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26

When I double-click on a script in Nautilus to run it, the script just opens in my text editor with no option to run it. Using Nautilus, how do I run executable text files and/or scripts?

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2  
The default behavior is a bug. Users should not have to fiddle with settings to make this work. I've filed bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/nautilus/+bug/1433774. – user389375 Mar 18 '15 at 20:09
    
Possible duplicate of How to execute a script just by double clicking like .EXE files in Windows? – Stefan Monov Dec 9 '16 at 15:50
2  
@StefanMonov if anything, the dupe should be the other way. – TheWanderer Dec 10 '16 at 21:55

12 Answers 12

up vote 177 down vote

  1. Open Nautilus.

  2. Open this from the menu bar:

    Edit → Preferences

  3. Select the 'Behavior' tab.

  4. Select "Ask each time" under "Executable Text Files".

  5. Close the window.

Now you can double-click your executable text file in Nautilus to be asked whether to execute or edit your script.

enter image description here

Answer credit: Nur

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14  
What a weird default to have. And not even a right-click option to just run the file. Very unfriendly to users. – RomanSt Sep 11 '14 at 22:59
    
What about I want it to always run in terminal? – Derek 朕會功夫 May 5 '15 at 17:08
2  
On step #2, "Open this from the menu bar"... where is the menu bar? I don't see an "Edit" menu anywhere. I see my files in the middle, several local and network locations on the left, and a menu button in the top right which just has buttons such as "new tab" and undo/redo. The top just has the back/forward buttons and the list of folders I'm in. – Aaron Franke Jun 3 '16 at 0:44
    
@AaronFranke: In ubuntu the menu bar shows when you hover the dark bar on the top of the screen. – Stefan Monov Dec 9 '16 at 14:25
    
@StefanMonov I'm using Xubuntu, not Ubuntu, and so I don't have a dark bar at the top of the screen. – Aaron Franke Dec 10 '16 at 9:23
up vote 31 down vote

Follow these steps:

Install dconf-editor because it isn't installed by default.

Hit Alt+F2, type dconf-editor and hit Enter.

In dconfg-editor goto: org ➤ gnome ➤ nautilus ➤ preferences

enter image description here

Click on executable-text-activation and from drop down menu select:

launch: to launch scripts as programs.

OR

ask: to ask what to do via a dialog.

Close dconf-editor. Thats it!

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6  
You can also open nautilus, click Files > Preferences, check behaviour tab, and select the option you prefer for Executable Text Files, open with text editor is the default. – Nur Apr 27 '13 at 14:03
    
Next solution is easiest way of doing :) – mac May 9 '13 at 6:24
    
Although this works too, dconfg-editor is the worst possible way of changing application configuration. – Benjamin May 5 '14 at 18:15
    
This answer was very helpful for me, even though using the preferences dialog would "normally" be a better answer, as I'm using a tiling window manager and the "Files" menu appears to be completely inaccessible! – Ben Apr 27 '15 at 1:17
up vote 13 down vote

I think this is a nuisance caused by Gnome people who decided to change that default behavior we were accustomed to.

To fix it, you can;

  1. install (if you haven't already) and start dconf Editor,
  2. go to: org > gnome > nautilus > preferences, and
  3. change the value for executable-text-activation back to ask (or even launch, if you prefer).

If you want the same Nautilus behavior as Root as well you can repeat the steps above, starting dconf Editor this time as Root.

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up vote 6 down vote

in a terminal

gsettings set org.gnome.nautilus.preferences executable-text-activation ask
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+1: This works in older versions of Linux, even before the dconf method became available. – Alex Mar 31 '17 at 16:17
up vote 5 down vote

Change Nautilus' Behavior with Executable Text Files

Open Nautilus

enter image description here

  1. Files > Preferences
  2. Go to Behaviour tab
  3. Select Ask Each Time

Double-click your Executable Text File in Nautilus

Voila!

Answer credit: Nur, Jorge Castro

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1  
Duplicate of the Community Wiki... – Alex Mar 31 '17 at 16:18
up vote 3 down vote

GUI

  1. Depending on which Ubuntu version you have,

    • Before 13.04

      In Nautilus, open this from the menu bar:

      Edit → Preferences

    • 13.04 or 13.10

      In Nautilus, open this from the menu bar:

      Files → Preferences

    • 14.04 or 16.04

      In Nautilus, open this from the menu bar:

      Edit → Preferences

  2. Then, in the 'Behaviour' tab, select "Run executable text files with they are opened".

    Alternatively, select "Ask each time" instead if you would like a dialog (example) asking you whether to edit or execute the file.

    enter image description here

Command line

If you prefer a command:

dconf write /org/gnome/nautilus/preferences/executable-text-activation "'launch'"

Note: Both GUI and command line methods work only for Nautilus (the default graphical file manager in Ubuntu)

Originally from another answer posted by me here.

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1  
@DKBose: The command 'dconf' is in Ubuntu by default. dconf-editor only provides the GUI program to edit dconf. – minerz029 Feb 23 '14 at 8:43
    
You are correct. Sorry about that! – DK Bose Feb 23 '14 at 11:04
up vote 2 down vote

You can do this for a single file by going into permissions in file properties and selecting "run this file as an executable".

enter image description here

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up vote 2 down vote

For that I guess the best way will be to make .desktop launcher, make that launcher executable using

chmod +x blah.desktop

And after that you will be ready to run it via just clicking, and even more you can add it to launcher. To read more about how to make .desktop files look here. Main part of it is this

[Desktop Entry]
Type=Application
Terminal=false
Icon=/path/to/icon/icon.svg
Name=give-name-here
Exec=/path/to/file/executable
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up vote 1 down vote

You can use the most upvoted answer in Fedora 20 + GNOME too: 

Open Nautilus, check Preferences -> Behavior -> Executable Files, put as always ask
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up vote 0 down vote

You have to check 3 points :

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up vote 0 down vote

right click on the file -> open with -> other application -> view all applications -> run software -> select

from now on shell scripts will be run on double click.

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up vote -1 down vote

  1. Open Nautilus. (File Browser)

    1. In Ubuntu 17.04, now we can cummulative bar so Preferences in available in Files.

    2. Open this from the menu bar:

  3. Files → Preferences

  4. Select 'Behavior' tab

  5. Select "Ask what to do" under "Executable Text Files".

    preferences

  6. Close it.

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duplicate answer – wisbucky Aug 9 '17 at 18:34

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