I know this can’t be removed and it’s literally the hardest part of Plasma to get used to but can it be at least customized so that “Copy Here” is on the top? It’s been four days and I keep accidentally moving files instead of copying them.
And no, I don’t want to press and hold a key to do something as basic as copying a file or folder.
Thank you.
This is Drag and Drop - the best way to handle this is to remember to hold Ctrl for copy and Shift for paste.
However, if you’re doing dual pane (F3) then you can make selections and then do:
Bummer. Thanks! Maybe I’ll get used to this, but yeah having to remember to hold keys is not optimal. I really like the way Windows does this and I wonder why it can’t be done in Linux. AFAIK it’s not patented or anything.
I forgot most of it - but I remember something weird, like - if you drag and drop to a folder that happens to be on the same partition, Windows will move files; but if you drag and drop to a different partition it’ll copy them.
Then with Windows, you can temporarily change and control the default behaviour (and it’s Windows where I learned this):
For many years these have been the default behaviours.
If you just drag a file or folder in Windows with the left button it will move it within the same partition or copy it if the partitions are different, no popups, a simple single-handed operation. If you want to manually override this, you right-click-drag and then you get a popup, something like in Plasma, when you get to chose Move or Copy. Still one-handed operation. It’s not weird, it’s simple and effective, always single-handed operation, no buttons to press.
Having to deal with a popup every single time you drag with left button is maddening, I’m not sure if I can ever get used to this. This is actually weird. Also, having to press a button to copy a file makes it a two-handed operation instead of a simple drag with one hand which is also awkward.
Bad UI design IMHO. I much prefer the way Windows does it.
Seems like I’m not the only person who dislikes this:
https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=154804
Literally no other OS on the planet does this, including other Linux desktop environments. There needs to be an option for this, but considering the above has been going on for over a decade and KDE is not receptive to this, it is unlikely to happen.
Such a pity, Plasma is great otherwise, but this may be a deal breaker, not sure if I can get used to this 
Ok, I think there’s a great point here:
This isn’t quite as simple as it first appears… I admit to some confusion…
Having read some of the arguments, I feel initial resistance to mimicking Windows as the default… instead learning to think for ourselves and (as with the double-click to open debacle).
However, education often leads to less certainty; so a decision should be made to remove the compulsory pop-up.
Then, whatever the clever people decide, they must offer options for less intelligent individuals (i.e. anyone who doesn’t agree with me 
)…
Linux is far more likely to operate across partitions - in my case for many things including Home folders…
So really, there should be options (perhaps in KCM) to adjust the default behaviour for DnD.
There are other complications, however - if you drag a ‘TAR’ file, there’s an additional option (Extract Here) to this list of options… I’m not aware if there is more to it than that - but for the default actions (Copy-Move-Shortcut):
Ctrl DnD > Copy
Shift DnD > Move
AltDnD > Link/shortcut
Same partition
Move as default Copy as default Ask me every time.
Other partition
Copy as default Move as default Ask me every time.
So, overall - add a ‘Configure’ link to the default (current) behaviour:
However, there’s also the danger that every option makes the application more complex, potentially more confusing for the user and harder to maintain, and I think that the user group that would benefit from such an option is fairly small.
IMHO, right-click-drag is the best option, you get the default behavior with left-click-drag, and you get the copy popup menu with right-click-drag, no buttons to press. You can also create shortcuts, compress and decompress with right-click-drag to a destination of you choice, it’s really easy without overcomplicated options.
Over 90% of world desktop users do this and I have never seen anyone getting confused by it.
There is nothing wrong with copying Windows. There is a lot of good stuff in Window that works and worked for decades. Resistance to Windows based on general dislike for Microsoft is silly and counterproductive.
I’m beginning to think though that perhaps right-click-drag may be patented because no other Linux desktop environment does it to my knowledge and macOS doesn’t either. Though I was unable to dig up any information on this.
…no judging, just sayin’…
