Open Nautilus as Administrator in Ubuntu

Ubuntu runs standard user accounts by default to keep the system secure, which makes managing system files tricky.

In Ubuntu Linux, logging in as a standard user is standard practice. To perform administrative tasks, developers use the sudo command to gain root (administrator) privileges.

Opening File Manager or Nautilus with root privileges while logged into a standard account presents a challenge. A tool called nautilus-admin used to let you open files and folders as an administrator from the right-click menu 🖱️, but it often fails on newer Ubuntu versions.

Once installed, this tool claims to let you open files and folders as an administrator from the context menu 🖱️. Testing shows it falls short of expectations. While installation completes correctly, the utility still prevents the deletion of files owned by the root user.

Editing configuration files and opening folders as root or administrator remains a helpful capability. The method below demonstrates how to accomplish this.

Your account needs administrative permissions (the ability to run commands with sudo) for these steps to work.

Without the ability to run the sudo command, the steps below will fail.

Press Ctrl -- Alt -- T to open the terminal.

Run the command below to launch the application, and type your password when prompted.

sudo nautilus

Typing the correct password allows the file manager (Nautilus) to open with administrator or root privileges, provided the user holds the necessary permissions.

Browsing or deleting folders currently locked by an active process or another user remains restricted.

That covers the basics of launching your file browser with elevated rights.

• Opening File Manager as an administrator in Ubuntu Linux can be useful for editing files and managing folders that require root privileges.
• The traditional terminal method and running "sudo nautilus" still works for opening File Manager with root access.
• While third-party tools like nautilus-admin may not function as expected, the sudo command remains a reliable option for accessing File Manager with elevated privileges.
• Following the steps outlined in this post, users can effectively utilize root or administrative privileges to perform necessary tasks within File Manager.