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I have just switched from Mac OS X to Ubuntu. The mac I'm using is macbook pro 2012. Ubuntu will not allow me to move files (folders, music, pdfs, etc.) from my usb stick to the desktop. When I attempt to drag and drop the files from the usb onto the desktop, the files just bounce back into the usb folder.

I'm new to Linux, how can I solve this?

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  • Some details may help us to understand. If you were using command, what was the command and error message you got. You've tagged nautilus so it was more likely using that, so where did you attempt to drag from? and to? did you get any error message? Did you look in logs for clues? (dmesg for example), and what release are you using? (recent release(s) need sudo to read dmesg)
    – guiverc
    Oct 20, 2020 at 10:38
  • What if you right-click and select "Move to..."?
    – darth_epoxy
    Oct 20, 2020 at 10:39
  • Thanks for your answers. I did not use a command but rather plugged in the usb and attempted to drag and drop the files FROM the usb TO the desktop. I received no error msgs. When attempting to drag and drop, the files would simply bounce back into the usb folder. I have the most recent release of ubuntu. What does "sudo to read dmesg" mean?
    – 78yb
    Oct 20, 2020 at 10:47
  • When right clicking on the file, there is only "move to trash" available.
    – 78yb
    Oct 20, 2020 at 10:48
  • I've just tried on my system and also happens to me. From any random folder, with the desktop behind, drag and drop on the desktop will bounce back to nautilus window.
    – fernandezr
    Oct 20, 2020 at 11:03

1 Answer 1

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Unfortunately, this is expected behaviour in 20.04.x. The ~/Desktop, and desktop icons work differently than prior releases of Ubuntu. This is due to changes in GNOME and Files (Nautilus).

To copy files to the ~/Desktop, open TWO Files (Nautilus) windows. One open to the ~/Desktop, and the other one open to the folder that contains the items you wish to move. Then drag the desired items between the two open Files windows.

You can also create a folder on your ~/Desktop, called, say "Work in Progress", and then drag items directly into that new folder.

In terminal, you can also use the cp or mv commands to place items on the ~/Desktop.

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