Cannot use del key to delete files on desktop in 20.04

Unfortunately desktop icons are completely broken, which is quite unexpected in a LTS release of Ubuntu.

You just cannot use keyboard on desktop icons (I'm not kidding).

This has been reported here.

The workaround is described here.

  1. Remove gnome-desktop-icons
  2. Install nemo
  3. Make nemo handle desktop icons

Can confirm that issue has been fixed in gnome-shell-extension-desktop-icons/focal-updates,focal-updates,now 20.04.0-2~ubuntu20.04.1

This is available via the proposed apt channel. Here's how to enable it.

After enabling it, you install the package by doing the regular apt update && apt upgrade