {
     for (self.environments.items) |*environment| {
         if (environment.entry_ini) |*entry_ini| entry_ini.deinit();
+        if (environment.xdg_desktop_names) |desktop_name| self.allocator.free(desktop_name);
+        self.allocator.free(environment.xdg_session_desktop);
     }
 
     self.environments.deinit();
@@ -67,11 +70,27 @@ pub fn position(self: *Desktop, x: u64, y: u64, visible_length: u64) void {
     self.visible_length = visible_length;
 }
 
-pub fn addEnvironment(self: *Desktop, entry: DesktopEntry, display_server: DisplayServer) !void {
+pub fn addEnvironment(self: *Desktop, entry: DesktopEntry, xdg_session_desktop: []const u8, display_server: DisplayServer) !void {
+    var xdg_desktop_names: ?[:0]const u8 = null;
+    if (entry.DesktopNames) |desktop_names| {
+        const desktop_names_z = try self.allocator.dupeZ(u8, desktop_names);
+        for (desktop_names_z) |*c| {
+            if (c.* == ';') c.* = ':';
+        }
+        xdg_desktop_names = desktop_names_z;
+    }
+
+    errdefer {
+        if (xdg_desktop_names) |desktop_names| self.allocator.free(desktop_names);
+    }
+
+    const session_desktop = try self.allocator.dupeZ(u8, xdg_session_desktop);
+
     try self.environments.append(.{
         .entry_ini = null,
         .name = entry.Name,
-        .xdg_name = entry.DesktopNames,
+        .xdg_session_desktop = session_desktop,
+        .xdg_desktop_names = xdg_desktop_names,
         .cmd = entry.Exec,
         .specifier = switch (display_server) {
             .wayland => self.lang.wayland,
@@ -84,12 +103,28 @@ pub fn addEnvironment(self: *Desktop, entry: DesktopEntry, display_server: Displ
     self.current = self.environments.items.len - 1;
 }
 
-pub fn addEnvironmentWithIni(self: *Desktop, entry_ini: Ini(Entry), display_server: DisplayServer) !void {
+pub fn addEnvironmentWithIni(self: *Desktop, entry_ini: Ini(Entry), xdg_session_desktop: []const u8, display_server: DisplayServer) !void {
     const entry = entry_ini.data.@"Desktop Entry";
+    var xdg_desktop_names: ?[:0]const u8 = null;
+    if (entry.DesktopNames) |desktop_names| {
+        const desktop_names_z = try self.allocator.dupeZ(u8, desktop_names);
+        for (desktop_names_z) |*c| {
+            if (c.* == ';') c.* = ':';
+        }
+        xdg_desktop_names = desktop_names_z;
+    }
+
+    errdefer {
+        if (xdg_desktop_names) |desktop_names| self.allocator.free(desktop_names);
+    }
+
+    const session_desktop = try self.allocator.dupeZ(u8, xdg_session_desktop);
+
     try self.environments.append(.{
         .entry_ini = entry_ini,
         .name = entry.Name,
-        .xdg_name = entry.DesktopNames,
+        .xdg_session_desktop = session_desktop,
+        .xdg_desktop_names = xdg_desktop_names,
         .cmd = entry.Exec,
         .specifier = switch (display_server) {
             .wayland => self.lang.wayland,
@@ -115,7 +150,16 @@ pub fn crawl(self: *Desktop, path: []const u8, display_server: DisplayServer) !v
         var entry_ini = Ini(Entry).init(self.allocator);
         _ = try entry_ini.readFileToStruct(entry_path);
 
-        try self.addEnvironmentWithIni(entry_ini, display_server);
+        var xdg_session_desktop: []const u8 = undefined;
+        const maybe_desktop_names = entry_ini.data.@"Desktop Entry".DesktopNames;
+        if (maybe_desktop_names) |desktop_names| {
+            xdg_session_desktop = std.mem.sliceTo(desktop_names, ';');
+        } else {
+            // if DesktopNames is empty, we'll take the name of the session file
+            xdg_session_desktop = std.fs.path.stem(item.name);
+        }
+
+        try self.addEnvironmentWithIni(entry_ini, xdg_session_desktop, display_server);
     }
 }