Hello all,
I would like to update the Downloads link that is on the right side of the Files app. Presently it is pointing to my local drive. I would like to point it to another location. Is this possible? I try to update the location but it does not save.
Thanks,
Steve
Did you make a change to ~/.config/user-dirs.dirs?
Changing XDG_DOWNLOAD_DIR="$HOME/Downloads" to your preferred path (Ensure that the path is correct, then saving the file and running
xdg-user-dirs-update
Should cause the file in the home directory and the bookmark in Files (Nautilus) to direct to that path.
Thank you! I am new to Linux and still learning. Trying to setup my new Linux desktop as I had in Win11.
Ok some additional feedback....
I changed XDG_DOWNLOAD_DIR to "/media/spetrillo/NAS Data/Downloads", saved the file, and then ran xdg-user-dirs-update. I rebooted just in case. When the PC came back it screwed a few things up. First it caused /media/spetrillo/NAS Data/Downloads to no longer be seen. When I went back in and checked /.config/user-dirs.dirs the config change was overwritten to DG_DOWNLOAD_DIR="$HOME".
Am I missing something?
I assume that this is a NAS seperate from your local machine you're making this change on? Do you have it set so that the mount loads every time you login to your machine? You can check in the Disks application for this, and change the settings there if you need to to make sure it mounts properly on boot.
I agree with @applecheeks37, above. If the external location is not mounted, it won't be seen, so the xdg-user-dirs-update will default to a known safe location.
This is a second NVMe drive that is local to the PC. It is not a NAS, so i would assume its mounted always?
Does it show as set to automount is disks app?
Launch disks, navigate to the device in the left pane. In the right pane, click on the partition that holds the data to select it.
Then click on the Gear Icon on the toolbar below that - the menu should show Automount and whether it is enabled or disabled.
Just to add to that what @Aravisian said, the menu that pops up, if it is set to automatic, it may LOOK like automount is selected, but it only is if you disable the automatic settings. I would ask for a screenshot of the page, if possible. Just to make sure. It has caught me out once in a while.
Sorry that it took time to respond...
I checked and it tells me that its mounts at system startup. Please see attached screenshot. Is this ok?
Everything there looks ok.
But looking up:
I notice a space in your path between NAS and Data/Downloads. This path must be correct, with no spaces and point to a valid location.
So in Linux "NAS Data" should be "NASData"?
If your drive is named with a space (White space), the easiest possibility is to rename the drive avoiding spaces and odd symbols.
That is exactly the window that I mean. It LOOOKS like your auto mount is enabled, but by default it's NOT. If you toggle off "Use Session Defaults" and then change settings from there (which at that point then has automount enabled) it should work.
That window design has always driven me insane.
@Aravisian I renamed it to NAS_Data.
@applecheeks37 I turned off USe Sessions Defaults and rebooted. I then edited the proper file, ran the update script, and I have the Downloads link pointing properly.
Thanks to you both for your help!
I have marked your post as solution as it states what you did to fix it, although the actual help was not to have spaces in the name.
Ref:
I actually think both updates are the total solution!
Just to add, life is a lot easier with either a single name for a file or the use of underscores when several words are used for a file name.
Especially when you want to use ocrmypdf or pdfgtk.
