> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://itsfoss.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Install and Make Nemo the Default File Manager in Ubuntu - URL: https://itsfoss.com/install-nemo-file-manager-ubuntu/ - Published: 2013-06-20T23:19:15.000Z - Updated: 2025-05-11T10:50:42.000Z - Description: This tutorial shows you how to install and use the Nemo file manager in Ubuntu. You can also make Nemo the default file manager instead of Nautilus, if you really want to. - Author: Abhishek Prakash - Tags: Ubuntu Linux Mint has improvised a few things in its distribution, and two notables among them are [Cinnamon](https://itsfoss.com/how-to-install-cinnamon-in-ubuntu-12-04/) and [Nemo](https://github.com/linuxmint/nemo?ref=itsfoss.com). [Nemo](https://github.com/linuxmint/nemo?ref=itsfoss.com) is the default file manager of **Cinnamon desktop** and it was forked from the popular file manager Nautilus in GNOME. Few Linux users like to experiment by mixing stuff. For example, some people like to install the Cinnamon desktop environment on top of Ubuntu. For some, it's just the Nemo that is of interest and hence, they just use this file manager instead of the entire Cinnamon desktop. Yes, you can install Linux Mint's Nemo file manager in Ubuntu. I'll show the steps for that but first, do you really want to? 🚧 You should not try to experiment like this with the default file managers in any desktop environment. Changing an integral component may lead to conflicts and broken systems. If you are an advanced user who knows how to handle things, you may follow the rest of the tutorial. ## Installing Nemo file manager in Ubuntu Linux Open the terminal (you can use Ctrl+Alt+T [terminal shortcut in Ubuntu](https://itsfoss.com/ubuntu-shortcuts/)) and use the following command: ``` sudo apt install nemo ``` Once installed you can look for Nemo in Ubuntu Activities Overview, it will be shown as Files and not Nemo. It is a bit difficult to distinguish between Nemo and Files (Nautilus) by the icons if you search for **files**. So, just search for Nemo. ![](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2025/03/search-files.png) ![](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2025/03/search-nemo.png) Search for Files and Nemo in Ubuntu Activities Overview Once you have installed Nemo file manager in Ubuntu, you’ll see that Nautilus is still the primary file manager in the system. Now, let’s see how you can **make Nemo the default file manager in Ubuntu**. 🚧 You can change the default file manager from Nautilus to Nemo. But this does not change the File chooser/picker dialog. Changing the file chooser is not an option in GNOME, since those features are tightly integrated to the desktop environment itself. ## Disable the Desktop Icons extension Before changing the default file manager, you should disable the Desktop Icons extension. For this, first install the GNOME Shell Extension Manager app. ``` sudo apt install gnome-shell-extension-manager ``` Open the extension manager and disable the **Desktop Icons NG (DING)** extension. ![Disable the Desktop Icons Extension in Ubuntu using the GNOME Shell Extension Manager application](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2025/03/disable-desktop-icons.png) Disable Desktop Icons Extension ## Make Nemo default file manager in Ubuntu Open the terminal and use the following command: ``` xdg-mime default nemo.desktop inode/directory application/x-gnome-saved-search ``` And then you can set up Nemo to handle the desktop completely with the following commands (in the given order): ``` gsettings set org.nemo.desktop show-desktop-icons true ``` The command enables Nemo to manage the addition of desktop icons. You should also add the `nemo-desktop` in the list of [startup applications](https://itsfoss.com/manage-startup-applications-ubuntu/). For that, search for Startup in Activities overview. ![Search for "Startup" in Ubuntu Activities Overview and open the "Startup Applications" app](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2025/03/startup-app-in-overview.png) Open Startup Applications Here, click on the **Add** button. In the next dialog box, give a simple name in the name field and enter the command, `nemo-desktop` as shown in the screenshot below. ![Add nemo-desktop as a startup app in Ubuntu using the Startup Applications app](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2025/03/nemo-desktop-in-startup-apps.png) Add `nemo-desktop` as a startup application That’s it. Now, restart your system. At this point, you have made Nemo the default file manager in Ubuntu. You can verify it by using the `xdg-open $HOME` command in the terminal. The tutorial to **make Nemo default file manager** should also work with other versions of Ubuntu. ## Additional tip: Customize the desktop icons Once you restarted your system, you can change the appearance of desktop icons. For this, right-click on an empty place on the desktop and select **Customize**. ![Right-click on the desktop and select "Customize" option](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2025/03/select-customize-new.png) Select "Customize" In the dialog box, make the required changes like icon position, orientation, etc. ![Make changes to the desktop icons appearance](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2025/03/make-desktop-icons-changes.png) Change desktop icons appearance settings ## Remove Nemo and go back to Nautilus I can understand if you don’t like Nemo in Ubuntu. While Nemo is a great choice for Linux Mint, using it in Ubuntu may lead to issue, and it might not be the same experience as in Linux Mint. So, if you want to remove Nemo and go back to using the default Nautilus, here is what you need to do. Make GNOME Files default again: ``` xdg-mime default nautilus.desktop inode/directory application/x-gnome-saved-search ``` Now disable Nemo's desktop icons handling using: ``` gsettings set org.nemo.desktop show-desktop-icons false ``` Now you should enable Nautilus to draw desktop icons. For this, re-enable the Desktop Icons NG (DING) extension using the GNOME Shell Extension Manager, the same way we disabled. If you added Nemo in the startup applications, remove it from there. Now that you have gone back to using Nautilus, you probably also want to remove Nemo from Ubuntu. You can use the command below to remove Nemo: ``` sudo apt purge nemo nemo* sudo apt autoremove ``` Restart the system to finish the process. I hope this tutorial helped you to install Nemo on Ubuntu, make it default and even move back to Nautilus. If you have questions or suggestions, please leave a comment below.