I set Dolphin as default file manager, but VSCode opens Nautilus instead of Dolphin

[gusbemacbe]

No description provided.

[vscodebot]

(Experimental duplicate detection)
Thanks for submitting this issue. Please also check if it is already covered by an existing one, like:

• Open multiple instance of dolphin in Linux (#47027)
• Ignore .directory files on Linux (#48039)

[weinand]

@gusbemacbe what do you mean by step 3 "open a folder"?

"Opening a folder" in VS Code means clicking on the folder in the explorer (and that works fine for me).

[gusbemacbe]

Inside VSCode, I selected File -> Open Folder ...

[weinand]

Aha, you mean VS Code uses the wrong "open file dialog".

[saileshkush95]

I'm also facing same problem

[gusbemacbe]

@weinand and @bpasero, the same problem still insists. I am using Deepin OS and Manjaro, VSCode opens the ugly X11/Xorg-based Nautilus instead of Deepin File (Deepin OS's default file manager) and Dolphin (Manjaro's).

[bpasero]

@gusbemacbe did you try with our latest insider release that comes with Electron 2.0.x and GTK3 support? Just wondering if that would change anything here.

[gusbemacbe]

@bpasero

Sorry for my absence, I was sick.

ON Manjaro, it supports perfectly GTK3, but it still opens Nautilus instead of Dolphin File.

On Deepin OS, it does not support GTK3, and still also opens Nautilus instead of Deepin File Manager.

[davidpomerenke]

Still an issue.

Would be nice if VSCode just used the default file manager or if there was at least a setting for changing this manually. Nautilus can be used, but it does not integrate well in KDE, it sometimes is quite annoying.

[ulziibat-n]

Please recommend to me better solution for this issue. I want to use deepin file manager but vscode runs.

[cmpute]

Same problem here

[davidpomerenke]

Seems not to be fixed yet. Could you reopen the issue and (if you agree) remove the "more info needed" tag? @gusbemacbe @bpasero

[ulziibat-n]

+1

[chrisshyi]

I have the same problem on Kubuntu 18.04 as well.

[ulziibat-n]

Me too. I am using Deepin 15.9.2

[chrisshyi]

How does VS Code communicate with the operating system's file manager, I wonder? If someone could point me to the code that does this it'd be great.

[chrisshyi]

@gusbemacbe

I see, that really clarifies things. Would you mind pointing me to where the GTK part of the source code resides? I'd love to learn more about how VSCode works internally.

Thanks!

[tomdavidson]

VSCode is not built with GTK but with TypeScript with packaging and run time via Electron. Electron needs to be updated to be aware of its desktop environment. Every Electron app has this issue - ie its an upstream issue and not VSCode - electron/electron#2911 (comment)

[sylveon]

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Uniform_look_for_Qt_and_GTK_applications#KDE_file_dialogs_for_GTK+_applications

[sylveon]

That article mentions kdialog for Chromium. Since Electron uses Chromium, I'd expect it to work.

[towen]

Using code_1.60.2-1632313585_amd64.deb on Debian Sid with KDE (GNOME is not installed, but obviously GTK is) also installed xdg-desktop-portal and xdg-desktop-portal-kde and set GTK_USE_PORTAL=1 but code still uses the 🤬 GNOME filepicker.

I just checked /usr/share/code/resources/app/package.json and it seems the latest Code 1.60.2 has been updated to use Electron 1.13.8 😭
Is there any way to force it to use Electron 14.0.1 instead?

[aindriu80]

I'm running Pop OS! 21.04 and have Dolphin as my default file browser however VSCode uses the GNOME default file manager (Nautilus) that ships with GNOME instead. It's very annoying, the GNOME default file is much less capable and has an emphasis on aesthetics over function, for example, I can't paste an address into the address bar (when using an extension) see screenshot.

[tristan957]

You need to wait for VSCode to ship with Electron 14+. It currently ships with 13.

[103sbavert]

When can we expect it to ship with Electron 14+

[tristan957]

Wondering if you actually had to export GTK_USE_PORTAL=1? I would think any reasonable distro would export that automatically. I think I had a conversation with @deepak1556 about setting the environment variable in the code.sh file, but I never submitted a PR because it should either be automatic or a user can opt-in. I would be happy to submit a PR to the official docs however.

[sylveon]

Please don't mass ping people like that. If they're interested in the issue they'll be watching it.

[runil]

I'm still having issues with this. If I'm running VSCode in a gnome session, it still uses Nautilus for its file dialog.

[tristan957]

Nautilus is not a file chooser. In GNOME, the file chooser is the GTK file chooser which is what is supposed to happen. Use KDE if you want the KDF file chooser.

[103sbavert]

@tristan957 it doesn't work on KDE either

[tristan957]

It indeed does work on KDE. You just have to set it up and be using VSCode insiders.

[runil]

I'm still having issues with this. If I'm running VSCode in a gnome session, it still uses Nautilus for its file dialog.

@runil, did you follow my tutorial above (click here)?

It indeed does work on KDE. You just have to set it up and be using VSCode insiders.

Can confirm that this is the case for now. Does indeed work fine in KDE session using the Insider build. Still looking for a way to override the default file chooser in a Gnome session.

[ryan-ronnander]

Despite other applications working flawlessly with the KDE file picker in both OpenSUSE Tumbleweed and Ubuntu 20.04, I cannot get this to work for VSCode insiders.

[tristan957]

Make sure you have the environment variable GTK_USE_PORTAL=1 set

[ryan-ronnander]

Make sure you have the environment variable GTK_USE_PORTAL=1 set

It is set in my environment, it is also set explicitly inside code.sh, relevant packages are installed (xdg-*, kdialog, etc). Firefox functions as expected in KDE while VSCode does not. Followed the tutorial commands posted above just in case they're needed and that didn't help either.

[tristan957]

Don't know what to tell you. It works for other people as evidenced by the thread. :(

[103sbavert]

Make sure you have the environment variable GTK_USE_PORTAL=1 set

It is set in my environment, it is also set explicitly inside code.sh, relevant packages are installed (xdg-*, kdialog, etc). Firefox functions as expected in KDE while VSCode does not. Followed the tutorial commands posted above just in case they're needed and that didn't help either.

Same here

[KucharczykL]

Can confirm it works on Arch Linux but doesn't work on Tumbleweed.

[zomp]

BTW, should it work on the regular (not Insider) release? It is Electron 17 already. It does not work on Kubuntu 21.10 to me.