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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[–] drmoose@lemmy.world 19 points 1 day ago (4 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 1 day ago (2 children)

Edit the user-dirs.dirs file, done.

[–] drmoose@lemmy.world 2 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

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

[–] MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip 1 points 6 hours ago

Yup, and everythjng done twice or even trice. I'm a sucker for efficiency who had some time on hand then, so i have my own environmemt setup and XFCE runner now, with clearly separated do xorg-stuff in X, XFCE stuff in XFCE, etc.

[–] bipedalsheep@programming.dev 4 points 1 day ago

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

[–] KeenFlame@feddit.nu 4 points 1 day ago
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[–] AnimalsDream@slrpnk.net 7 points 1 day 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 9 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day 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.

[–] danhab99@programming.dev 4 points 1 day ago

I keep everything in Documents

[–] ApertureUA@lemmy.today 5 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day 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 16 hours ago* (last edited 16 hours ago)

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

[–] InternetCitizen2@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

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

[–] jcr@jlai.lu 5 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day 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 (2 children)

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

[–] robbo@programming.dev 1 points 9 hours ago

luckily I use the uppercase version so I wno't get annoyed by that...

[–] bekopharm@discuss.tchncs.de 2 points 1 day ago

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

[–] GarboDog@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago

Huh time to delete projects folder and use Projects folder

[–] orenj@leminal.space 1 points 1 day ago

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

[–] thedeadwalking4242@lemmy.world 22 points 2 days ago (11 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 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days 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)

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

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[–] 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 1 day 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...

[–] WagnasT@piefed.world 157 points 2 days ago (9 children)

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

[–] albbi@piefed.ca 75 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 33 points 2 days ago

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

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

[–] 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 1 day ago

Everybody has their own way of organizing things.

[–] Rozauhtuno@lemmy.blahaj.zone 20 points 2 days ago (1 children)

A whopping 2KB of unwanted bloat.

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[–] 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

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[–] Valmond@lemmy.dbzer0.com 13 points 2 days ago (6 children)

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

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[–] StrawberryPigtails@discuss.tchncs.de 69 points 2 days ago (11 children)

I like this idea. I've been doing pretty much the same thing for a while now, though it's been a subdirectory of Documents.

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