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I'm sick of accidentally deleting files and directories as DEL button is badly located on my keyboard. I would really like it if ubuntu asked me to confirm before deleting anything. Is there a way to do this?

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  • Which application? Nautilus pops up a confirmation dialog box for deleting any file by default. Are you talking about 'delete' on desktop entries?
    – Gödel
    Oct 21, 2010 at 0:53
  • 2
    Are you talking about "Delete" or "Move to Trash"? For the first it always asks for confirmation, for the second it doesn't (but you can restore them of course).
    – JanC
    Oct 21, 2010 at 2:19
  • @Godel No I don't get any confirmation dialog box!
    – Jon Doe
    Oct 21, 2010 at 3:27
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    I'm using 11.10. There is no any confirmation dialog! I usually accidently delete some important folders. I mean pressing Delete button on the keyboard. Ok, It is moved to Trash Bin. But the problem is I don't know that I already deleted it! The trash contains 1xxxxxxx files, how to find it to restore if there so many folder same name? That's a big problem. I still don't understand why Ubuntu doesn't give an option to turn on and off the delete confirmation dialog. VERY annoying! Nov 13, 2011 at 9:27
  • @Emerald214 you need to manage your trash bin more closely.
    – Moog
    Jun 21, 2012 at 15:43

4 Answers 4

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Unless this has recently changed without my knowing, there is no way to get a delete confirmation on delete in Ubuntu. This is a feature that has been requested many times in Ubuntu, but is yet to be implemented thus far.

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  • Nautilus has always asked before deleting files...
    – JanC
    Oct 21, 2010 at 2:20
  • Really, because I never get a confirmation and I run Ubuntu 10.04 and I've been testing 10.10. Maybe there IS a setting somewhere that I don't know about? Oct 21, 2010 at 2:22
  • Yes, @Adam and I are on the same page!
    – Jon Doe
    Oct 21, 2010 at 3:28
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    I think that there is some confusion on what you mean by "delete." On my system, when a file will be deleted permanently Nautilus asks for conformation. If it moves it to the trash, then it does not. Just pressing the "delete" key doesn't permanently remove the file. It will just be in the trash. Oct 21, 2010 at 14:00
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While there's no delete confirmation dialog, Nautilus can tell us which files we've just deleted.

Go to the trash and select "List" as view mode. This information is in the Trashed-On column.

It appears that Nautilus may be the only file browser that shows this information. I checked Thunar and PCManFM; none of them are able to show this column.

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There is a setting for this in the Nautilus preferences (in the "Behavior" tab), but I just tested with a clean profile and asking for confirmation is on by default.

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  • That setting is for permanently deleting files from the Deleted Items/Trash - it does not affect moving files to the Trash/Deleted Items as the original poster asked about.
    – 8128
    Oct 21, 2010 at 7:04
  • Well, that's not what he says in his question, and he didn't reword his question when I asked if that was what he meant. If you are right about what he is talking about, then he should edit the question and phrase it correctly.
    – JanC
    Oct 21, 2010 at 16:54
  • delete key moves to trash, shift+delete requests confirmation this is what is meant by delete in the behavior tab
    – Moog
    Jun 21, 2012 at 15:46
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Kinda think both options if you are sure of someone asking either of them... This saves both times. Also it may help someone having the problem different than the other.

So in simple words, try to answer in all possible ways, if u are not that busy. :)

Well, MY ANSWER is:

Delete confirmation is on by default, and can be set to off. But Move to Trash confirmation is off, and can't be modified yet!

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