# The Ubuntu Forum Community > Ubuntu Community Discussions > Ubuntu, Linux and OS Chat >  Unhappy with 14.04 Nautilus; how many are installing diff file-browser?

## genejohnson55

coming from 12.04, Nuatilus in 14.04 is a huge disappointment. I dislike the new launcher icon, long-ISO date/time format has been removed, -rwxrwxrwx permissions format (the gsettings setting that allowed a diff permissions view in the properties window) is gone.

I'm curious as to if others are changing file browsers. If so, which one is recommended. Is it a big ordeal to install a new file-browser. Is it not recommended? I'm not hugely experienced with linux/ubuntu. There were many features I liked in Nautilus 12.04. Many of my fav features are missing from 14.04 Nautilus. So an alternative file-browser that is like 12.04 Nautilus would be great.

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## Jonor

Certainly for Gnome, it is now easy to visit the Software Centre,Synaptic etc and install and run 
several different file browsers at once in the same workspace which is very useful with 14.04 in its current state.
Check out Dolphin and Nemo for starters.

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## poet1

Honestly, it's easy.

* Jonor said it.*  Navigate to Applications > System Tools > Ubuntu Software Center. At least, that is how it is in Ubuntu Gnome. Hah. 

If you have Unity (purple and stuff)? Just go to that Ubuntu button in the top right, navigate to applications, and search for Ubuntu Software Center.

The program will pop up. Search "dolphin" or "nemo." Try around, see what you like best.

Good luck.

*poet1*

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## LastDino

I would suggest Nemo and SunFlower, but tbh, for all the regular use Nuatilus was more than enough. I did install Nemo though, as it was appealing to eyes. I know, its a bad reason, but oh well...

Nemo: It's a very powerful file browser packed with all the functionality you might need.

SunFlower: Biggest benefit is it that it comes with twin panel. Easier to work with and quite fast.

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## ibjsb4

Nemo is built like nautilus, but has functions that nautilus no longer has, like dual pane for example.

I have been using PCmanFM (lubuntu file manager) lately and also finding this to be a good nautilus replacement for my needs.

Other file managers can run as a addon to your system or you can make another your default file manager.

http://www.google.com/search?client=...%20with%20nemo

http://www.google.com/search?client=...with%20pcmanfm

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## anaconda

I use xubuntu and like its file-manager Thunar.

Thunar is nowdays quite a lot lot like what nautilus used to be.

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## sami-mattila

I too went with Nemo. I had enough when I could not re-size Nautilus windows on my Ubuntu 14.04 Gnome-Shell (dual display.) Apparently that is too much to ask. Then there is the facts that the List format NEVER stuck but always reset to default grid view and workspace names are not working. Right clicking just sayz Workspace 1, etc.

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## wolflint

I like the file manager in Xubu but I forgot what it was called.

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## slickymaster

> I like the file manager in Xubu but I forgot what it was called.


Xubuntu's default file manager is called Thunar.

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## Copper Bezel

Yeah, my understanding was that Nemo was a fork of Nautilus based on all the old extra functionality Gnome have been pulling out of it. I still very much like Nautilus for its simplicity - I was actually using Marlin until Nautilus was pared down to meet it. And features like the recursive search or the ability to drag an item into a folder and drill down through a hierarchy without ever letting go of the item are just bliss. I think of features like the saved view modes for individual folders as cruft from the days when Nautilus was trying to be a sort of spatial FM. But I'm glad more advanced tools exist for those who need them, too.

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## Rob Sayer

I'd recommend Dolphin myself.  Actually I just don't want to use anything else anymore.  It's very powerful and highly configurable.

The only downside is that it pulls in a lot of KDE dependencies, so you're not just inst Dolphin alling the file manager.  I use it in Lubuntu and it loads/runs slower than pcmanfm but it's so powerful it speeds ME up.

If you install Dolphin also install Konsole and Ark so you can get "open terminal here" and good unzipping services without having to configure Dolphin to use other ones.  Actually I also installed rar because apt suggested it when I installer ark.

Never tried nemo myself.  IMO if you don't like nautilus I doubt you'd like thunar or pcmanfm either.  I think they both stink.  The last time I had xubuntu installed, which wasn't long ago, thunar didn't even run faster than dolphin.

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## monkeybrain20122

Actually I find it quite adequate for my use, mostly. Tried nemo in 13.04 but there are glitches like file manager always opened behind other windows, not worth the troubles to get a few more functions that I hardly need or use (or there are workarounds).  Don't understand the recommendations for marlin, pcmanfm or thunar as they are even more stripped down and/or very buggy. Both thunar and pcmanfm, e.g, appear to have some problem with external devices which nautilus has no problem whatsoever. Dolphin is too clunky with too many options (if that is possible) like  most things kde, not to mention the amount of kde dependencies that it  would pull in if you are not on Kubuntu.

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## monkeybrain20122

> I had enough when I could not re-size Nautilus windows on my Ubuntu 14.04 Gnome-Shell.


Yeah that happens only on gnome shell, on Unity there is no problem resizing Nautilus windows. Nautilus in 14.04 (Unity) actually deviates quite a bit from upstream in terms of menu and so on, which is good as GS is getting increasingly weird with Nautilus, it is not even consistent with other windows on GS.

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## makitso

I use Nemo as well. But, I it is most irritating that Nemo open a window behind other windows on the desktop.  It's a bug and the developers have said it will not get fixed on Ubuntu or Ubuntu gnome.

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## Copper Bezel

I prefer not to use KDE apps, and not for the dependencies. Like monkeybrain said, they're just too overloaded with features and options, like no one could really decide how the apps were meant to be used and just let you build your own instead. Plus, they don't play nice with Gnome's finer points, like bookmarks and recent files, particularly troubling in a file manager. 

monkeybrain, I didn't recommend Marlin, and I think I'm the only one who mentioned it. I just said I used to use it until Nautilus, to my purposes, "got good." Now, it's nothing more than a buggy version of the same with missing features. If it's still being maintained, as I haven't checked in over a year.

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## leclerc65

That's one of the reasons I stay bonded to Mint Maya Mate. Caja is like Nautilus, but stable like a rock in Mint.

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## LastDino

Is it just me that has Nemo working fine with Gnome? It does open window ''in-front'' of other open windows of other applications. Or am I misunderstanding the nature of the bug you people are talking about?

By the way,  I agree, it is better to stick with Nautilus or Thunar depending on which comes by default rather than trying to replace one with another. They are both quite similar these days. Never tried Dolphin though.

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## malspa

I use SpaceFM. I'm not trying to recommend it, but that's been my top choice for awhile (in non-KDE distros, that is -- in KDE, I like Dolphin). But as you can see at the SpaceFM home page (http://ignorantguru.github.io/spacefm/):




> ANNOUNCEMENT 2014-04-28: Most development and maintenance on the SpaceFM and udevil projects is indefinitely suspended.


That's unfortunate; but it's still working fine on all of my systems, so I haven't bothered to replace it.

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## oldos2er

mc and dolphin do most everything I need to do, in addition to plain ol' shell commands. Sunflower-fm is also a nice two-paned file manager.

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## kurt18947

> Yeah that happens only on gnome shell, on Unity there is no problem resizing Nautilus windows. Nautilus in 14.04 (Unity) actually deviates quite a bit from upstream in terms of menu and so on, which is good as GS is getting increasingly weird with Nautilus, it is not even consistent with other windows on GS.


I just tried resizing Nautilus windows in a pretty fresh gnome shell install.  I was able to use click-drag to resize with no issues.  No double pane? Open 2 windows and drag/drop between.  The only complaint I have about Nautilus is that I can't move files to/from a USB port server which is part of a Western Digital router.  It sees and can open the device but when I try to open or drag a file from the USB device to a desktop, I get a message when attemptingan  FTP transfer:  



```
The link SanDisk_Cruzer_Blade_42 is broken. Move it to Trash?

This link cannot be used because its target /var/tmp/storage/SanDisk_Cruzer_Blade_42 doesn't exist.
```

I can perform the same operation using Mint 16 and it works fine.  Filezilla also works great so no huge deal.

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## jmpurser-yahoo

I wanted to thank the people who contributed to this post.  I finally, very reluctantly, gave up on Nautilus.  It looks like Thunar is  my new browser though I'll try the others a little while longer.  John

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## oldos2er

Yet another CLI file manager, called ranger. Can't believe I didn't hear about it until just recently, but it seems extremely nice (if you like CLI apps).

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