nautilus

Launch Nautilus

$ nautilus

$ nautilus admin:/

$ nautilus [path/to/directory]

$ nautilus --select [path/to/file_or_directory]

$ nautilus --new-window

$ nautilus --quit

$ nautilus --help

nautilus [OPTIONS] [URIS...]

URIS... or PATHS...
    Specifies one or more directories or files to open. If no URI or path is given, Nautilus will open a new window in the user's home directory.

--new-window
    Opens a new Nautilus window. This is commonly used when Nautilus is already running and you want a fresh instance, rather than reusing an existing window.

--browser
    Opens a new browser-style window. While still listed in some manuals, this option's behavior may be deprecated or absorbed by --new-window in recent versions, as Nautilus primarily operates in a browser-like mode by default.

--no-desktop
    Prevents Nautilus from managing the desktop background and icons. This option is typically used in environments where another application or component handles the desktop, or when you specifically want Nautilus to not interfere with desktop rendering.

--quit
    Forces all running instances of Nautilus to exit. This will close all open Nautilus windows and terminate the background process if it's running.

--version
    Displays the current version of Nautilus and exits immediately.

Nautilus, commonly known as Files, is the default file manager for the GNOME desktop environment. It provides a user-friendly graphical interface for navigating and managing files and directories on your computer, as well as network resources.

Users can perform common file operations such as creating, copying, moving, deleting, and renaming files and folders. Key features include tabbed browsing, bookmarks for quick access to frequently used locations, powerful search capabilities, and the ability to connect to remote servers using various protocols like SFTP, FTP, SMB, and WebDAV.

Beyond basic file management, Nautilus also serves as the GNOME desktop shell, handling desktop icons, background, and providing an integrated experience for launching applications and managing the desktop environment. It is designed to be intuitive and efficient for both novice and experienced Linux users.

Nautilus often runs as a background process to manage the desktop environment, which means simply closing all its windows may not fully terminate the application. For a complete exit, especially for scripting, use nautilus --quit. Also, its role in managing desktop icons has evolved significantly across GNOME versions; newer versions might require specific GNOME Shell extensions to enable desktop icon functionality.

For many years, Nautilus was solely responsible for drawing the desktop background, icons, and handling drag-and-drop operations on the desktop. However, starting with GNOME 3.28, this responsibility largely shifted to GNOME Shell itself. Desktop icon support, while initially removed, has since been re-introduced via a separate, official GNOME Shell extension, often bundled with the desktop environment.

Nautilus is highly extensible through its plugin system. Developers can write extensions, typically in Python or C, to add new functionalities, custom context menu actions, or integrate Nautilus with other applications and services. This allows users to tailor the file manager to their specific workflows and needs.

Initially released in 2001 as part of GNOME 1.4, Nautilus replaced GMC (GNOME Midnight Commander) as the default GNOME file manager. It was designed from the ground up to be modern and user-friendly, supporting features like spatial browsing, and integrating desktop management. Over time, its interface and feature set have evolved, including a significant redesign in GNOME 3 to align with the new GNOME Shell paradigm. In many distributions, it was eventually rebranded as 'Files' to reflect its primary function more directly and intuitively.

gnome-shell(1), xdg-open(1), ls(1), cp(1), mv(1), rm(1), mkdir(1), thunar(1), dolphin(1)