Overview
I want to have a "Desktop" folder sync between macOS and Linux. On both Linux and macOS, there are ways to get the contents of any directory to show up on your Desktop GUI.
I'm storing my files in DropBox at the moment, so on both Linux and macOS, I want a way to show the files in an "available offline" DropBox folder on my "Desktop".
Linux
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TODO- I haven't tried this yet, because the laptop I'm currently using to run Linux is a 2015 MacBook Air, and I'm not using it much, as I'm still clinging to my lifelong familiarity with macOS.
macOS
On macOS, we can remove the current Desktop folder, then immediately create a new symbolic link name Desktop, and then reboot Finder so that the change takes effect.
Generic command:
cd ~; sudo rm -rf Desktop; ln -s /path/to/your/folder Desktop; killall Finder
Specific command that I use to get a folder in DropBox as my Desktop folder:
cd ~; sudo rm -rf Desktop; ln -s /Users/zachshilton/Library/CloudStorage/Dropbox/Desktop Desktop; killall Finder
I just tried this on 2025-11-14, and it seems to work! Files display a little DropBox sync icon, which is a bit annoying, but I think I can live with it.