How do I make Nemo the default File Manager?

General Help
1

I installed 'Files' from the Software Store. Despite the confusing name, I checked that it was the Nemo File Manager that I had installed.

I found this Forum Guide:

[HOW TO] Make Nemo the default file manager

I assumed that I could ignore step 1 of the Guide. So, I only followed steps 2 and 3.

Then I logged out and logged back in again. However, the default file manager did not change to Nemo.

Is the information in the How To Guide - which is from 2022 - still valid for Zorin version 17.3?

Is there a non-Terminal method that I could use instead?

2

Zorin OS used Gnome Desktop, so copy and paste these one at a time into terminal, hitting the enter key after each:
gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.background show-desktop-icons false

gsettings set org.nemo.desktop show-desktop-icons true

3

Thank you but I have only achieved partial success. After a restart, the Files icon on the Desktop will open Nemo. The icon on the taskbar/panel still opens the previous File Manager. Also, if I type Files into the Start Menu search then two 'Files' get listed.

As I am never going back to the previous File Manager, would it not be easier to just uninstall it?

4

Gnome integrates much into the Desktop, sacrificing the modular nature that GnuLinux is famous for.
With such integration, just like with Windows OS; removing Nautillus will possibly break the desktop.

You can change the name from "Files" to "Nemo" for Nemo and from "Files" to "Nautilus" for nautilus using their .desktop files.
You must elevate to Root:

sudo -i

Launch the file manager after entering your password:

nemo

Navigate to FileSystem > /usr/share/applications
Right Click on each "Files" icon you see and choose "Open with Text Editor"
Change the Name= field from files: Name=Files
Name=Nemo
Name=Nautilus

Save each as you do so.

Note: The File Chooser Dialog is a separate thing and will always look much like the Nautilus File chooser. That is the Gnome integrated File Chooser that you are seeing.

1 Like
5

Unfortunately, I must have done something wrong. I can only open the files as read-only. How can I save the files after I edit them?

6

You must elevate to root, first:

7

Thank you. My mistake was not launching Nemo from the Terminal. I now have Nemo as my File Manager.

8

I've marked Aravisian's reply as the solution to this thread.

9

Ok. Thanks but I have just discovered that:

Zorin Appearance > Desktop > Open Folders With

also needed to be changed from the default to Nemo.

1 Like
10

I've updated the first post to link to the tutorial in question (I used the wrong link last time, sorry about that).

Good call on that one, both the taskbar and the desktop are extensions that work independently so this is indeed required. I've found that you can do the same with one single change (assuming you don't want to use the default file manager anymore, but without deleting anything):

Rename the file at /usr/share/applications/org.gnome.Nautilus.desktop to something else to negate the .desktop extension. For example, I just changed it to org.gnome.Nautilus.desktop.bak.

This removes the file launcher from the applications menu and makes it the only option available when opening folders from the desktop. You can then re-pin the "Files" application which will look for Nemo, instead.

11

Thank you for the additional information. I think there might be a step missing because when I tried to rename Nautilus (using the context menu) only the 'Nautilus' part of the filename was displayed. There was no 'Nautilus.desktop' filename to edit.

12

What do you mean by "rename Nautilus"?

13

Maybe I misunderstood but I thought you suggested renaming the file...

14

Oh, I see... it looks like Nemo (left) is resolving the names of those files to what they'd would look like in the applications' menu, whereas Nautilus (right) doesn't:

image
image1245×719 74.9 KB

But the real name of these files is as displayed by Nautilus.

Since this are configuration files, you'd have to edit these with elevated permissions (as root). On the command line, this can be done with:

sudo mv /usr/share/applications/org.gnome.Nautilus.desktop !#:2.bak

image
image1359×515 48.8 KB

This way, the file on the right is no longer a "desktop file" (with a .desktop extension, which is the standard way to create shortcuts in most Linux distributions).

When I close Nautilus and try to open a folder, Nemo is the only file manager found and it opens with that by default.

Pinging @freshjeff to show an example of when !# can be useful, otherwise I would have to type the whole path againn.

2 Likes
15

Presumably you can also set Nemo to display the files with their full file names if you prefer, perhaps under "view" (use the Hamburger menue button).

16

Thank you very much for the sudo renaming command. I believe that I have now fully switched over to Nemo as my default File Manager.