use to be able to just open nautilus (files) and hold shift+ctrl and drag file to desktop to create a shortcut for it - now it just copies it… what the heck happened?!?
How do I create a shortcut to a file for my desktop? also, using the wayland desktop, not X… and the old method that worked well on my 20.04lts (shift-ctrl drag/drop) only copies the file now :-\
Hello,
Here is how you can make link to a file with nautilus. In Nautilus preferences enable “Create Link” :
Right click on the file and create link:
Lastly simply drag and drop the link to a preferred location:
Not very intuitive. Let me know if you find better way of doing creating shortcut links to file and directories on Ubuntu Nautilus.
Lubos
running ubuntu 24.04LTS using Nautilus version 46.2 and properties looks nothing like that!
Interesting?! :
I seems I got older version.
LinuxConfig.org:~$ nautilus --version
** Message: 17:17:45.155: Connecting to org.freedesktop.Tracker3.Miner.Files
GNOME nautilus 46.0
I do have very early version of Ubuntu, hence the development branch.
LinuxConfig.org:~$ cat /etc/os-release
PRETTY_NAME="Ubuntu Noble Numbat (development branch)"
NAME="Ubuntu"
VERSION_ID="24.04"
VERSION="24.04 LTS (Noble Numbat)"
VERSION_CODENAME=noble
ID=ubuntu
ID_LIKE=debian
HOME_URL="https://www.ubuntu.com/"
SUPPORT_URL="https://help.ubuntu.com/"
BUG_REPORT_URL="https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/"
PRIVACY_POLICY_URL="https://www.ubuntu.com/legal/terms-and-policies/privacy-policy"
UBUNTU_CODENAME=noble
LOGO=ubuntu-logo
…from mine:
cat /etc/os-release
PRETTY_NAME=“Ubuntu 24.04 LTS”
NAME=“Ubuntu”
VERSION_ID=“24.04”
VERSION=“24.04 LTS (Noble Numbat)”
VERSION_CODENAME=noble
ID=ubuntu
ID_LIKE=debian
HOME_URL=“…://www.ubuntu.com/”
SUPPORT_URL=“…://help.ubuntu.com/”
BUG_REPORT_URL=“…://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/”
PRIVACY_POLICY_URL=“…://www.ubuntu.com/legal/terms-and-policies/privacy-policy”
UBUNTU_CODENAME=noble
LOGO=ubuntu-logo
note: wouldn’t let me post ‘links’, yet you had no problem…
@major1
Try this:
- Within a Nautilus window, click on the file to which you wish to create a shortcut.
- Do not hold CtrlShift.
- Drag but do not drop/release the file either to your desktop (i.e. outside of the Nautilus window) or to the Desktop folder within the Nautilus window (left panel).
- While still holding/dragging the file, press and hold CtrlShift.
- While still holding CtrlShift, do drop/release the file.
The shortcut is going to be available on your desktop.
If the above procedure does not work with Nautilus, install Thunar:
sudo apt install thunar thunar-archive-plugin thunar-data thunar-volman -y
…and then execute those same 5 steps within a Thunar window.
Thunar is also very programmable: for instance, open a Thunar window, click on Edit → Preferences → Shortcuts and scroll down until you find something like Send to Desktop. At the right side of this option you’re going to see 3 buttons: click on the larger one (on the left) that looks like … and a pop-up window is going to show up, then press your preferred key combo, like CtrlShiftD (where “D” means “Desktop”) or CtrlShiftS (where “S” means “Shortcut”). Finally, click on Close and then test your new key combo: this resource lets you create a shortcut to any file or folder that you have access/permission to.
while I AM using 24.04LTS, I’m locked on the 5.15.0-105.115 generic kernel (a 20.04LTS kernel) so suspend/resume will work AND does so w/o trashing my PCI wifi
(but hibernate doesn’t work even though it used to work under 20.04LTS… go figure - but under 20.04LTS suspend would restore but trash my PCI wifi).
same laptop, different partition with WIN7, the suspend/resume, hibernate/restore, and PCI wifi ALL work flawlessly…
anyway, doing the 1-5 steps still only moves the file - no shortcut :-\
I don’t understand why the idiots at ubuttu had to f/u this feature… such incompetence keep people like me using microslop windoz 
Jaimie
@major1 If I were you, I’d download a 64-bit XUbuntu 24.04 Desktop iso image file, then I’d run dd over this iso file to create a bootable LiveCD within a USB thumb/flash drive. This is the shell command to do so:
sudo dd if=/local/path/to/xubuntu-24.04-desktop-amd64.iso of=/local/path/to/usb_flash_drive bs=1M info=progress
Next, I would boot from this thumb/flash drive and give XUbuntu 24.04 a try.
Other possible alternatives to your case are Manjaro Xfce, Pop!OS and Linux Mint: Manjaro offers the latest resources that may restore your computer’s usability on a newer Linux distribution, while Pop!OS and Linux Mint are Ubuntu-based Ubuntu alternatives that provide some improvements that may solve this issue for you.
In a nutshell: use a USB thumb/flash drive so you can test alternatives to your current Ubuntu OS. A newer kernel, set of libraries, kernel modules etc. within one of these distributions may solve these problems that you’re experiencing.
Good luck. 
xubuntu, lubuntu, or ubuntu - still the same drivers, network managers, file managers, etc. and the same problems with my laptop’s hardware… got one free partition for ‘future’ linux - but another ubuttu, or even ANY Debian product, will not be it ~ looking at going to Fedora 38-1.6 on it but install is asking questions way above my pay grade… so, really looking at returning to ubuntu 20.04LTS where hibernate worked, but standby/resume trashed wifi so maybe look at trying this 5.15.0-105.115 kernel on it which may fix the PCI wifi problem like it did with 24.04LTS… still, 24.04LTS is still in ‘experiment’ stage and not yet fully released… patience?
Even though the kernel or some of its modules may be the culprit(s) for these issues (because e.g. the window manager driver - i.e. the XOrg driver - has to be compatible with the installed kernel, otherwise window behavior and other features - like the one that creates desktop shortcuts - may not work properly), maybe some DE-related libraries may be involved, too (DE stands for Desktop Environment): for instance, if the function that creates desktop shortcuts in XUbuntu is a method object that’s stored inside of a library like libxfce4util7 (this is the main library of the Xfce DE), you won’t be able to try it unless you try XUbuntu.
You may add the Xfce DE to your Ubuntu install (instead of testing XUbuntu from a USB flash drive), but in this case you’re going to make a mess in your “production” distro/install, which is obviously a bad idea.
If you test XUbuntu on a LiveCD and the issue remains, try alternative distros (Manjaro is a good one). If you don’t try them, there’s no way to be 100% sure that none of them is going to help you.
Anyway, if you’re 100% sure that kernel is the problem (or at least the main problem), install some mainline Ubuntu kernels and test them. Maybe you’ll find something that works best with your computer’s hardware (which I assume is either old or has some devices made/shipped by obscure manufacturers, otherwise the kernel modules would work with them).
If you decide to test Ubuntu’s mainline kernels, add Cappelikan’s PPA to your distro:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:cappelikan/ppa
…and then install the Ubuntu Mainline Kernel Installer utility:
sudo apt install mainline -y
This utility helps you downloading and installing these kernels, so you can check which ones (if any) work better with your distribution than the one that’s currently in use.
already got mainline… but back to the subject:
found this FINALLY:
from nautilus preferences select to activate create a link, right click on the file, create a link, and move the link to the desktop – Talaat Etman Commented 18 hours ago
my GOD… that’s all it was! Works great 
Happy Camper ~
found out what a BtrFS was from the Fedora install - if selected it will reformat existing partitions which could cause problems restoring existing ext4 images, etc.
Glad I stopped and knew going further was beyond my skill until I knew more about this part… dangerous.
NOW I can return to installing it
But this is just a link, not actual “.Desktop” file that we can pin to dock…