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Gnostic

Member

Registered: 2023-11-11

Posts: 27  

Thunar cannot browse network (a work-around)

As Thunar is the default file manager, I've been trying to fix the failure whenever I try the menu for Go, Browse Network. It's been frustrating as various posts out there talk about installing things which (a) don't exist in my Devuan apt or (b) do nothing

e.g.
https://superuser.com/questions/1645590 … se-network
Suggests

sudo apt install gvfs-backends gvfs-bin
sudo apt install smbclient samba

No good.

https://forum.xfce.org/viewtopic.php?id=15025

cifs-utils
gvfs-backends

No good.

https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=296465

sudo apt install gvfs-smb
sudo apt install gvfs-dnssd

No good.

Somewhere someone mentioned it's because Thunar is still coded to use an obsolete version of Samba. I've no idea if that's true or not. In the end, I gave up on Thunar. I had a look around for alternative file managers and saw nemo mentioned.

https://itsfoss.com/install-nemo-file-manager-ubuntu/

sudo apt install nemo

I had to take the entire Cinnamon desktop to get nemo, but - good news! - I can now Browse Network and see all other Linux computers. Not so much bothered about not seeing the Apple and Windows devices yet.

kapqa

Member

Registered: 2019-01-02

Posts: 564  

Re: Thunar cannot browse network (a work-around)

what  did on previous version of devuan was

apt install gvfs*
apt install samba
apt install smbclient

happend to function on xfce4 just fine; worked everytime; sometimes there are still issues with "afp" and accessing rights, but have found ways to navigate around.

stultumanto

Member

Registered: 2023-12-12

Posts: 118  

Re: Thunar cannot browse network (a work-around)

Not so much bothered about not seeing the Apple and Windows devices yet.

Has anyone actually been able to get file sharing to work on Windows 10 or later? I gave up a while ago. My searches indicated that Microsoft has completely broken local file sharing in recent versions Windows to push "the cloud." Users asking for help on support.microsoft.com just get a sales pitch for OneDrive.

When I have to boot into Windows, I use Cygwin to mount remote SSHFS shares hosted on the Linux systems. Unfortunately, I can't get it to work in the other direction, even though Cygwin supposedly supports it now.

Gnostic

Member

Registered: 2023-11-11

Posts: 27  

Re: Thunar cannot browse network (a work-around)

@stultumanto

File sharing to work on Windows 10

Not sure if this is related, but I've found that on Win10 we can no longer administer local users. Any new user has to be a Windows Online user  that phones home to MS to get permission to use your own computer. I can no longer modify an existing local user account. Nor can I use an existing local user account for a shared drive to access it from another computer. It seems to have been done in one of various MS updates, but I have no idea how long ago.

Seems like making Win10 more like Win11?
All your users and files is belong to us.

kapqa

Member

Registered: 2019-01-02

Posts: 564  

Re: Thunar cannot browse network (a work-around)

@gnostic, no , you can still use "local" user, certainly on windows 10; and for latest windows 11 25h2 there are some "elaborate" circumvents; that are bit cumbersome, but function (only needed for windows 11 home;)

for filesharing, that is another topic; you mean, but i think that should function aswell; but have not actually tried it lately, since 1-2 years have luckily got hold of NAS which is of friendly use for the task;

stargate-sg1-cheyenne-mtn

Member

Registered: 2023-11-27

Posts: 446  

Re: Thunar cannot browse network (a work-around)

re: microsoft windows ten, eleven, copilot, recall, etc.

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/10/microsoft-removes-even-more-microsoft-account-workarounds-from-windows-11-build/

https://www.techdirt.com/2025/04/21/microsoft-is-dedicated-to-building-a-dodgy-new-database-of-every-windows-11-users-online-behaviors/

---

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Gnostic

Member

Registered: 2023-11-11

Posts: 27  

Re: Thunar cannot browse network (a work-around)

@kapqa - thanks, I will try finding the circumvents.

@stargate-sg1-cheyenne-mtn - thanks, it's reassuring (in a grim kind of way) to know I'm not the only one.

At the moment, I'm leaning more towards a Linux NAS which the Win10's and all other Linux devices can all see and share. To do all file transfers via that and forget about going direct from my own Linux to a Win10 device.

Gnostic

Member

Registered: 2023-11-11

Posts: 27  

Re: Thunar cannot browse network (a work-around)

Footnote:
Installing Nemo has also fixed Thunar's problem with Browse Network.
So it must have been my muppetry with the dependencies after all.
But thanks to all who responded.