Super-charge the Nautilus file manager on GNOME and get new features with these extensions.
GNOME is the default desktop environment for many major Linux distributions. It comes with a suite of useful applications, including a file manager. The file manager was called Nautilus until GNOME renamed it to GNOME Files in September 2012.
Today, GNOME Files meets the everyday user’s needs for browsing and opening files and folders. The file manager also gives users many options for customization.
Linux's critics tend to exaggerate GNOME's limits on user customization. In reality, there are plenty of GNOME shell extensions that users can install to spice up their desktops. We've shown how the GNOME Tweaks app can customize Ubuntu, for those who want to add more personal touches to their systems.
You can also customize GNOME Files to suit your needs. You can add folder Bookmarks to the sidebar and mark important folders and files with stars. GNOME Files has its own menu of preferences straight out of the box. Right-clicking to open a context menu also gives users options like opening a folder in Terminal.
You can also download and use the Dconf Editor to access more hidden settings for GNOME Files. Once you download Dconf Editor, open the app, click on the Search button, and type "nautilus" to find more settings for GNOME Files.
With Dconf Editor, you can change the default window size, compression format, notifications, and more. With that said, using Dconf Editor incorrectly can break applications. Don't forget to use it with care.
Still, you may want to get more out of your file manager's workflow. Nautilus extensions can add even more functions to GNOME Files. The extensions are easy to install, easy to use, and will make file browsing more efficient for you.
Before you can add any Nautilus extensions to your system, you need to install some dependencies through your terminal.
Some of these extensions may already be installed on your system. Other extensions may need extra dependencies that are also easy to find and install.
You should also create the necessary folders for your Nautilus extensions:
From here, you can browse through GitHub's Nautilus Extension page. Now, let’s take a look at some of the best extensions for improving your GNOME Files workflow.
nautilus-copypath is an extension that lets you copy a file or folder’s path from the context menu. It's simple, yet very useful for faster file browsing.
If you’re also interoperating with Windows systems, the project also has an extension for copying Samba paths. The additional extension copies folder and file paths in the Windows format.
To install, clone the GitHub repository through your terminal:
Navigate to the repository’s folder:
Copy the main extension file to your Nautilus extensions folder:
Copy the other .py file if you need the Samba-based extension:
Restart GNOME Files/Nautilus for the changes to take effect:
If that doesn’t work, then kill the Nautilus process:
When reverse searching an image on Google Images, you have to open the Google page on your file browser to upload the image that you need. With nautilus-search-by-image, GNOME Files will reverse search your image for you.
To install, clone the GitHub repository through your terminal:
Navigate to the repository’s folder:
Copy the main extension file to your Nautilus extensions folder:
Restart GNOME Files/Nautilus for the changes to take effect:
If that doesn’t work, then kill the Nautilus process:
GNOME users are free to use alternative Linux terminal emulators if they don't prefer the pre-installed Terminal. But changing your system’s default terminal program is a less straightforward process.
Right-clicking on a folder only gives you the option to open it in GNOME Terminal. By default, Nautilus will not give you the option to open a folder on a different terminal.
Fortunately, there are also extensions that let you open folders with other terminals on the context menu. For this article, we will be showing OpenInBlackBox, which is an extension for Black Box. This terminal is beautiful and fits well with the new Libadwaita theme.
To install, clone the GitHub repository through your terminal:
Navigate to the repository’s folder:
From here, you can copy the .py extension file to the Nautilus extensions folder. You can also use OpenInBlackBox’s install script:
Restart GNOME Files/Nautilus for the changes to take effect:
If that doesn’t work, then kill the Nautilus process:
If you use a different terminal like Alacritty or Kitty, then there's no need to feel left out. The GitHub topic page linked above offers similar extensions made for other emulators.
If you're a Linux user, then you probably know how to use a USB drive to install a Linux distribution on a computer. The process requires you to format a USB drive, then flash your Linux installation image on the USB.
With this nautilus-gnome-disks, you can flash any .iso or .img file on any USB through GNOME Files.
To install, clone the GitHub repository through your terminal:
Navigate to the repository’s folder:
From here, you can copy the .py extension file to the Nautilus extensions folder. You can also use nautilus-gnome-disk’s install script:
Restart GNOME Files/Nautilus for the changes to take effect:
If that doesn’t work, then kill the Nautilus process:
From there, GNOME Files will open GNOME Disks for you. You can then choose the storage drive of choice for flashing your image.
GNOME Files has grid and list views for browsing your folders. The list view by default is limited to a few category columns. This extension adds extra columns like image EXIF data, audio tags, and .pdf metadata.
This extension requires an additional dependency called make. To install make:
To install the extension, clone the GitHub repository through your terminal:
Navigate to the repository’s folder:
Use make to install the extension:
Restart GNOME Files/Nautilus for the changes to take effect:
If that doesn’t work, then kill the Nautilus process:
To use nautilus extra columns:
You can also right-click the row of column categories on a folder with list view to find and use the extra columns.
Download: nautilus extra columns (Free)
These Nautilus extensions are some of many more that you can add to your file manager. With extensions, you can make file browsing a faster and easier experience. The power of GNOME Files is just one of the many reasons why GNOME is an ideal desktop environment for Linux users.
If you want to get even more power out of GNOME Files, then there are many other features and tweaks that you can use to make life easier.
Teo is a Linux specialty writer at MakeUseOf. He is a long-time free software and digital privacy advocate. He carries a Fedora install flash drive wherever he goes.
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