File selector extremely slow

[Hugo Squelch]

When you try to upload/download a file in an application (e.g. Firefox, Signal, etc) the file selector that opens is extremely slow to appear, search and change directory.

Often times, if I try to search for a file in it, I have to wait 10 or more second before the letters I typed appear, and most of the time the last letter I pressed when typing, will appear before the rest of what I wrote, meaning I have to wait for my query to be deleted before I re-type it again.

This has only just started since upgrading to Ubuntu 23.04. I noticed that Nautilus has been faster in general since the update, but in the file selector specifically, it's become unusable.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 23.04
Package: nautilus 1:44.0-1ubuntu2
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 6.2.0-20.20-generic 6.2.6
Uname: Linux 6.2.0-20-generic x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia_modeset nvidia
ApportVersion: 2.26.1-0ubuntu2
Architecture: amd64
CasperMD5CheckResult: pass
CurrentDesktop: ubuntu:GNOME
Date: Thu May 4 20:39:48 2023
InstallationDate: Installed on 2022-10-22 (194 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 22.10 "Kinetic Kudu" - Release amd64 (20221020)
SourcePackage: nautilus
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to lunar on 2023-04-21 (13 days ago)
usr_lib_nautilus:
 file-roller 43.0-1
 nautilus-extension-gnome-terminal 3.48.0-1ubuntu1
 python3-nautilus 4.0-1build1

[Hugo Squelch (nose-gnome)]

I would like to add, that waiting for file upload window to open is slower than file download, I think

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[Andres Hernandez (cybereality)]

I also have this issue. The first time the file dialog opens (e.g. in Firefox, when you right-click and do save as on an image) the dialog appears instantly. However, each subsequent file save seems to take exponentially longer. To the second time it's 1 second, then 2 seconds, 5 seconds, and keeps going until it's like 1 minute (at this point I stop). Strangely, if I then attempt to open Nautilus (through the OS menu) then Nautilus also takes 10 seconds or whatever to open. However (with Firefox still open) if I do save as at that point, then it becomes instant for the first save (and then continues to increase as before). Is there any information I can provide to assist in solving this?

[Alon Diamant (advance512)]

I also have this issue. It is so, so, so slow. This did not happen with older versions of Ubuntu.

[jon1012 (jonathan-schemoul)]

Same here... It's been months and it makes my desktop nearly unusable after a day or so... And I need to reboot to fix.

It gets slower and slower with each use of the file selector.

[Chip Hart (2-cdip-a)]

Same issue. It also appears that "larger" directories (with more files, subdirs) take longer to open than "smaller" ones. I don't think I noticed the problem until moving to 23.X.

[Khalid Abu Shawarib (khalid-shawarib)]

File chooser is currently in GTK, not nautilus.

[Sebastien Bacher (seb128)]

Is that still an issue in Ubuntu 24.04? Do you also get the problem in newer applications like gnome-text-editor?

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.