Bug 415852

Summary:	Gwenview cannot delete files when folder contains large number of files
Product:	[Applications] gwenview	Reporter:	lp.allard.1
Component:	general	Assignee:	Gwenview Bugs <gwenview-bugs-null>
Status:	RESOLVED FIXED
Severity:	normal	CC:	idontfeelcomfygivingyoumyemail
Priority:	NOR
Version First Reported In:	17.12.3
Target Milestone:	---
Platform:	Mint (Ubuntu based)
OS:	Linux
Latest Commit:		Version Fixed/Implemented In:
Sentry Crash Report:

Description lp.allard.1 2020-01-04 00:50:02 UTC

SUMMARY
I noticed when I browse a folder with lots of files (around 4500 small JPG files from a surveillance camera), GW cannot delete files efficiently.  If I select a large amount of files in Gwenview's browser (lets say 500) and hit delete on my keyboard, it will start the deletion process at the rate of one file per second which is VERY SLOW.  Deleting all 4500 files with Thunar is instant since I am on a fast SSD drive.  All 4500 files are less than 500MB.

Deleting one file at the time in GW (hitting delete on KB) I see a quick file transfer popup showing up and nothing gets deleted.

SOFTWARE/OS VERSIONS
Linux/KDE Plasma: Linux Mint 19.2
KDE Frameworks 5.44.0
Qt 5.9.5 (built against 5.9.5)

Gwenview was installed using standatd apt-get install command on stock Mint repos.

Comment 1 lp.allard.1 2020-01-06 19:38:08 UTC

I just tried deleting some files this way:  once in browser mode, select a file thumbnail, then hit the delete key and hold it.  While doing so, several hundred file move dialog boxes appear until I let go the delete key.  Once I do so, the dfialog boxes are closed quickly.  No files are deleted.

For some reasons it seems Gwenview is not capable of handling folders with lots of files.  From this quick experience it seems that the call to launch the dialog box happens, but the actual deletion never occurs.  Launching GW in terminal does not provide significant information on this issue.

Comment 2 A Linux User 2025-08-19 19:18:15 UTC

Thank you for the bug report. Unfortunately we were not able to get to it yet. Can we ask you to please check if this is still an issue with Gwenview 25.08.0 (the latest released version)?

Comment 3 lp.allard.1 2025-08-22 13:14:30 UTC

Hello, I tried doing a few tests with gewnview (unfortunately I am running 23.08.5 because it seems even with the latest Mint release its what's available from the official repos, not sure why they are so behind...).

Test 1: from a folder with almost 6000 identical small images, both from gallery and full size view, if I hit DELETE on keyboard and keep it pressed the pictures are being sent to the trashbin without issues, so the problem I described initially seems to be solved (AFAIK).

Test 2: similar to the first test but this time I have the trashbin opened in a window (thunar).  The deletion process is much slower and after a few seconds I get many popups saying "The file or folder /home/user/test/04902.jpg does not exist."  

I tested the same scenario but this time without any thunar window opened and the "test" folder (the one that contains thousand of files) on my FreeNAS server.  Same popups shows up after a few seconds.

My main takeaways:
-This looks like a file transfer speed issue to me...  
-Thunar seems to be horrendous at dealing with large number of files.  There are other issues with thunar and large number of files (refresh times, renaming, etc etc).  I think this is an ancient and obsolete file browser overall.
-I dont think gwenview is the root cause here, I think the underlying OS and/or filesystem performance is to blame.

Comment 4 A Linux User 2025-08-22 18:38:24 UTC

Thanks for checking. Then I set this as FIXED for Gwenview..