gio info metadata:: path_to/some_file_or_folder

gio set _path_to/some_file_or_folder_ -t stringv metadata::emblems _emblem_name_

e.g. set green checkmark for emblem in Downloads directory

gio set Downloads/somefile -t stringv metadata::emblems emblem-default

gio set Downloads/somefile -t stringv metadata::emblems none

Emblem icons start with string “emblem-*”. Search in /usr/share/icons or right click on some file go to emblems and hover mouse cursor to see the name without the emblem part.

You need to reenter or refresh the Thunar location for the emblem to show up.

• xfce 4.14.3
• Xubuntu 20.04

• https://askubuntu.com/questions/408743/how-do-i-set-emblems-in-thunar-without-the-gui