Disclosed is an electronic device and a method for controlling the electronic device. The method for controlling an electronic device includes: searching for an external device connectable to an electronic device; requesting information, from an external device identified by the searching, about an application installed in the external device; receiving, from the external device, information corresponding to the installed application; identifying at least one application, among a plurality of applications included in the information corresponding to the installed application, which is executable by the electronic device; displaying, on a display, at least one icon corresponding to the at least one identified application based on the information corresponding to the installed application; and based on one of the at least one icon being selected, requesting information required for execution of an application corresponding to the selected icon by communicating with the external device and executing the application installed in the external device.