Questions tagged [directory]

A component of a Unix filesystem which contains other items, to organise the filesystem

Filter by
Sorted by
Tagged with
73 votes
6 answers
217k views

Move home folder to second drive

I have 2 HDD drives in my computer. At the moment second drive is mounted as /media/storage. How can I move my user data from /home to /media/storage/home? Can I just move the data over there and ...
Stann's user avatar
  • 15.1k
762 votes
9 answers
3.7m views

Change folder permissions and ownership

I would like the user to have full rights on this folder (as well as all sub-directories and files in it): ~/.blabla currently owned by root. I have found numerous posts (in this forum and ...
user2413's user avatar
  • 14.3k
15 votes
3 answers
158k views

How do I cd into a directory in the home folder?

How do I change directories to downloads, from the home folder, in the latest version Ubuntu 12.10? I tried cd /downloads, but it gave an error saying that there is no such directory.
sam's user avatar
  • 159
98 votes
8 answers
177k views

How to encrypt individual folders?

Let's say that I have a folder, within my Documents folder, that has files I want no one to access without a password. Is there a way to lock down that folder so that it's password protected / ...
Gonzoza's user avatar
  • 2,498
3 votes
2 answers
8k views

Auto mount a disk drive in ubuntu 14.04 LTS (Bookmark directory not found)

I'm using ubuntu 14.04 LTS. When I start my pc and click on any bookmark from the file manager it shows this error: Unable to find the requested file. Please check the spelling and try again. ...
Mostafiz Rahman's user avatar
55 votes
6 answers
17k views

How can I hide directories or files without changing their names?

The OCD in me wants directories I do not like the name of to be hidden since I do not interact with them directly. How can I hide directories without using the dot notation?
myusuf3's user avatar
  • 34.2k
39 votes
7 answers
194k views

Can I change directory to a Windows drive in Ubuntu Bash on WSL?

I am a super newbie for Ubuntu and basically need Ubuntu for a Python package. I would like to run a Python file in say e:/username/folder1/folder2/python.py. I tried every method online and the only ...
StephanieCoding's user avatar
69 votes
7 answers
73k views

Is there a tool to encrypt a file or directory?

What's the most popular way to encrypt individual files or folders?
user avatar
477 votes
2 answers
379k views

Differences between /bin, /sbin, /usr/bin, /usr/sbin, /usr/local/bin, /usr/local/sbin

I have six directories with command files. These are /bin, /sbin, /usr/bin, /usr/sbin, /usr/local/bin and /usr/local/sbin. What are the differences between these? If I'm writing my own scripts, where ...
user avatar
27 votes
3 answers
201k views

"You are not the owner..." message when trying to access folder

In the properties menu of this folder the permission is set to "root" user and group, it shows the message "you are not the owner, so you cannot change these permissions." I am indeed the owner and ...
Stéphan Constantial's user avatar
14 votes
0 answers
3k views

How do I enter a file or directory name containing spaces or special characters in the terminal? [duplicate]

I have a collection of files and directories with strange names, they contain spaces and the special characters \, *, ), ( and ?. All of them cause problems when I try to use them in the command line ...
dessert's user avatar
  • 40k
112 votes
6 answers
490k views

Use chown to set the ownership of all a folder's subfolders and files?

How can I use the chown command to change the ownership of all a folder's subfolders and files?
TellMeWhy's user avatar
  • 17.5k
11 votes
3 answers
10k views

How to drag a folder to the launcher from Nautilus

How can I add a folder to the launcher for quick access to it. In this particular case I wish to drag it to the launcher.
Luis Alvarado's user avatar
91 votes
5 answers
95k views

Difference between 'dir' and 'ls' terminal commands?

I've been trying to find the difference between using the dir and ls commands in terminal. I know ls is the traditional UNIX method of viewing the files in a directory, and that dir is the windows ...
BretD's user avatar
  • 1,248
113 votes
5 answers
177k views

Is there a standard place for placing custom Linux scripts? [duplicate]

I am developing a set of scripts, which I want to be present for all users, when I set up a server. But I don't want them in the standard locations like /usr[/local]/[bin],[sbin] etc. Is there some ...
vfclists's user avatar
  • 1,849
84 votes
3 answers
92k views

Use of /opt and /usr/local directories in the context of a PC

What is the difference between /opt and /usr/local directories and what kind of programs should be installed to them? I referred to Linux File-system Hierarchy but the explanation is not that clear. ...
Niroshan's user avatar
  • 1,178
15 votes
6 answers
28k views

Is there some way to decrease folders/icons size in Nautilus 3.18?

In the newest Nautilus 3.18 the smallest folder/icon size is really too big. Is there some way to hack (or something) this program and set a smaller one?
np_3ka's user avatar
  • 544
10 votes
2 answers
6k views

How to use grep output as a path for cd?

How can I pipe grep output as an argument to the cd command? For example: [root@xxx xxx]# pip install django | grep '/usr.*' Requirement already satisfied (use --upgrade to upgrade): django in /...
micgeronimo's user avatar
48 votes
3 answers
68k views

How can I assign custom icons to folders?

How do I assign custom icons to folders, as well as the default folders Desktop, Downloads, Music, etc.? I know that one way is to assign the properties of folders, but I want to assign icons in the ...
Frank Souza's user avatar
29 votes
4 answers
469k views

How do I navigate between directories in terminal?

I am new to Linux and Ubuntu and have tried changing to folders/directories with some difficulty. Could someone explain why the following commands failed to change to the desired target folder/...
n00b's user avatar
  • 1,897
19 votes
5 answers
14k views

How to set default opening folder for Nautilus file manager?

How do I configure Nautilus to open at my Documents folder instead of my home folder? I've scoured this site and found answers instructing users to edit the /usr/share/applications/nautilus.desktop ...
trinkner's user avatar
  • 635
4 votes
3 answers
5k views

Strange folder in my home folder after a failed run of BleachBit

A folder was created in my home folder (not by anyone), and I cannot see the folder contents. She has root privileges, but when the nautilus root access the folder is empty. When I try to remove it, ...
user68624's user avatar
  • 115
29 votes
4 answers
13k views

Is it safe to rename special user folders?

I'd like to know if it's safe to rename user folders such as Desktop, Documents, Music (I want them to start lowercase). Are there any programs in a default installation of Ubuntu (10.10/11.04) that ...
htorque's user avatar
  • 64.8k
27 votes
1 answer
14k views

What are directories, if everything on Linux is a file?

Very often beginners hear a phrase "Everything is a file on Linux/Unix". However, what are the directories then? How are they different from files?
Sergiy Kolodyazhnyy's user avatar
25 votes
2 answers
24k views

How can I change the default location of content directories (eg Pictures, Templates, Music) in my home folder?

I have multiple users on my home desktop. I am content with most of the default user directories, however I would like to make one change. I would like to setup a common directory for Music (ie /home/...
Casey Keller's user avatar
  • 1,546
18 votes
3 answers
10k views

How to hide files and folders in Nautilus?

I want to hide, most of the folders in root (/) using Nautilus. Probably the only folders in / I want shown are /home and /tmp. In addition to hiding folders, I also want to hide two files: initrd....
blade19899's user avatar
  • 26.7k
45 votes
9 answers
45k views

Which Folders To Include In backup?

I'm quite new to Ubuntu and want to create a backup. I'm really not sure what files and folders to include so that if I restore my system it will be as it is now. I can't seem to find good details of ...
Jason's user avatar
  • 451
35 votes
2 answers
27k views

Why is my desktop the same as home folder?

My desktop (not the /home/user/Desktop folder) shows the contents of my /home/user folder. I don't know how I have done it and can I have some help on undoing it? The /home/user/Desktop folder just ...
The Okay Man's user avatar
19 votes
3 answers
5k views

How to set the first picture of every folder as its folder icon?

If there are pictures in folder A, B, C.....Z, how do I automatically set the first picture in each of these folders as its folder icon? Is there a way like a script or something else?
JulianLai's user avatar
  • 1,572
215 votes
6 answers
325k views

Why are hard links not allowed for directories?

I am using Ubuntu 12.04. When I try to create a hard link for any directory, it fails. I can create hard links for files inside file system boundary. I know the reason why we cannot create hardlinks ...
Nischay's user avatar
  • 3,693
113 votes
2 answers
296k views

How do I mount a folder from another partition?

Is there a command to mount a folder from one partition to my main partition? Example of what I'd like to do, which obviously doesn't work: mount /media/tc1/folder /home/dvad/home If not by using a ...
user100541's user avatar
  • 1,233
83 votes
3 answers
47k views

Dropbox error - 'echo 100000 | sudo tee / proc/sys/fs/inotify/max_user_watches'

Dropbox gives me an error that mentions echo tee 100000 but then it disappears. How to fix or remove msg?
Michael Durrant's user avatar
68 votes
6 answers
65k views

How can I add a bookmark in my nautilus folder explorer

In Ubuntu 11 I just dragged the folder there. This seems to be not possible on my new Samsung ultrabook with Ubuntu 12.04 I've tried Ctrl+D and using the top menu but nothing happens and no error ...
Michael Durrant's user avatar
64 votes
6 answers
81k views

How to customize (add/remove folders/directories) the "Places" menu of Ubuntu 13.04 "Files" application?

I can't seem to find a way to customize (add/remove folders/directories) the "Places" menu in the most recent "Files" application of Ubuntu 13.04. The procedures used with "Nautilus" in the previous ...
Marco Lackovic's user avatar
60 votes
5 answers
15k views

Accidentally created directory named "~" (tilde)

I managed to make a directory literally named ~. (Apparently, Python's os.mkdir('~/something') does this.) How do I remove it without nuking my home? Also, if it helps, I have my real /home on a ...
user avatar
55 votes
4 answers
735k views

How to write the path of a folder with space in its name? [duplicate]

I can't figure out how to write the path of a folder that includes spaces in its name (in Terminal). I tried: cd /path/path/path/"A Folder"/file cd /path/path/path/'A Folder/file cd /path/path/...
Elian Kamal's user avatar
52 votes
7 answers
257k views

Folders showing lock icon

Whenever I open my documents, all the folders in it are displayed with a lock icon. Therefore, I cannot delete any file or folder in it. I tried changing the root access using sudo chmod user:...
Saket's user avatar
  • 873
25 votes
2 answers
7k views

Rename default user directories

Is it possible to rename default directories like ~/Documents, ~/Music, ~/Videos? Especially I want to rename Videos to Movies.
madox2's user avatar
  • 785
20 votes
3 answers
11k views

What does the l command do?

There is a command l available on my machine which appears to do nothing. which l also produces no output. Is this a real command, and does it actually do anything?
Armand's user avatar
  • 497
18 votes
11 answers
41k views

Can't open desktop folders by double-clicking on Ubuntu 17.10

When I try to open folders (and the trash can) by double-clicking on them on the desktop nothing happens. However, when I right-click on the folder, select "Open with another application", and then ...
luplaxx's user avatar
  • 181
18 votes
3 answers
9k views

What happens if I delete the default folders in my home folder?

What are the consequences of deleting any of these? e.g.: How will applications that expect them to be present behave? Where will the items on my desktop go?
ændrük's user avatar
  • 76.7k
15 votes
3 answers
2k views

Two accounts on same computer - how can I make a share folder for both?

I need a shared folder. My wife and I need to exchange files on the same computer. How can we do that?
vrcmr's user avatar
  • 6,307
11 votes
2 answers
9k views

How to stop a file or folder from being indexed in GNOME?

I am running Ubuntu GNOME 15.10 with GNOME 3.18, and I would like to know if I can do any of the following and if so how: Make it so that a folder is not indexed but leave its contents indexable (so ...
user avatar
11 votes
2 answers
14k views

How to use ssh to transfer files from computer a to local computer

I am trying to get some files off of my school Linux account using ssh. I have got the connection to work using: scp <school_server>: ~/folder I want ~/where I want to go. But when it goes ...
zombiedad's user avatar
  • 125
11 votes
1 answer
28k views

How to set a file size limit for a directory?

I have a directory on my system which is used for a specific reason by applications and users, but I don't want its size to be allowed to exceed 2GB, is there a way of setting up some sort of limit ...
user avatar
10 votes
2 answers
17k views

Can I change personal folder locations?

I did this in Windows 7. My Documents, Videos, Music and other personal folders are in D:\ because it is my media disk. In case of a system failure, I will always have access to these files when I ...
Tesla's user avatar
  • 429
8 votes
3 answers
7k views

How to encrypt folders (not in Home)? [duplicate]

Is there a way to encrypt a folder, which is not in Home (/home/user/) but even in a different partition, so only my user can access/read contained files? Alternatively, I would like to understand if ...
igi's user avatar
  • 2,575
7 votes
1 answer
1k views

Ubuntu One Sync for multiple folders in Windows, not just the Ubuntu One folder

I may have misunderstood Ubuntu One as a service, but this is how I had pictured it. At home, I tagged a few folders with the "Sync to Ubuntu One" tick and it started uploading. Now back at work, on ...
bisi's user avatar
  • 353
6 votes
5 answers
13k views

Nautilus crashes when accessing some folders

Since the past few days, Nautilus has started crashing whenever I access one of the Documents, video, pictures, download folder. It does not happen when I access the home folder and other mounted ...
Jigar.Shah's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
2k views

Give permission to debian-transmission to write into a www-data directory

I want the transmission-daemon to have permission to write to a directory called /opt/www/ that already has the owner set to www-data(in order for the web server to serve files in it) The ...
Chaos's user avatar
  • 823

1
2 3 4 5 6