Ubuntu – Where is the .Trash folder

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Using Ubuntu 11.10, I accidentally deleted a file that was approximately 700 MB. I tried to find it in the in following locations, but couldn't:

/home/user/.local/share
/home/user/ <-- there was no folder .Trash
/home/user/Desktop/ <-- there was no folder .Trash

So where did .Trash go in Ubuntu 11.10 onward? I use the Gnome environment.

Best Answer

Your trash directory is most likely at:

/home/$USER/.local/share/Trash

If you deleted something as root (e.g. deleted a file using Nautilus invoked via gksu), it is at:

/root/.local/share/Trash

(In general, according to Freedesktop.org specifications[1][2], the "home trash" directory is at $XDG_DATA_HOME/Trash, and $XDG_DATA_HOME in turn defaults to $HOME/.local/share.)

To see .local in your home folder using the file manager, select Show Hidden Files from the View menu or just type Ctrl+H.

The Trash directory is first created when a user deletes a file. Within Trash there are three subdirectories:

  • files, where the deleted files are stored until the trash is emptied
  • info, which stores information on where the files once were and when they were deleted
  • expunged, to which files are briefly moved when the trash is emptied (but may contain some owned by other users from directories you deleted).

Note that using the rm command in a terminal or the Shift+Delete key combination in the file manager will permanently delete your file instead of moving it to the trash.

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