Thunar Setup on Arch Linux: Enable Trash Support, Image & Video Preview, and Archive Features

If you just want Thunar to work properly without digging into details, run:

sudo pacman -S thunar gvfs tumbler ffmpegthumbnailer thunar-archive-plugin

Optional (but useful):

sudo pacman -S thunar-volman thunar-media-tags-plugin

What this fixes immediately:

• gvfs → Enables trash + USB/external drive mounting

• tumbler → Image thumbnail previews

• ffmpegthumbnailer → Video previews

• thunar-archive-plugin → Right-click extract/compress

That’s it. Restart Thunar (or log out/in), and everything should work.

If you work with large files, limit preview size to improve performance.

Go to: Edit → Preferences → Display

And Adjust: Thumbnail size Maximum file size for previews

Now, Details

When you install Thunar without a desktop environment like GNOME or KDE, you’re missing critical background services.

These services handle: File system integration, Device mounting, Thumbnail generation, Archive handling. Thunar itself is intentionally minimal. It relies on external tools to stay lightweight.

On Arch Linux, many tools are installed in a minimal state by default. Extra features are provided through optional dependencies, not installed automatically.

If something feels missing in any tool, check its optional dependencies:

pacman -Si <package-name>

You’ll see a section like:

Optional Deps   : <package>: <what it enables>

That’s usually where missing features come from.

💡Example: Thunar

~ pacman -Si thunar
Repository      : extra
Name            : thunar
Version         : 4.20.8-3

....

Depends On      : desktop-file-utils  libexif  hicolor-icon-theme  libnotify  pcre2  libgudev  exo  libxfce4util  libxfce4ui

👇 HERE 👇
Optional Deps   : catfish: file searching
                  gvfs: trash support, mounting with udisk and remote filesystems
                  tumbler: thumbnail previews
                  thunar-volman: removable device management
                  thunar-archive-plugin: archive creation and extraction
                  thunar-media-tags-plugin: view/edit ID3/OGG tags

.....

Validated By    : SHA-256 Sum  Signature

Pro Tips for a Better Thunar Experience

• Custom Actions: Add right-click shortcuts for scripts

• Keyboard Shortcuts: Speed up navigation

• Terminal Integration: Open terminal in current directory

TL;DR

With just a few packages, Thunar transforms from barebones to fully functional.