Hi,
I am in the process of trying to move away from Windows and permanently to Linux. One simple thing I have been unable to achieve is how to move files around in the Files app. The directories that are shown in the left pane do not seem to have the abilty to expand them to show subfolders so I can’t do a drag and drop.
What I am trying to do right now is the following. I have an android phone connected and under my music folder I have a folder called Like. Under that I have a bunch of Artist folders containing mp3’s. Due to a restriction in the music player I am using I need to move all mp3’s just to the Like folder. I don’t want to do one folder at a time, so I was hoping I could do a search for all mp3’s and then drag them to the Like folder, but the search only seems to search the Like folder and not all the subfolders. Suggestions?
You can use ctrl+A to select all directories and then keeping ctrl pressed click witch your mouse on any folder and it will be unselected. Also you didn’t tell which file manager you are using. In Dolphin there are these nice plus signs in the top left corner that you can with them select and unselect files.
Sorry for the delay in responding. My life is a little in the crapper right now. I am not sure if I am going to answer your question properly, but when I look at about the application I am using is Files version 42.6. This was installed on the Pop!_OS machine when I purchased it.
Okay, so you’re using Gnome. I don’t know why Nautilus (Gnome’s file manager, Gnome uses simple names like “files”, “text” etc instead of Nautilus - it’s simpler that way for users) doesn’t search inside folders. Maybe somewhere in settings there’s an option(?). But you can also use terminal to do that with find command. Tell me if you would like help on that.
Thanks Kaz,
I am quite adapt at command line on Linux as I used it for many years before I retired. I exceptionally like the idea of adding the -exec statement to manipulate files found with the find command. Since posting this I have also found that if you highlight a bunch of files and then right click there is a copy/move to option where you navigate to the folder you want the files copied or moved to. Not quite as good as drag and drop in windows but I can live with it.
Yeah with the find command it will be fastest. But if you want to do it graphically then I’m afraid that Gnome’s file manager won’t be the easiest tool. I would recommend installing Dolphin (KDE’s file manager). It allows to open side by side two folders and allows for easy drag-and-drop between them (in the right top corner there is a button “split”):
Just search for “dolphin”, or “dolphin file manager” in pop shop. Or in a command line type “sudo apt search dolphin” to find how is it named and then “sudo apt install {found name without anything after a dot}”.
