Implement checkboxes to select multiple files/folders

[archisman-panigrahi]

This pull request implements very handy feature to be able to select multiple items with checkboxes (without requiring to press ctrl with a keyboard). This feature is present in Microsoft Windows as well as in KDE's Dolphin file manager. This was discussed in https://github.com/orgs/linuxmint/discussions/353

Here is a video preview (updated version):

nemo-items2-2026-07-21_22.41.13.mp4

When the single click to open item is selected, clicking on the checkbox only selects, but clicking elsewhere on the icon opens, as expected.
The checkbox gets a light color under dark themes and vice versa.

The feature can be easily turned off in the settings to restore previous behavior:

[Jeremy7701]

Seems to be a completely unnecessary feature - unless you are trying to imitate Windows.

The video for the icon view appears to only show folder selections.
Thumbnailed icons for files vary in size/dimensions - so presumably this can't be implemented for files?

[archisman-panigrahi]

Seems to be a completely unnecessary feature - unless you are trying to imitate Windows.

This is a useful feature if you start using it. How would you select multiple files/folders (which are not nearby, so you cannot drag) if you don't want to touch the keyboard ? Usually I don't touch the keyboard unless I am working on a text document or terminal. I am sure there are many users like me.

You can see in https://github.com/orgs/linuxmint/discussions/353 that multiple people find this feature helpful. I wanted use this feature on Linux Mint for at least 11 years. Also, there are 2000 people who searched for this feature in Ubuntu https://askubuntu.com/questions/1120775/how-to-enable-check-box-in-file-managers

Also, this is the among the very few KDE features that I miss in Mint.

The video for the icon view appears to only show folder selections. Thumbnailed icons for files vary in size/dimensions - so presumably this can't be implemented for files?

This works for files. It creates them in the top left corner of the icon (you can see the checkbox on the file in the right bottom corner).

[mtwebster]

This is a useful feature if you start using it.

That's a bit circular...

Honestly, I'm not interested in this - we're not trying to match Windows' feature set in any way, and I thought it was kind of silly when I saw it there. Personally I need to keep my other hand somewhere so I usually have it near the keyboard., 😃

I'll leave it open for now in case there are differing opinions on merging. One potential problem I foresee, however, is files with multiple emblems overlapping the checkbox. There's currently no way to 'avoid' a corner when applying emblems, though we're planning to rework them, so it could be accounted for then.

Does Windows also hide the checkbox when you stop hovering, even if the file was selected? That seems weird in the video to me, especially since it's persistent in the list view.

[archisman-panigrahi]

This is a useful feature if you start using it.

That's a bit circular...

Sorry, wrong wording. I would rather say, if someone is a long time windows user and they know this visible-ticks is the only way of selecting multiple files, after switching to Linux Mint they will find that this convenint way doesn't exist anymore.

It took me ages to learn that you could multi select with the ctrl key, and I still don't have the havit of placing my other hand on the keyboard. In fact, many users cannot even type without looking at it, and don't have the habiy of using the keyboard except for typing.

Does Windows also hide the checkbox when you stop hovering, even if the file was selected? That seems weird in the video to me, especially since it's persistent in the list view.

Good catch. The behavior I implemented is the KDE behavior. I just turned on my Windows box to find Windows behavior, which is, checkmarks persist on selected items, and not yet selected items require hover to see the checkmarks.

The windows behavior is more intuitive than KDE.

Implemented in aac56a6

we're not trying to match Windows' feature set in any way

Linux Mint is arguably the most friendly distro for Windows users who are switching to Linux, and having this familiar feature will help them, in my opinion.

I am not asking you to implement all Windows features, but I think this one will help people. Most importantly, it can be turned on/off in the settings. No one has to use it against their will.

I'll leave it open for now in case there are differing opinions on merging

Thank you for having an open mindset regarding this.

[archisman-panigrahi]

Does Windows also hide the checkbox when you stop hovering, even if the file was selected? That seems weird in the video to me, especially since it's persistent in the list view.

I updated the video in the top comment (#3811 (comment)) with the new behavior where the checkmarks for selected items persist.

[archisman-panigrahi]

People have the same feature request for Thunar https://gitlab.xfce.org/xfce/thunar/-/work_items/1791. It is a popular Windows feature.

[Fantu]

I also don't like the idea of ​​forcing to be more similar to Windows but maybe in this case it could be quite useful.
I'm reminded of the reported difficulty touchscreen users have with Cinnamon and Nemo, and this could be helpful. I don't have Cinnamon/Nemo on touchscreen devices, nor have I installed it on clients for now, so I haven't experimented with it.
We should see if touchscreen users can make multiple selections easily without this feature. If not, I suppose it could be useful for improving Nemo's usability. It would also be helpful to know if this could affect Cinnamon users who use other file managers instead of Nemo.

[archisman-panigrahi]

It would also be helpful to know if this could affect Cinnamon users who use other file managers instead of Nemo.

This change will not directly impact other file managers, but I have just sent a similar PR for thunar https://gitlab.xfce.org/xfce/thunar/-/merge_requests/788. If there is interest, I will send a PR to caja (I started with nemo and thunar because I use them on Mint Cinnamon and XFCE).

I'm reminded of the reported difficulty touchscreen users have with Cinnamon and Nemo, and this could be helpful. I don't have Cinnamon/Nemo on touchscreen devices

I can try mint on my spare touchscreen device and report back.

I also don't like the idea of ​​forcing to be more similar to Windows

The feature can be completely turned off in the nemo preferences, if anyone does not want to use it

[Fantu]

This change will not directly impact other file managers, but I have just sent a similar PR for thunar https://gitlab.xfce.org/xfce/thunar/-/merge_requests/788. If there is interest, I will send a PR to caja (I started with nemo and thunar because I use them on Mint Cinnamon and XFCE).

I didn't mean that, I meant that it was to be understood if it is something that helps cinnamon users who currently don't use nemo, i.e. if one of the reasons could be related to something that this addition could modify.

The feature can be completely turned off in the nemo preferences, if anyone does not want to use it

I thought it was disabled by default (maybe it's better to have it disabled and the user enables it if needed).
What I meant is the fact that users propose many (too many) features or modifications to assimilate to windows and only a few of those cases seem really good to me while for the rest it is more of a forcing to try to be like windows

[archisman-panigrahi]

I thought it was disabled by default (maybe it's better to have it disabled and the user enables it if needed).

With fe9a2e5, the feature is turned off by default but users can turn it on in nemo preferences

[archisman-panigrahi]

I'm reminded of the reported difficulty touchscreen users have with Cinnamon and Nemo, and this could be helpful.

It allows to select multiple items on a touchscreen.

VID_20260722_105151.mp4

If you want, I can create a setting for "touch mode" such that checkboxes are always visible and have bigger size.

[leigh123linux]

I have unsubscribed due to too many spam comments!

[JosephMcc]

Honestly, I'm not interested in this - we're not trying to match Windows' feature set in any way, and I thought it was kind of silly when I saw it there.

As a Linux user who has to use Windows at work, I'm 100% with you on this.

[archisman-panigrahi]

Honestly, I'm not interested in this - we're not trying to match Windows' feature set in any way, and I thought it was kind of silly when I saw it there.

As a Linux user who has to use Windows at work, I'm 100% with you on this.

But it allows Linux touchscreen users to select multiple items