How To Install Nautilus Terminal on Linux Mint 22

Nautilus Terminal transforms the way Linux Mint 22 users interact with their file system by embedding a fully functional terminal emulator directly into the Nautilus file manager. This powerful extension eliminates the constant switching between separate terminal windows and file browser tabs, creating a seamless workflow that system administrators, developers, and power users will appreciate. Unlike the standard “Open in Terminal” feature that launches external terminal windows, Nautilus Terminal remains persistently integrated within your file browser, automatically synchronizing with your directory navigation.

Linux Mint 22 “Wilma” provides an excellent foundation for this enhancement with its long-term support extending until 2029. Whether you’re managing server configurations, executing batch file operations, or simply prefer having terminal access alongside your graphical file browsing, this comprehensive guide walks through every step of the installation process. We’ll cover multiple installation methods, configuration options, troubleshooting solutions, and best practices to ensure a successful setup on your Linux Mint 22 system.

What is Nautilus Terminal?

Nautilus Terminal is a specialized Python-based extension that embeds a terminal emulator directly into the GNOME Files application, commonly known as Nautilus. This isn’t just another terminal launcher. The extension completely integrates the terminal interface into each Nautilus window or tab, creating a unified workspace where command-line operations and graphical file management coexist harmoniously.

The distinguishing feature lies in its intelligent directory synchronization. When you navigate to a new folder in Nautilus, the embedded terminal automatically executes the corresponding cd command, keeping your terminal session synchronized with the current directory displayed in the file browser. This eliminates repetitive manual navigation and significantly reduces context switching during complex file management tasks.

The current version represents a complete reimplementation as Nautilus Terminal 3, offering improved stability, enhanced customization options, and better compatibility with modern GNOME desktop environments. The extension supports both Nautilus 3.x and newer Nautilus 40 versions, ensuring broad compatibility across different Linux distributions, including Linux Mint 22.

Key Features and Benefits

Nautilus Terminal delivers an impressive array of features designed to enhance productivity and streamline workflows.

The terminal appears as an embedded pane within each Nautilus tab or window, maintaining separate terminal sessions for different file browser instances. This multi-session support allows you to work on different projects simultaneously without terminal context confusion. The automatic directory following feature continuously synchronizes your terminal’s working directory with the folder currently displayed in Nautilus, executing cd commands transparently as you navigate through your file system.

Visibility control comes through a configurable keyboard toggle, defaulting to the F4 key, allowing you to show or hide the terminal pane instantly without closing the session. The terminal remains in memory, preserving your command history and current session state even when hidden.

Extensive customization options include font selection, color scheme adjustments, background color modifications, text color changes, and terminal positioning (top or bottom of the window). These settings accommodate different visual preferences and workflow styles.

Standard terminal operations work seamlessly with full support for copy and paste functionality via Ctrl+Shift+C and Ctrl+Shift+V keyboard shortcuts, supplemented by context menu options for users who prefer mouse interaction. The terminal pane features a resizable interface, letting you adjust the vertical space allocation between the file browser and terminal according to your immediate needs.

One particularly useful feature enables drag-and-drop file handling directly from the Nautilus file list into the terminal area. This instantly inserts the file path at the cursor position, eliminating manual typing for long directory structures or complex filenames. Additionally, you can configure the terminal to clear automatically after navigation, maintaining a clean workspace as you move between directories.

For system administrators and developers who constantly alternate between GUI file operations and command-line tasks, these features translate into measurable productivity gains by reducing friction in the workflow.

System Requirements

Before proceeding with the installation, verify that your Linux Mint 22 system meets the necessary requirements.

Linux Mint 22 “Wilma” requires a minimum of 2GB RAM, though 4GB is recommended for comfortable multitasking. The distribution comes with appropriate Nautilus versions by default, typically Nautilus 3.x or compatible newer releases that support python-nautilus extensions.

Several Python dependencies are essential for Nautilus Terminal functionality. The python3-nautilus package (also known as nautilus-python) provides the Python binding layer that allows extensions to interact with the file manager. The python3-psutil library handles process and system monitoring functions required by the extension. Standard Python 3 installation, which ships with Linux Mint 22 by default, provides the runtime environment.

GLib 2 development tools, specifically the glib-compile-schemas utility, are necessary for processing the extension’s configuration schemas. The pip3 package installer facilitates Python package management for the installation process. Finally, dconf-editor provides a graphical interface for accessing and modifying the extension’s configuration settings post-installation.

Fortunately, Linux Mint 22 includes most of these components in its base installation, requiring only the addition of specific extension-related packages.

Prerequisites and Preparation

Proper preparation ensures a smooth installation experience and minimizes potential complications.

Begin by updating your system packages to their latest versions. Open a terminal window using Ctrl+Alt+T and execute:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade

This ensures all existing packages receive security patches and bug fixes, reducing potential compatibility issues.

Verify your Nautilus version by running:

nautilus --version

Linux Mint 22 ships with a compatible Nautilus version, but confirming this prevents unexpected problems.

Check Python 3 availability with:

python3 --version

Linux Mint 22 includes Python 3 by default, but verification confirms the installation and displays the specific version.

Familiarize yourself with basic terminal commands if you’re new to command-line operations. Understanding concepts like sudo for administrative privileges, package management commands, and file navigation helps you follow installation steps confidently and troubleshoot issues independently.

While not strictly necessary, creating a backup of important data before making system modifications represents good practice. System-level installations rarely cause data loss, but precautionary backups provide peace of mind.

Installation Method 1: Using pip3 (Recommended)

The pip3 installation method offers the most straightforward approach for most users, handling dependencies efficiently while providing easy updates.

Installing Dependencies

First, install all required dependencies with a single command:

sudo apt install python3-nautilus python3-psutil python3-pip libglib2.0-bin dconf-editor

This command installs five essential packages. The python3-nautilus package enables Python extensions in Nautilus. The python3-psutil library provides system and process utilities. The python3-pip package manager will install Nautilus Terminal itself. The libglib2.0-bin package supplies the glib-compile-schemas tool for configuration schema compilation. Finally, dconf-editor offers a graphical configuration editor for post-installation customization.

Wait for the installation to complete. The package manager resolves dependencies automatically and downloads necessary files.

Installing Nautilus Terminal via pip3

For system-wide installation accessible to all user accounts, execute:

sudo pip3 install nautilus-terminal

This downloads the latest stable Nautilus Terminal package from the Python Package Index and installs it system-wide. System-wide installation requires administrative privileges but ensures the extension works for all users on the machine.

After package installation completes, activate the extension with:

sudo nautilus-terminal --install-system

This command registers the extension with Nautilus, creating necessary configuration files and enabling the extension for all users.

Alternatively, for user-specific installation that doesn’t require root privileges and affects only your account, use:

pip3 install --user nautilus-terminal
python3 -m nautilus_terminal --install-user

User installation places files in your home directory, isolating the extension from other user accounts. Choose this method on shared systems where you lack administrative access or prefer not to modify system-wide configurations.

Restarting Nautilus

Nautilus must restart to load the newly installed extension. Execute:

nautilus -q

This command quits all running Nautilus processes gracefully, closing open file manager windows. The -q flag ensures a clean shutdown without confirmation prompts.

Relaunch Nautilus by pressing Super key (Windows key) and typing “Files” in the search bar, or simply navigate to any folder location. The file manager reopens with the Nautilus Terminal extension now active and ready to use.

Installation Method 2: From Source

Installing from source code provides access to the latest development features and bug fixes before they reach stable releases.

Cloning the Repository

First, ensure git is installed:

sudo apt install git

Clone the official Nautilus Terminal repository:

git clone https://github.com/flozz/nautilus-terminal.git
cd nautilus-terminal

This creates a local copy of the source code in a new directory named nautilus-terminal and changes to that directory. The repository contains all necessary files including source code, documentation, and installation scripts.

Building and Installing

For system-wide installation from source, run:

sudo pip3 install .
sudo nautilus-terminal --install-system

The first command builds and installs the package from the current directory (denoted by the period). The second registers the extension with Nautilus system-wide.

For user-specific installation:

pip3 install --user .
python3 -m nautilus_terminal --install-user

This approach installs only for your user account without requiring root privileges.

Source installation proves beneficial when testing new features, contributing to development, or requiring bleeding-edge functionality not yet available in stable releases. However, stable pip3 installation suffices for most production use cases.

Post-Installation Steps

After completing the source installation, restart Nautilus to activate the extension:

nautilus -q

Reopen the file manager to begin using Nautilus Terminal. Source installations require manual updates by pulling the latest changes and repeating the installation process, unlike pip3 installations which support simple upgrade commands.

Verifying the Installation

Confirmation of successful installation prevents confusion and identifies potential issues early.

Run the built-in verification command:

nautilus-terminal --check

Alternatively, if the command isn’t found in your PATH:

python3 -m nautilus_terminal --check

Successful installation produces output similar to:

Nautilus Python: Installed
Nautilus Terminal Extension: Installed

Both components must show as “Installed” for proper functionality. If either component reports as missing or not installed, review the installation steps for potential errors.

Additional verification involves opening Nautilus and pressing F4. The terminal pane should appear at the bottom (or top, depending on configuration) of the file manager window. Navigate to different folders and observe the terminal automatically executing cd commands to match the current directory.

If verification fails, common culprits include incomplete dependency installation, failed schema compilation, or Nautilus not properly restarting. Address these systematically by reinstalling dependencies, manually compiling schemas, and ensuring all Nautilus processes terminate before relaunching.

Configuration and Customization

Nautilus Terminal offers extensive customization through the dconf configuration system.

Launch dconf-editor from the application menu or by typing:

dconf-editor

Navigate to the Nautilus Terminal settings by browsing to: org > flozz > nautilus-terminal

Here you’ll find numerous configurable options.

The toggle-shortcut setting controls the keyboard combination for showing and hiding the terminal pane. The default F4 works well for most users, but you might prefer alternatives like F12 or a custom key combination to avoid conflicts with other applications.

Font customization through the default-font setting accepts standard font description strings like “Monospace 10” or “Ubuntu Mono 12”. Monospaced fonts work best for terminal applications, ensuring proper alignment of command output and code.

Background and foreground color settings use hexadecimal color codes or named colors. Customize these to match your preferred color scheme or improve readability in different lighting conditions.

The terminal-position option determines whether the terminal appears at the bottom or top of the Nautilus window. Bottom positioning mimics traditional terminal behavior, while top positioning might suit workflows where file listings receive more visual priority.

Enable the clear-terminal-on-navigation option to automatically execute the clear command when changing directories. This maintains a tidy workspace but removes command history visibility from previous directories.

Terminal height settings control the default vertical space allocated to the terminal pane, while minimum height prevents the terminal from becoming too small during resizing operations.

Changes take effect immediately without requiring Nautilus restart, allowing real-time experimentation with different configurations.

Using Nautilus Terminal

Basic Usage

Open Nautilus from the application menu or by pressing Super key and typing “Files”. Navigate to any folder.

Press F4 to toggle the terminal pane visibility. The terminal appears, displaying a command prompt set to the current directory shown in the file browser. Execute any standard terminal command. The terminal functions identically to standalone terminal applications, supporting all command-line operations, piping, redirection, and scripting.

Navigate to a different folder using the Nautilus file browser. Watch as the terminal automatically executes cd followed by the new directory path, synchronizing the terminal’s working directory with your graphical location. This automatic synchronization eliminates manual directory navigation, particularly valuable when working deep within complex directory structures.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Master these essential keyboard combinations for efficient operation:

F4 toggles terminal visibility on and off while preserving the session state. Ctrl+Shift+C copies selected terminal text to the clipboard. Ctrl+Shift+V pastes clipboard contents into the terminal at the cursor position. Right-clicking in the terminal area opens a context menu with additional options including copy, paste, and terminal preferences.

Standard terminal shortcuts like Ctrl+C for interrupting running processes, Ctrl+D for end-of-file signals, and Tab for command completion all function normally within the embedded terminal.

Working with Files

The drag-and-drop feature significantly enhances productivity. Select a file in the Nautilus file list and drag it into the terminal pane. Release the mouse button to insert the complete file path at the cursor position. This proves invaluable when working with files containing spaces or special characters in their names, as the path appears properly quoted and escaped.

Combine GUI file selection with command-line operations. For example, drag a script file into the terminal and prepend it with bash or python3 to execute it. Drag image files to commands like convert or identify for batch processing operations.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Terminal Doesn’t Show Up

If pressing F4 produces no visible terminal pane, several factors might be responsible.

First, ensure Nautilus properly restarted after installation:

nautilus -q

Wait a few seconds, then reopen Nautilus. Sometimes background Nautilus processes persist despite closing visible windows.

Run Nautilus from a terminal to observe error messages:

nautilus -q && nautilus

This quits existing instances and launches a new one while displaying console output. Error messages reveal extension loading failures, missing dependencies, or configuration conflicts.

Verify installation status with:

nautilus-terminal --check

If either component shows as not installed, repeat the installation procedure paying careful attention to any error messages.

Check that all dependencies installed successfully:

dpkg -l | grep -E "python3-nautilus|python3-psutil"

This lists installed packages matching the dependency names. Missing packages require installation via:

sudo apt install python3-nautilus python3-psutil

Nautilus Crashes at Startup

Nautilus crashing immediately after installation typically indicates GSettings schema conflicts or corrupted extension files.

Launch Nautilus from terminal to capture crash information:

nautilus -q ; nautilus

Examine the output for schema-related errors mentioning “GSettings” or “schema compilation”.

Old or conflicting schema files may exist in multiple locations. Check these directories:

ls /usr/share/glib-2.0/schemas/ | grep nautilus
ls /usr/local/share/glib-2.0/schemas/ | grep nautilus  
ls ~/.local/share/glib-2.0/schemas/ | grep nautilus

Remove duplicate or outdated Nautilus Terminal schema files, keeping only the version in the standard system location. After removing conflicting files, recompile schemas:

sudo glib-compile-schemas /usr/share/glib-2.0/schemas/

If problems persist, completely remove and reinstall Nautilus Terminal:

sudo pip3 uninstall nautilus-terminal
sudo apt install --reinstall python3-nautilus python3-psutil
sudo pip3 install nautilus-terminal
sudo nautilus-terminal --install-system
nautilus -q

This fresh installation often resolves persistent issues caused by partial or corrupted previous installations.

Extension Not Loading

When the extension exists but fails to load, python-nautilus binding issues are often responsible.

Verify python-nautilus installation and proper version:

python3 -c "import gi; gi.require_version('Nautilus', '3.0'); from gi.repository import Nautilus; print('Nautilus Python working')"

Successful execution prints “Nautilus Python working”. Errors indicate python-nautilus installation problems requiring:

sudo apt install --reinstall python3-nautilus

Check for conflicting Nautilus extensions. Disable other extensions temporarily to identify conflicts. Remove extension files from ~/.local/share/nautilus-python/extensions/ except Nautilus Terminal to isolate the issue.

Examine Nautilus extension directories for correct file placement:

ls -la ~/.local/share/nautilus-python/extensions/
ls -la /usr/share/nautilus-python/extensions/

Nautilus Terminal files should appear in one of these locations depending on installation method. Missing files indicate installation failure; repeat the installation process.

Comparing Nautilus Terminal to Alternatives

Understanding how Nautilus Terminal differs from similar solutions helps appreciate its unique advantages.

The nautilus-open-terminal package adds a context menu option to open separate terminal windows at the current directory location. While useful, this approach creates disconnected terminal windows that don’t synchronize with subsequent navigation. Each folder requires opening a new terminal instance, cluttering the workspace.

The nautilus-open-any-terminal extension improves upon nautilus-open-terminal by allowing terminal emulator customization. You can configure it to launch your preferred terminal application (GNOME Terminal, Konsole, xterm, etc.). However, it still opens external windows rather than embedding the terminal.

Alternative file managers like Dolphin and Nemo offer integrated terminal panes similar to Nautilus Terminal. These require switching your entire file manager, potentially disrupting established workflows and losing Nautilus-specific features.

Nautilus Terminal stands out by maintaining a truly embedded interface that persists within the file manager while automatically following directory navigation. The terminal exists as an integral component of the file browser rather than a separate application or simple launcher. This tight integration creates a unified workspace that eliminates context switching and reduces visual clutter.

Uninstalling Nautilus Terminal

Should you decide Nautilus Terminal doesn’t suit your workflow, removal is straightforward.

For pip3 installations, execute:

sudo pip3 uninstall nautilus-terminal

Confirm the uninstallation when prompted. This removes the package files but preserves configuration settings.

For user installations:

pip3 uninstall nautilus-terminal

No sudo required since files reside in your home directory.

Remove configuration settings by deleting the dconf keys:

dconf reset -f /org/flozz/nautilus-terminal/

This eliminates all customized settings, returning to a clean state.

Restart Nautilus to complete the removal:

nautilus -q

The terminal pane will no longer appear when pressing F4. The file manager returns to its standard behavior.

Dependencies like python3-nautilus can remain installed as they don’t impact system performance and may benefit other Nautilus extensions. However, if desired, remove them with:

sudo apt remove python3-nautilus python3-psutil dconf-editor

Best Practices and Tips

Maximize Nautilus Terminal effectiveness with these expert recommendations.

System-wide installation proves preferable for multi-user environments, providing consistent functionality across all accounts while simplifying administrative management. User installations suit personal systems or situations requiring non-administrative setup.

Customize the toggle shortcut if F4 conflicts with other applications in your workflow. Development environments and IDEs often use function keys extensively. Choose an unused key combination to prevent unintended terminal toggling.

Bottom terminal positioning aligns with traditional terminal placement conventions, making the interface more intuitive for users accustomed to standalone terminal applications. Top positioning works well when file listings receive more visual attention than terminal output.

Leverage the drag-and-drop functionality extensively for file path insertion. This feature shines when working with files containing spaces, special characters, or residing in deeply nested directories. The automatically quoted paths prevent common command-line errors.

Combine Nautilus Terminal with standard Nautilus keyboard shortcuts for maximum efficiency. Ctrl+L focuses the location bar for quick directory path entry. Alt+Up navigates to the parent directory. Ctrl+H toggles hidden file visibility. These shortcuts, combined with the embedded terminal, create a powerful file management environment.

Keep Nautilus Terminal updated by periodically running:

sudo pip3 install --upgrade nautilus-terminal

Updates deliver new features, performance improvements, and security fixes. The changelog on the GitHub repository details changes between versions.

Use the context menu for copy and paste operations when keyboard shortcuts interfere with running terminal applications. Some interactive programs capture Ctrl+Shift+C and Ctrl+Shift+V for their own purposes; the right-click menu provides an alternative access method.

Integrate Nautilus Terminal with shell customizations like enhanced bash or zsh configurations. Your custom aliases, functions, and prompt modifications all function within the embedded terminal. This creates a personalized environment matching your standalone terminal experience while benefiting from file manager integration.

For system administrators managing server configurations or web developers working with local development environments, Nautilus Terminal bridges the gap between GUI file editing and command-line testing. Edit configuration files in your preferred graphical editor while immediately testing changes with embedded terminal commands, all within a single cohesive workspace.

Congratulations! You have successfully installed Nautilus. Thanks for using this tutorial for installing the Nautilus Terminal on Linux Mint 22 system. For additional help or useful information, we recommend you check the official Nautilus website.