Cannot add some files to Starred folder in Nautilus

Question

Since the starred folder is built in and I cannot remove it from Nautilus, I figured I'd use it rather than make my own Bookmark for most used files. But it seems like I am limited to only adding files from the fist level of the built in Directories to the starred folder. However, I would like to add files from other dirs also. When I right click on files outside the first level of the built in dirs, I do not get a "starred" option. Also, when I look for the starred directory to manually add things, I cannot find it.

Is there a way to add files from outside the the first level of built in directories to Starred in Nautilus? Is the Starred folder maybe supposed to be used for something else?

Answer 1

In the far reaches of your system settings, a star is born...

I'm not sure why they didn't make it so you could star any file/folder by default, but the solution is trivial despite how uneccessary it seems. Simply follow these steps:

1. In Settings > Search click on the Search Locations button and add the folder containing the files or folders you want to star. On older systems, the button might be a gear instead of being labeled Search Locations.
2. Reboot your computer. Logging out/in is not enough. A full reboot is required.
3. After rebooting, open Nautilus and go to the folder containing the files/folders you want to star.
4. Right-click on them and select Star.
5. Navigate to your Starred folder, and the newly selected files/folders should be there.

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For reference, see the accepted answer here: Where is the "Starred" directory in the Nautilus sidebar stored