install KIO packages if tou do t have them dolphin needs these for network shares to behave like local files:

sudo apt install kio-fuse kio-extras ffmpegthumbs

then log out and log back in (or restart)

dolphin should mount network paths under

/run/user/your-uid/kio-fuse-somerandomshit

check it

if the path starts with /run/user/… you’re good. If it’s something like smb://, it’s not using fuse

gpt explainstion for education

What’s going on:

Your server has files. Dolphin can look at them, but it’s not actually pulling them down to your computer in a normal folder.

Because the files aren’t really on your computer, other programs can’t just “open” them — they don’t know how to talk to the server like Dolphin does.

How it should work: If you use FUSE (with kio-fuse), Dolphin secretly makes a fake local folder that pretends the server’s files are on your computer.

Now, when you double-click a file, your computer thinks it’s opening a local file — so any app can work with it.

Why Nemo works but Dolphin doesn’t Nemo automatically mounts network folders in that “pretend local folder” way.

Dolphin can do it too, but only if kio-fuse is installed and working.

Without it, Dolphin is basically just showing you a picture of the files instead of giving them to your apps.

The fix: Install the thing (kio-fuse) that makes the fake local folder.

Restart your session so Dolphin uses it.

Now Dolphin acts like Nemo — server files will just work everywhere.