Want to make sure your file browsing and management with KDE Dolphin is as efficient as it can be? I use the popular free and open source file browser on Linux every day, and there are a few neat features I’ve uncovered while working with it.
Dolphin file manager, not to be confused with the Dolphin Gamecube and Wii emulator, is a graphical app developed by KDE that you find most often on Linux computers, and that includes on the Steam Deck. It’s the default file manager on virtually all instances of the KDE Plasma desktop environments. You can actually install Dolphin on Windows, though it isn’t as fully-integrated as you’d find it on Plasma. However you access it, though, there are some pretty cool features that are worth knowing about.
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Batch Rename
There are several ways you can batch rename files in the Linux terminal, but if you prefer a graphical method, Dolphin’s got you. It’s easy as pie, too.
Just highlight all the files you want to rename, then right-click and select Rename—or just hit F2. A simple batch rename dialog will appear, letting you choose a base file name alongside a pound symbol (#). You can select a starting number, too. Dolphin will rename all the files to the name you chose, numbered starting with the number you chose.
Note that Dolphin will number them in the same order that the files appear in the window. So, before initiating a batch rename, always make sure you have the files sorted in the same way you want them numbered.
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Permission Manager
If you’re following instructions and you’re being told you need to use commands like chmod to view and modify a file’s access permissions, consider just using Dolphin. No need to pop open that terminal.
Right-click a file (or folder), click “Properties,” and select the “Permissions” tab. You’ll have dropdown menus for modifying the access permissions for the owner, the group, and others.
Dolphin also lets you mark a file as executable, which I find especially handy when running AppImages for the first time. You get the option to change a file’s group ownership too. If you’re not sure how that works, you can learn a lot from our guide to changing file ownership with chown.
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Built-In Terminal
Want to cat a file instead of opening it in a graphical text editor? Or maybe you want to download a file to the current location with curl? A single command line goes a long way. If you hit F4, a small terminal emulator pane will appear at the bottom of your Dolphin window.
If you click it, you can type commands that will run in the current directory. The directory automatically changes as you click through directories in Dolphin, so you never need to use the cd command.
Sometimes, though, you might prefer to switch entirely over to a terminal and don’t want to keep working inside Dolphin. In that case, you can hit Shift+F4, and a separate terminal window will launch with the working directory set to wherever you were in Dolphin.
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File Checksums
If you’re like me, you download a lot of image files, like Linux distro ISOs. These files typically have accompanying checksums: strings of text representing a sort of fingerprint that changes if the file has been altered in any way. When you calculate the “sum” of a file you just downloaded, you can match it against the official checksum to confirm the ISO you downloaded is tamper- and corruption-free.
The trouble is, checking those sums is kind of tricky if you don’t have a dedicated tool or know the terminal commands for generating checksums. As a result, I, to be honest, often just skip this security step. Not anymore when I discovered Dolphin can handle this all for you.
Just right-click a file and select Properties (or hit Alt+Enter) and click the “Checksums” tab. If you have a checksum you expect to see, you can paste it into the field at the top. Then, click “Calculate” next to the matching algorithm. Dolphin will calculate the checksum (which can take some time depending on the size of the file) and then tell you if the checksum matches.
If it does, you can be relatively confident the file matches the one you were promised. If there’s no match, you shouldn’t trust the file.
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Trash Auto-Delete
If there’s one thing you don’t want to happen on your PC it’s running out of storage. You also don’t want to let sensitive files stay stored on your PC for too long if they don’t need to be there. That’s why it’s smart to set up your trash, sometimes called the recycle bin, to automatically delete files. Dolphin’s recycle bin has this built-in.
If you open Dolphin settings, (you can hit Ctrl+Shift+Comma while using Dolphin to do this), click the Trash menu option, you can check the “Cleanup” box to enable time-based cleaning. You can select how long files have to live in the trash, with one day being the minimum.
You can also set up deletions to happen based on storage limits. First, adjust the maximum amount of disk space you want the recycle bin to consume. Then, set the “Full Trash” dropdown menu to either “Delete Oldest Files From Trash” or “Delete Biggest Files from Trash.” From now on, once the upper storage limit has been hit, your recycle bin will automatically make space based on either date or size, respectively.
Just keep in mind settings like this are a two-edged sword. You get the convenience of virtually never having to manually clean your recycle bin. On the flip side, your PC will be permanently deleting files without asking for permission. It isn’t a pleasant realization that you need to restore a file that’s been wiped from existence without your knowledge.
KDE has a lot to offer in terms of productivity and PC management software. Be sure to check out which KDE features we find most useful and why I think the clipboard manager is one of KDE’s best features.