Hello Zorin Team and Community,
I’d like to suggest a small but impactful improvement to the file selection dialog experience. Currently, when using a browser (or other applications) to upload or select files, the file dialog defaults to the root directory (e.g., /home/username) every time it’s opened. This forces users to repeatedly navigate back to their desired folder, which becomes tedious over time.
Proposed Solution:
It would greatly improve workflow efficiency if the file selection dialog could remember the last-used directory for a specific context. For example:
- If I select a file from my
Downloads folder, the next time I open the dialog (in the same browser/app session), it should start in Downloads.
- If the previously used directory is unavailable (e.g., external drive disconnected), it could default to a sensible fallback like
Documents or Home.
This behavior is common in other operating systems and applications, and adopting it in Zorin OS would make file management smoother and more intuitive.
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I actually just disabled that feature in Plasma. My preferences aside, the file explorer in Zorin is Nautilus, which is in turn part of GNOME, the desktop environment that Zorin uses. I did some searching for you, but I couldn't find an extension that adds this feature. I DID find that this has been a feature request in GNOME for a long time.
In a nutshell, unless there's an extension I couldn't find, or Zorin drops GNOME, this doesn't look likely. HOWEVER, it is possible to install other desktop environments.
I know this is in Plasma's file manager, Dolphin. Others may know if other DEs' file managers support it. I don't think you'll need to install an entire new desktop environment for this, just the file manager.
If you want to install it, all you have to do is type sudo apt install dolphin in a terminal. Now here's the part where I don't know how to be helpful and someone else will have to step up. Once it's installed, you can run it from a terminal by typing dolphin, and it'll be in your application menus, also under that name. I don't know how to make it your default, though. I'm sure another user can fill in that blank.
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More evidence that Gnome Dev's are implementing Microsoft stance of "We know what's best for you!"
Welcome to the Forum!
Theoretically it should do that. But that seems only working with .deb Programs and not with Flatpak's - at least in my Experience.
Could You check that?
I do not have flatpak installed and only use .deb packages, either standalone or through APT.
And no application remembers last location in the File Picker On Zorin OS.
I am happy to stand corrected, given that I only use Core for testing.
But I have noted and been annoyed by that missing feature and agree with the O.P. that its inclusion would be beneficial.
I can see how some people might be annoyed by the feature - so it may need a toggle.
I tried a bit and found a ... mixed Behavior on that. In Krita and LibreOffice Writer it remembers the last Location and open it. In Case of Krita it could be a KDE Thing maybe. But LibreOffice uses the normal Gnome File Picker and there is the same and works.
VLC uses the same Location as long as the Program is open. When You close it, it goes back to the default File Picker Window. With ClamTK it doesn't remeber at all. If the Program is still active or not doesn't matter. You only have the default File Picker Window.
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Most of my experience is in editors, IDE's and graphical editing software. So, I wonder if that is why we are seeing different results.
I use very few KDE applications. I cannot comment on their actions with the file picker on account of my ignorance. 
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Maybe it is a Software Thing, maybe it is a Desktop Thing, maybe a Combination of both. Or maybe it depends on the Moonphases, hahaha!
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