Enabling single click to open items in Nautilus

Since the release of Ubuntu 12.10, gconf-editor has been officially replaced by dconf-editor. So the answer by Scaine will not work.

To Enable Single-Click in Ubuntu 12 onwards:

1. Open a Terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T)

2. Copy and Paste the following line (if you don't already have it installed):

   sudo apt-get install -y dconf-tools
   

3. Press Enter and install the package.
4. Once installed, run dconf-editor in the terminal.
5. Navigate to org/gnome/nautilus/preferences
6. Find click_policy in the list and change it's value from double to single
7. Single Click in Nautilus has now been enabled

Sounds like it might be a bug. I'm installing Natty now, but in the meantime, it might be worth trying this. Press Alt-F2 to open a run dialogue and enter gconf-editor.

Now scroll down to apps/nautilus/preferences and try altering the click policy there.

I've attached a screenshot.