Improve GNOME File Chooser Functionality in Ubuntu 24.04.1 LTS

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I’m running Ubuntu 24.04 LTS with GNOME, and I’ve been frustrated with the limitations of the default GNOME file chooser used in apps like Google Chrome.

Here are the issues I’m facing:

  1. No preview of images or files while selecting files (most of the time). I’d love to have a side preview pane for better usability.
  2. Can’t create, delete, or rename folders/files directly within the file chooser, which is an essential feature.
  3. Can’t open files through the file chooser, even though it’s an important feature.
  4. Many useful options are grayed out, making the file chooser feel incomplete.

I initially tried switching to Nemo, but I’m open to staying with Nautilus if there’s a way to enable these features, especially the grayed-out options and better preview functionality.

Does anyone know if Nautilus or the GNOME file chooser can be configured to include these features? If not, are there any workarounds or extensions to enhance its usability?

Thanks in advance for your help and advice!

Image of the problem staatement

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There’s a new file chooser in GNOME 47, shipped in Ubuntu 24.10. It can generate thumbnails, rename files and folders, create folders. However, it doesn’t show most of the normal options. Instead it has a menu that opens the location in a normal file browser.

Can’t open files through the file chooser, even though it’s an important feature.

This is a bad feature to have. File chooser can be used to open files in the app that requesting the chooser. Having two different open options that do different things would be a major cause for confusion.

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In Ubuntu 24.04, GTK is used as the file chooser, not Nautilus. Installing Nemo alone would not change that.