Linux Mint Forums

HI all-

I have noticed that the default file manager application in Mint, Nemo, after a time is using massive resources, as in dozens of gigabytes of memory and quite a few cpu cycles. Even if i close all windows, it's still running, and the only way i can clear it is to run in console nemo -q. When i do so, suddenly my memory and cpu usage is cleared.

It's almost like it has a memory leak. Any idea what is causing this and how to prevent it?

-Fizz

Fizz wrote: ⤴Wed Aug 14, 2019 10:16 am It's almost like it has a memory leak. Any idea what is causing this and how to prevent it?

Why almost? That certainly sounds like one, and I know the Nemo has a few. You could try disabling all previews (thumbnail generation) in Nemo's preferences, that's often the culprit. Or for an extreme measure, use a different desktop environment.

Well, i disabled all the preview stuff, but it still grows.

I like Cinnamon otherwise. Is it possible to change desktop environments without doing a complete reinstall? Or is it possible to simply use a file manager other than Nemo? I am getting the impression it is more than just the program that displays the folders / files though.

-Fizz

Sure, you can install any desktop environment or file manager you like, see Software Manager. E.g. Caja is MATE's file manager and is fairly similar. They both are forks of Nautilus. Once you installed one you can make it the default. I'm not too familiar with Cinnamon but there should be a tool to switch your preferred applications.

But note that Nemo is not just your file browser but also provides the desktop, so depending on which part is leaking you may have to switch that out as well, which is a bit more complicated.

Well, it looks like there are two processes, nemo, and nemo-desktop. The former is the trouble one that has the leak, while nemo-desktop is always well behaved. When i kill the nemo process, the only thing that seems affected is the file manager. So it sounds like that's the only piece i need to replace. (Or maybe they'll fix it in the next version.) Thanks for the feedback.

-Fizz

Just a followup on this...

I've been using Caja for nearly a week now. Its usage can still grow, but not as quickly as Nemo. It occurs when i leave the file manager viewing a folder that is re-writing files over and over. Unlike Nemo though, the Caja process is actually ended when the window is closed (no nemo -q equivalent needed).

So the issue isn't all gone, but certainly improved and seems more manageable. Thanks for the suggestion.

-Fizz