Moving files creates duplicates

[pergelator]

New installation of Linux Mint on external USB hard drive. In an older version (Serena, I think), when you dragged a file icon (in the Files program) to a different directory, the file was moved. Now it makes a copy and stores it in the new directory. Can this behavior be changed? I looked in the menus but didn't see anything.

[Flemur]

New installation of Linux Mint on external USB hard drive. In an older version (Serena, I think), when you dragged a file icon (in the Files program) to a different directory, the file was moved. Now it makes a copy and stores it in the new directory. Can this behavior be changed?

If you drag/move a file to a different partition, some software makes a copy instead.

I looked in the menus but didn't see anything.

Try rt-click->"Cut"; then "Paste" into your destination.

[all41]

Try holding down the Shift key while you drag and drop.

[trytip]

huh? what desktop and what file manager. when i move files from my Desktop to Downloads for example they are moved not copied. i have the latest updates with mint 19.3 cinnamon and nemo file manager

[smurphos]

Nemo, Caja and Thunar's default dnd behaviour varies depending on whether you are dnding within the same partition (Move) or between different partitions (Copy) as mentioned by Flemur.

Holding shift as you drop will always force a copy rather than a move, holding Alt as you drop will give you a choice

[pergelator]

Yes, I can use cut and paste, and holding down a special key might work as well, but that's not what I want.
What I want is to change the default behavior so I don't have to make extra motions.
I'm using the Cinnamon package so I'm using whatever file manager comes in that package. It looks like the same one I was using in Serena.
One thing that might have some bearing is that I am booting off of an external USB drive. The old hard drive is still in the PC, connected and operating, but I'm not using it. All the files I am moving around are on the external USB drive.

[trytip]

if your installed OS is on external USB that might be why dragging files/folders copies instead of moving. i have not heard of any option to make files movable on demand

[smurphos]

All the files I am moving around are on the external USB drive.

Just to clarify - the drag and drop destinations are both in the same partition on the USB drive? Are you moving files around your home folder or trying to move files from another part of the file system to your home or similar. If you don't have write permission on the source directory/file then drag and drop will always copy aswell.

[pbear]

What I want is to change the default behavior so I don't have to make extra motions.
I'm using the Cinnamon package so I'm using whatever file manager comes in that package. It looks like the same one I was using in Serena.
One thing that might have some bearing is that I am booting off of an external USB drive.

External drive doesn't matter. I have many versions of Mint installed on USB drive. Which desktop and which file manager matters a lot, of course.

Are you doing this with extra pane view? Don't see how the problem arises otherwise. If so, maybe this will be good enough. Go to Edit > Preferences > Context Menus. Tick the box for Move to (I'd recommend ticking Copy to also). Now when you right-click an item, you'll get the option to move (or copy, if you take my suggestion). FWIW, Mate/Caja has those options on the Edit menu, but every file manager is different.

If that's not good enough, you could try rooting around with dconf-editor.

[smurphos]

External drive doesn't matter.

It probably does when it's actually a live USB - viewtopic.php?p=1764214#p1764214

[pbear]

Not a difference in how Nemo operates, though.

By the way, checking Cinnamon 18.3, drag-and-drop in dual pane view works the same way, i.e., copies rather than moves.
Don't have Cinn 18.1 installed anywhere, and not going to just to test this, but doubt it was different.

[smurphos]

Not a difference in how Nemo operates, though.

By the way, checking Cinnamon 18.3, drag-and-drop in dual pane view works the same way, i.e., copies rather than moves.
Don't have Cinn 18.1 installed anywhere, and not going to just to test this, but doubt it was different.

As mentioned default drag and drop behaviour in dual pane, or between file manager windows or from file manager to Desktop or vice-versa is dependent on whether the source and destination are on the same or different partitions and also on whether the source is writable by the user.

This is the same in Nemo, Caja and Thunar. Also the same in Windows for that matter. It's same in 18.3 and 19.3.

The reason i think a Live USB may be relevant is an untested hypotheses that the writability of any particular source directory by the default live session user may be different from an installed system.