diff --git a/packages/electron-builder/src/options/linuxOptions.ts b/packages/electron-builder/src/options/linuxOptions.ts
index bb28d838024..044405d682c 100644
--- a/packages/electron-builder/src/options/linuxOptions.ts
+++ b/packages/electron-builder/src/options/linuxOptions.ts
@@ -2,11 +2,6 @@ import { TargetConfigType, TargetSpecificOptions } from "../core"
 import { PlatformSpecificBuildOptions } from "../metadata"
 
 export interface LinuxBuildOptions extends CommonLinuxOptions, PlatformSpecificBuildOptions {
-  /**
-   * The [package category](https://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-controlfields.html#s-f-Section). Not applicable for AppImage.
-   */
-  readonly packageCategory?: string | null
-
   /**
    * Target package type: list of `AppImage`, `snap`, `deb`, `rpm`, `freebsd`, `pacman`, `p5p`, `apk`, `7z`, `zip`, `tar.xz`, `tar.lz`, `tar.gz`, `tar.bz2`, `dir`.
    *
@@ -61,6 +56,10 @@ export interface CommonLinuxOptions {
    * The [application category](https://specifications.freedesktop.org/menu-spec/latest/apa.html#main-category-registry).
    */
   readonly category?: string | null
+
+  /**
+   * The [package category](https://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-controlfields.html#s-f-Section). Not applicable for AppImage.
+   */
   readonly packageCategory?: string | null
 
   /**
diff --git a/packages/electron-builder/src/targets/LinuxTargetHelper.ts b/packages/electron-builder/src/targets/LinuxTargetHelper.ts
index 31e394ecdbd..68f19b53919 100644
--- a/packages/electron-builder/src/targets/LinuxTargetHelper.ts
+++ b/packages/electron-builder/src/targets/LinuxTargetHelper.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import BluebirdPromise from "bluebird-lst"
-import { debug, exec, isEmptyOrSpaces } from "electron-builder-util"
+import { debug, exec, isEmptyOrSpaces, warn } from "electron-builder-util"
 import { statOrNull } from "electron-builder-util/out/fs"
 import { ensureDir, outputFile, readdir } from "fs-extra-p"
 import * as path from "path"
@@ -115,10 +115,24 @@ export class LinuxTargetHelper {
       Icon: this.packager.executableName, ...extra, ...targetSpecificOptions.desktop
     }
 
-    const category = targetSpecificOptions.category
-    if (!isEmptyOrSpaces(category)) {
-      desktopMeta.Categories = `${category}${category.endsWith(";") ? "" : ";"}`
+    let category = targetSpecificOptions.category
+    if (isEmptyOrSpaces(category)) {
+      const macCategory = (this.packager.config.mac || {}).category
+      if (macCategory != null) {
+        category = macToLinuxCategory[macCategory]
+      }
+
+      if (category == null) {
+        // https://github.com/develar/onshape-desktop-shell/issues/48
+        let message = "Application category is not set for Linux (linux.category).\nPlease see https://github.com/electron-userland/electron-builder/wiki/Options#LinuxBuildOptions-category"
+        if (macCategory != null) {
+          message += `\n Cannot map mac category "${macCategory}" to Linux. If possible mapping is known for you, please file issue to add it.`
+        }
+        warn(message)
+        category = "Utility"
+      }
     }
+    desktopMeta.Categories = `${category}${category.endsWith(";") ? "" : ";"}`
 
     let data = `[Desktop Entry]`
     for (const name of Object.keys(desktopMeta)) {
@@ -213,6 +227,15 @@ export class LinuxTargetHelper {
   }
 }
 
+const macToLinuxCategory: any = {
+  "public.app-category.graphics-design": "Graphics",
+  "public.app-category.developer-tools": "Development",
+  "public.app-category.education": "Education",
+  "public.app-category.games": "Game",
+  "public.app-category.video": "Video;AudioVideo",
+  "public.app-category.utilities": "Utility",
+}
+
 function resizeImage(imagePath: string, result: string, w: number, h: number) {
   if (process.platform === "darwin") {
     return exec("sips", ["--resampleHeightWidth", h.toString(10), w.toString(10), imagePath, "--out", result])