Open Terminal in Specific Folder Ubuntu - File Browser

Streamlining Workflow: Opening Terminal to a Specific Folder in Ubuntu’s Nautilus

Frequently, users of Ubuntu’s Nautilus File Browser may find themselves needing to transition to the command line interface of Terminal. Instead of manually navigating through directories in Terminal, a more efficient method exists.

This guide details how to integrate an “Open in Terminal” functionality into Nautilus’s context menu. This allows for the direct launching of a Terminal window focused on the currently selected folder.

NOTE: When instructions involve typing commands, disregard any quotation marks unless explicitly instructed to include them.

Installation Process

To begin, initiate Terminal by pressing Ctrl + Alt + T. Then, enter the following command at the prompt and confirm with Enter:

sudo apt-get install nautilus-open-terminal

You will be prompted to enter your user password; do so and press Enter to proceed with the installation.

Once the installation completes, type “exit” at the prompt and press Enter to close Terminal.

It’s important to note that a system log-out and subsequent log-in are required for these changes to fully take effect.

Utilizing the New Feature

Launch Nautilus by clicking the Files icon located on the Unity bar.

Navigate to the desired directory using the left-hand pane within Nautilus. Then, right-click on the folder displayed in the right pane and select “Open in Terminal” from the context menu that appears.

A new Terminal window will then open, with the command prompt indicating that you are now operating within the selected folder.

This integration proves particularly useful when needing to perform file operations more efficiently through the command line, offering a seamless transition between graphical and text-based interfaces.