GNOME Files (also called Nautilus) is adding an empty-document menu entry for the case where your Templates folder contains no files. The change is recorded in the GNOME 51 beta development notes, while GNOME’s app page currently lists upstream Files 51.0.1, released September 15, 2026. Those sources do not establish that every Linux distribution has shipped the entry yet.
What the new GNOME Files menu does
The upstream Nautilus NEWS file lists this enhancement in the 51.beta section: “Add an empty document menu entry in case of empty templates directory.”
In practical terms, Files can still present a way to start a document when the user’s Templates directory is empty. Historically, the new-document workflow depended on templates being present, so an empty directory could leave no visible document-creation action. The NEWS entry does not specify the exact menu wording, every supported file type, or the complete creation flow; those details should not be assumed.
Files is GNOME’s default file manager for local and network files, removable media, and applications. “GNOME Files” and “Nautilus” refer to the same application; GNOME uses both names across its documentation. See the official Files app page.
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“Most-requested” needs a qualification
People have asked for a convenient new-file action for years, but the available GNOME sources contain no request count, ranked feature list, or official statement proving that this is the project’s most-requested feature. The safer description is that it addresses a longstanding and recurring request.
A 2012 GNOME Bugzilla issue asked for “the ability to create a new blank file from the right click context menu,” including use cases such as a LaTeX report, source code, and a Makefile deep in a folder hierarchy. A 2024 GNOME Discourse post similarly requested creating a text or office document directly in the currently open folder instead of opening an editor and browsing back to that location. These are user requests, not survey evidence.
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How the Templates workflow works
The new menu entry does not replace the Templates system. GNOME community guidance explains that the workflow is driven by files in a Templates directory in the user’s home folder. In a 2023 Discourse reply, Emmanuele Bassi wrote: “It has not been removed: it has been improved in the Summer of Code 2022.” He also explained that distributions cannot install files into each user’s home directory, so users may need to create and populate their own Templates folder.
To use templates when you want reusable file types
- In GNOME Files, create a folder named Templates in your home directory if it is missing.
- Use the application associated with the desired format to create an empty example file.
- Save that file in the Templates folder, using a name that identifies the document type.
- Return to the target folder and use Files’ document-creation action; the available choices are based on the templates you supplied.
The community explanation supports this setup, but it does not promise identical behavior for every downstream distribution or desktop integration.
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What changes when Templates is empty
| Templates state | What the documented behavior establishes |
|---|---|
| Templates folder populated | The longstanding template-driven workflow can offer documents based on the files stored there. |
| Templates folder exists but is empty | GNOME 51 beta notes add an empty-document menu entry for this specific condition. |
| Templates folder missing | The cited NEWS line does not state what Files displays or whether it creates the folder automatically. |
Because the NEWS item is brief, it would be inaccurate to promise a particular extension, editor, filename, or context-menu label. The supported claim is limited to an empty-document entry when the Templates directory is empty.
Which version includes it?
The enhancement is documented under the 51.beta development cycle in upstream Nautilus. GNOME’s current app listing reports Files 51.0.1, released September 15, 2026. That app-page version identifies the current upstream listing; it does not prove that a specific Linux distribution has packaged the same build or enabled the same change.
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To check your own system, open your distribution’s package information or Files’ About dialog and compare the installed Nautilus version with the package currently offered by your distribution. Distribution release timing, backports, and patch sets can make availability differ from upstream.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Do not confuse this with the Scripts submenu
GNOME also documents a separate feature in which executable or otherwise usable scripts placed in ~/.local/share/nautilus/scripts appear in a Scripts submenu for selected files. The GNOME behavior help page describes that integration. Scripts act on selected items; they are not the same mechanism as creating a new document from the Templates workflow.
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What users should expect
- The change targets the empty-Templates case, rather than defining a universal “New File” command for every format.
- Reusable document types still depend on templates stored in the user’s home Templates directory.
- The upstream note does not list all file types or guarantee a particular menu label.
- Upstream 51-era behavior may arrive later, or differ, in your distribution package.
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