Quick Tip – Running Executable Files In Your File Browser

Some of us don’t like the Terminal, I get that, so here is a quick tip on executing downloaded binary or script files.  This requires no use or knowledge of running programs on the command line.I am only going to go over the most popular file browsers out there, as most of these actions are the same within the “Properties” of a given executable file.

Using Nemo / Nautilus

Applies to:  Desktops using Gnome 2/3, or Cinnamon as a Desktop Manager.

First, make sure Nemo / Nautilus handles executable files correctly.  Enter the preferences section of the file browser.  On Nemo this would  be Edit Preferences, and on Nautilus, that would be Files > Preferences.  The behaviour I would stick with, is to ask each time an executable file is ran.  You can also choose to  make executable files run without prompt as well.

Right-click the file in question, and choose “Properties”  In this example, I’ll be using the install file for “Pap & Yo,” a popular video game that runs on Linux:

Ensure the current user has Read/Write permissions, and optionally, any other groups you wish to grant access.  Choose to “Allow executing file as program” and click close.

Summary

Not every file will execute cleanly by double-clicking the file.  Sometimes, asking the file browser to prompt each time is a better choice, as you can choose “run in terminal” as well, which has different a different effect base on the file itself.  Some will still not run, but it is more specialized files, such as the example I used, “Papo & Yo.”  If you should have any comments or questions, be sure to leave them below.

-mikeyd