How to Configure File Sorting with Cinnamon Desktop on Linux Mint

File management and organization are essential aspects of any desktop environment. Linux Mint’s Cinnamon Desktop offers various powerful options for customizing how your files are sorted and displayed. This comprehensive guide will walk you through the different methods and settings available for configuring file sorting in Cinnamon Desktop.

Understanding Nemo: Cinnamon’s File Manager

Before diving into the sorting configurations, it’s important to understand that Cinnamon Desktop uses Nemo as its default file manager. Nemo is a fork of GNOME’s Nautilus file manager, specifically customized for the Cinnamon desktop environment. It provides extensive functionality while maintaining a clean and intuitive interface.

Basic Sorting Options

Temporary Sorting

The quickest way to sort files in Nemo is through the view menu or by clicking column headers in list view:

1. Open any folder in Nemo
2. Click View in the menu bar
3. Navigate to “Sort Items”
4. Choose from options like:
   • By Name
   • By Size
   • By Type
   • By Modification Date
   • By Creation Date
   • By Access Date

You can also toggle between ascending and descending order for any sorting method by clicking the same column header twice.

Persistent Sorting Configuration

While temporary sorting is useful for quick organization, you might want to set up consistent sorting rules across all folders. Here’s how to configure permanent sorting preferences:

Global Sorting Preferences

1. Open Nemo
2. Click Edit in the menu bar
3. Select Preferences
4. Navigate to the “Views” tab
5. Look for “Default View” section
6. Set your preferred sort column and sort order

These settings will apply to all folders that haven’t been individually configured.

Folder-Specific Sorting

Cinnamon allows you to set different sorting preferences for individual folders:

1. Open the folder you want to configure
2. Set up the sorting exactly as you want it
3. Click Edit in the menu bar
4. Select “Folder Settings”
5. Check “Use custom view settings”
6. Click “Save”

This folder will now maintain its specific sorting preferences, independent of global settings.

Advanced Sorting Features

Sort by Multiple Criteria

Nemo supports sorting by multiple criteria simultaneously. In list view:

1. Sort by your primary criterion first
2. Hold Shift and click another column header
3. Continue adding sorting levels as needed

For example, you might sort files by type first, then by name within each type.

Natural Sorting

Cinnamon’s file manager implements natural sorting for filenames, which means:

• “File1.txt” comes before “File2.txt”
• “Image9.jpg” comes before “Image10.jpg”

This behavior makes it easier to work with numbered files and is enabled by default.

Custom Sort Orders Using Metadata

For more advanced sorting needs, you can utilize file metadata:

Using Emblems

1. Right-click a file
2. Select “Properties”
3. Click the “Emblems” tab
4. Assign emblems to files

Files can then be sorted by their emblems, creating custom groupings.

Using Tags (requires installation)

1. Install the nemo-extensions package:

sudo apt install nemo-extensions

2. Enable the tags extension in Nemo preferences
3. Right-click files to add tags
4. Sort by tags using the View menu

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Sorting Not Persisting

If your sorting preferences aren’t sticking:

1. Check folder permissions:

ls -la ~/.config/nemo/

2. Ensure Nemo has write permissions
3. Reset Nemo if needed:

killall nemo
nemo -q

Incorrect Sort Order

If files aren’t sorting as expected:

1. Check locale settings:

locale

2. Verify UTF-8 encoding:

echo $LANG

3. Adjust system locale if needed:

sudo dpkg-reconfigure locales

Performance Considerations

When working with large directories, certain sorting methods can impact performance:

• Sorting by size requires calculating folder sizes
• Sorting by type requires checking file signatures
• Sorting by date requires accessing file metadata

For better performance in large directories:

• Use simple sort criteria (name or modification date)
• Disable thumbnail generation
• Consider using list view instead of icon view

Using Sort Settings with Different Views

Cinnamon’s file manager offers multiple view modes:

• Icon View
• List View
• Compact View
• Grid View

Each view mode maintains its own sort settings. To ensure consistency:

1. Configure sorting in your preferred view mode
2. Switch to other view modes
3. Apply the same sort settings
4. Save folder settings if desired

Integration with Other Cinnamon Features

File sorting integrates well with other Cinnamon Desktop features:

Search Integration

When using Nemo’s search function, results can be sorted using the same criteria as regular folders. This is particularly useful when:

• Searching for specific file types
• Looking for recently modified files
• Organizing search results by size

Desktop Icons

Desktop icon sorting can be configured separately:

1. Right-click the desktop
2. Select “Desktop Settings”
3. Look for “Icon View” options
4. Configure sort order and arrangement

Conclusion

Cinnamon Desktop’s file sorting capabilities offer a robust solution for organizing your Linux Mint system. Whether you need simple alphabetical sorting or complex multi-criteria organization, the tools are available to create an efficient and personalized file management system.

Remember that well-organized files contribute to a more productive workflow. Take time to set up your sorting preferences according to your needs, and don’t hesitate to adjust them as your requirements evolve.

For more advanced customization, consider exploring Nemo scripts and extensions, which can further enhance your file management capabilities on Linux Mint’s Cinnamon Desktop.