Managing Your Files and Folders

Moving and Copying Files and Folders

The easiest way to move a file or folder is to work with two Nautilus windows.

To move a file or folder to a new location, do this:

1. Open the File menu and choose New Window. You now have two Nautilus windows.

2. In one window, locate the file or folder you want to move. In the other window, locate the destination folder.

3. Using the left mouse button, click the file or folder you want to move and drag it to the other window.

Note: If your hard disk is divided into partitions (volumes), dragging a file or folder from one partition to another copies the file or folder instead of moving it.

To copy a file or folder to a new folder while retaining the original, do this:

1. Open the File menu and choose New Window. You now have two Nautilus windows.

2. In one window, locate the file or folder you want to copy. In the other window, locate the destination folder.

3. Click and hold the right mouse button on the item; then drag it to the destination folder. A pop-up menu appears.

4. Choose Copy Here to place a copy of the item in the destination folder. Choose Link Here to create a link to the item.

Creating New Folders

You can create a new folder anywhere in the folder hierarchy on your computer, as long as you have the appropriate permissions.

Do this:

1. Go to the folder that will contain the new folder.

2. Open the File menu and choose New Folder.

Nautilus creates a new folder inside the current folder. It has the name untitled folder. You can rename the new folder.

Files and Folders on the Desktop

You can treat the desktop as an extension of the Nautilus window and move, copy, and create folders there.

To move a file or folder to the desktop, use the left mouse button to click and drag it to the desktop. You can put the file or folder anywhere you like on the desktop.

To put a copy of an item on the desktop or to create a link to it, do this:

1. In the Nautilus window, locate the file or folder you want to copy.

2. Click and hold the right mouse button on the item; then drag it to the desktop. A pop-up menu appears.

3. Choose Copy Here to place a copy of the item on the desktop. Choose Link Here to create a link to the item.

To create a new folder on the desktop, right-click anywhere on the desktop (outside a window), and choose New Folder from the pop-up menu.

Tip: If you're working on the desktop and you want to open a Nautilus window, right-click anywhere on the desktop and choose New Window from the pop-up menu.

Duplicating Files and Folders

To duplicate an item, do this:

1. Click the icon of the item you want to duplicate.

2. Open the File menu and choose Duplicate.

A copy of the item is added to the current folder. You can rename the new folder.

Shortcut: In either icon or list view, right-click the item you want to duplicate and choose Duplicate from the pop-up menu.

Renaming Files and Folders

To rename an item in icon view, do this:

1. Click the icon of the item you want to rename.

2. Open the File menu and choose Rename. The icon label now has a text box around it.

3. Type a new name for the item, and press Return.

To rename an item in list view, do this:

1. Click to select the item you want to rename.

2. Open the File menu and choose Show Properties.

3. Type a new name for the item in the space provided in the Basic tab.

4. Close the dialog box.

Shortcut: In either icon or list view, right-click the item you want to rename. In icon view, choose Rename from the context menu; in list view, choose Show Properties.

Deleting Files and Folders

To delete an item, do this:

1. Click the icon of the item you want to delete.

2. Open the File menu and choose Move to Trash.

3. To empty the trash, open the File menu and choose Empty Trash. (Empty the trash only if you're sure you want to permanently delete the items in it!)

Shortcuts: In either icon or list view, right-click the item you want to delete and choose Move to Trash from the pop-up menu. Or click and drag the item to the Trash icon on the desktop.

Changing File Permissions

You can change permissions for folders and files you own. If you're logged in as root (for experts only), you can change permissions for any folders and files on your computer.

1. Click to select the item for which you want to change permissions.

2. Open the File menu and choose Show Properties. The Properties dialog box opens for the file or folder you selected.

3. Click the Permissions tab.

4. From the File Group menu, choose the group that this file or folder belongs to.

5. In the table, click to put a checkmark under each type of permission you want to grant. For instance, you might give the owner and users in the group permission to read (view), write (edit), and execute the file, and give others permission to read the file but not write to it.

6. When you are done managing permissions, close the dialog box.

Note: Execute is normally used only for programs and for folders with directory listings that you wish to make available.