I'm new to Linux Mint and recently downloaded Doki Doki Literature Club with mods. On Windows, the game folder worked normally, but after downloading the folder through Google Drive on Linux, the game's .sh launcher opens as a text file or reports "Permission denied" when I try to run it. I've tried changing the file's permissions with chmod and checking them with ls -l, but it still won't launch. The folder may also contain several similarly named scripts and Linux executables. What is the correct way to run the launcher, and are there any additional files that need execute permission?
5 Answers
First make sure you’re working from a location where your user owns the files, such as your home directory. Files on an NTFS or Windows-mounted partition may be mounted with the noexec option, which prevents launching programs even when the permission bits look correct. Copy or move the complete game folder into your home directory, then run `chmod u+x DDLC.sh` from that folder. If copying gives “Permission denied,” the source folder or drive may be owned by another user or mounted with restrictive options.
Open a terminal in the directory containing the launcher and run it explicitly with `./DDLC.sh`. The `./` means “the file in this directory”; replace the filename if the script has a different name. You can also try `bash ./DDLC.sh`, which runs the script through Bash even if its executable flag is missing. Running it from a terminal will show the actual error instead of hiding it behind the file manager.
For the graphical method, right-click the `.sh` file, open Properties, go to Permissions, and enable “Allow executing file as a program.” If the file manager still opens it as text, use the terminal command instead and check the resulting error. The important details are the exact command, the current directory, and the full terminal output.
The downloaded copy may have an unexpected directory layout or duplicate scripts. Make sure you’re in the game’s top-level directory and launching the intended root-level `.sh` file rather than a similarly named file in a subfolder. A clean Linux download or extraction can help, since files transferred through Windows or cloud storage sometimes lose their executable permissions. Also inspect the script before running it, even if it came from a trusted source.
Ren’Py games often have more than one platform-specific executable. The shell script may call another Linux binary inside a `lib` subdirectory, commonly under a folder with a name such as `py3-linux-x86_64`. That binary may also need execute permission. Apply it to the launcher and the Linux executable, not every file indiscriminately, for example with `chmod u+x DDLC.sh path/to/linux-executable`. Avoid using sudo unless you’re fixing ownership or a system-level issue; the game should normally run as your regular user.
If the folder came from a Windows or shared drive, checking its mount options and ownership is important. It may be easier to extract a fresh download directly into your home folder rather than copying the old Google Drive version.