this post was submitted on 28 Apr 2026
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If you are using a rolling release distro like Arch, you might have noticed that your home directory now has a new member, a new folder called "Projects".

For as long as I remember, Linux has always had a set of default folders under the home directory. Usually they are Documents, Music, Pictures, Videos and Downloads. Templates, Desktop and Public folders are also there.

Now we have a new addition in the form of "Projects".

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[–] danhab99@programming.dev 4 points 11 hours ago

I keep everything in Documents

[–] AnimalsDream@slrpnk.net 6 points 13 hours ago

I already make my own Projects folder. Does this mean programs are going to start being tuned to make changes to it? Leave my adhd folder alone plz.

[–] MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip 8 points 15 hours ago* (last edited 15 hours ago)

The article should also mention the new XDG variable itself, please.

And also, the XDG people should've thought of a more flexible way, that allows unlimited custom icon-directory associations. Now, we have some file managers, that do it their own way, most don't allow custom directory icons.

[–] drmoose@lemmy.world 19 points 18 hours ago (3 children)

Now make all of default XDG directories lowercase. Nothing else is capitalized in the file system - why do these directories get an exception?

[–] MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip 4 points 15 hours ago (2 children)

Edit the user-dirs.dirs file, done.

[–] drmoose@lemmy.world 1 points 3 hours ago

Yeah I know and KDE ans Gnome both have settings for this but as I used to setup a lot of machines it was always frustrating that the default is uppercase and some idiots don't actually read the XDG preferences and have default uppercase directories hard coded

[–] bipedalsheep@programming.dev 3 points 14 hours ago

Oh wow I wish I knew this was possible earlier. Thank yoooouuu

[–] KeenFlame@feddit.nu 4 points 18 hours ago
[–] Goodlucksil@lemmy.dbzer0.com 0 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

You are supposed to use these often

[–] ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 points 15 hours ago

Yes, that is the reason to make them lowercase, so I don't have to shift when using the terminal to access my most used directories.

[–] ApertureUA@lemmy.today 5 points 17 hours ago* (last edited 17 hours ago) (2 children)

Idk, XDG is weird.
"Music", "Documents", "Downloads", "Public" and "Templates" are in Ukrainian;
"Public" and "Downloads" are duplicated in English;
"Desktop" is just English;
"Images" is in Russian for me for some reason.

No Projects despite me updating recently, I guess it just gave up.

[–] frongt@lemmy.zip 0 points 3 hours ago* (last edited 3 hours ago)

That sounds like a translation deficiency. You should contribute a fix.

[–] InternetCitizen2@lemmy.world 2 points 13 hours ago

I personally think music should be renamed audio so it fits the generic names of the others.

[–] orenj@leminal.space 1 points 13 hours ago

Oh, so thats where that came from. I thought i was getting senile

[–] GarboDog@lemmy.world 4 points 20 hours ago

Huh time to delete projects folder and use Projects folder

[–] jcr@jlai.lu 4 points 21 hours ago* (last edited 21 hours ago)

Even if I am against this kind of "defaults", today I learned how you customize this for any folder in the home directory !

For linux based system, you do like told in https://www.freedesktop.org/wiki/Software/xdg-user-dirs/

~/.config/user-dirs.dirs specifies the current set of directories for the user. This file can also be modified by users (manually or via applications) to change the directories used. Note: To disable a directory, point it to the homedir. If you delete it it will be recreated on the next login.

So at last I disabled Music, Templates, Pictures and Videos . Cleaner Home !

[–] graynk@discuss.tchncs.de 21 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Ahh, I was wondering why there's a Projects next to my projects, I thought I just made a typo at some point

[–] bekopharm@discuss.tchncs.de 2 points 13 hours ago

Hm… I also have such a [localized] folder already. I guess there is demand 🤣

[–] lemmydividebyzero@reddthat.com 2 points 20 hours ago

Good that we aren't talking about windows. Otherwise, I'd backup the original Projects folder quickly.

[–] mr_pip@discuss.tchncs.de 12 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

how about first getting programs to put dotfiles into the .config folder (opposed to .programname) instead of adding more folders that are inconsistent over distros for multiple years before the point of a default for IDEs and CAD programs can even be meaningfully made?

[–] daeraxa@programming.dev 2 points 15 hours ago

Ugh yeah this is a real point of annoyance for me, we have the XDG basedir spec for a reason but everything just ignores it. I'd settle for even the config part, let alone state, data dirs and the rest. Just throw it all in home...

[–] thedeadwalking4242@lemmy.world 22 points 1 day ago (10 children)

Honestly I say just let the user decide what goes in their home directory. I always get annoyed at all the random garbage in there. There should be a specific place that is user owned that isn't filled with cruft and configuration files

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[–] sp3ctr4l@lemmy.dbzer0.com 20 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (3 children)

Hah, thats funny, I... literally have a 'Projects' folder, though I'm running Bazzite.

hoists suspenders

Yep, made that folder on my own, gets the job done, mhrm.

... lol

(pleasedonotlookinsidetheProjectsfolderdeargoditissuchamess)

[–] lemmydividebyzero@reddthat.com 2 points 20 hours ago

Good that we aren't talking about windows. Otherwise, I'd backup the original Projects folder quickly.

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[–] WagnasT@piefed.world 155 points 2 days ago (9 children)

Y'all don't just do everything out of your Downloads folder?

[–] albbi@piefed.ca 73 points 2 days ago (2 children)

~ is kinda hard to reach. I just put everything in root so I just have to type / once to find everything.

/s

[–] trolololol@lemmy.world 32 points 1 day ago

Oh cool I'll also start using "/s" folder

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[–] Valmond@lemmy.dbzer0.com 13 points 1 day ago (4 children)

Okay so next up is the Porn folder, right?!

[–] Jacob_Mandarin@lemmy.world 10 points 1 day ago (2 children)

That one was proposed but people were not able to agree on the name. Homework was the leading candidate when i last checked.

[–] Valmond@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 1 day ago

What about Project?

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[–] DisgruntledGorillaGang@reddthat.com 31 points 2 days ago (4 children)

Its amazing how bothered people are by a fucking folder 😂

[–] MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip 2 points 14 hours ago

Everybody has their own way of organizing things.

[–] Rozauhtuno@lemmy.blahaj.zone 20 points 1 day ago (1 children)

A whopping 2KB of unwanted bloat.

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[–] sol6_vi@lemmy.makearmy.io 8 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Now what am I going to do with /Documents/git-projects - move it!?

[–] frongt@lemmy.zip 0 points 3 hours ago

Just create a link

[–] promitheas@programming.dev 53 points 2 days ago (9 children)

Everyone complaining, and here I am not having noticed the change because I've created that directory for myself years ago :-P

Personally its for organisation

[–] MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip 1 points 14 hours ago

Not me, i have it in libraries. And thinking of moving my daily-stuff directory somewhere else than Home, and setting HOME to XDG_STATE_DIR, where that .stuff belongs.

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[–] olafurp@lemmy.world 13 points 1 day ago

It's pretty much the first folder I add on a fresh install, gotta keep that shit contained

[–] baronofclubs@lemmy.world 13 points 1 day ago

Honestly I don't mind this at all.

When I start a Godot projects, putting the project into Documents makes very little sense to me.

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