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How to restore a single file or folder in Thunar using Déjà Dup

A simple guide on how to restore files or folders in Thunar, the default file manager on XFCE, using Déjà Dup.

If you are wondering if it's possible to restore a single file or folder using Déjà Dup, it is!

And without using the command line, if that's not your jam. With a fast, one-time configuration, you can have a shortcut in Thunar (the default File Manager for XFCE) that allows you to right-click any file and restore it to a previous version.

I'm assuming that you have a working Déjà Dup backup. I use it with my Nextcloud instance, take a look here for a quick tutorial.

First open a Thunar window.

  • Go to Edit and Configure custom actions...
  • Click the + sign on the right side.
  • Fill up the Name, Description and Command fields. The command should be:

deja-dup --restore %F

  • Select an Icon if you like. It will show up on your context menu.
  • Click on the Appearance Conditions tab and select all 6 boxes.
  • Click on Ok.

It looks like this:

And that it! Now when you right click on a file or folder you should have a an option with the name Restore previous version (or any name you choose), and you just have to click it, select the backup, the date and it will be restored!