GNOME Bugzilla – Bug 580168
"Empty Trash" leaves unneeded .Trash folder on ext drives
Last modified: 2021-06-18 15:51:58 UTC
Please describe the problem: There has been a long-standing discussion about how to handle deleted files on external drives, e.g. USB flash drives. The current 'solution' has been to create a .Trash folder as-needed when someone deletes a file, then prompt them to Empty Trash when they unmount the drive. The problem is that the .Trash folder gets left on the drive, and this folder is not hidden on Windows systems. Steps to reproduce: 1. mount a flash drive 2. delete all files from it 3. unmount the drive 4. when prompted "Empty Trash?" answer Yes 5. mount the drive on a Windows system Actual results: Even though you thought the drive was empty, it will still have a .Trash folder Expected results: When I delete all files, I expect the drive to be empty. Even if I only delete some files, as long as I choose to Empty Trash I don't expect there to be a .Trash folder. I realize there's a need for this folder sometimes, but if the system (Gnome/Nautilus) created it then it should also be able to remove it when it's no longer needed. Does this happen every time? Yes Other information: I realize this is strictly cosmetic but the previous discussions make it clear that a lot of people don't expect this behaviour (nor do I). And since it's such a simple thing to fix, I hope it will be.
There are some usb storage devices that don't ignore '.trash', which can have unexpected results, example: my car's usb storage.
*** Bug 736707 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
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