Pretty much every GUI operating system ships with a utility to help you browse your directories, files, and documents. Windows, for example, has a decent File Explorer that can get the job done for the average Joe. If you want more facilities, you can try arming your PC with Total Commander, OneCommander, Directory Opus, and a host of other cool file managers.
Then there’s the Linux ecosystem, which houses a plethora of file managers – some built into your distro by default, others requiring a little bit of terminal wizardry to work properly. While the advanced file managers on Windows 11 are nothing to scoff at, their Linux-based rivals tend to bring a lot of unique features and customizable designs to the table. As a Linux enthusiast with many years in my distro-hopping résumé, here are some of the best FOSS file managers I’ve come across during my (mis)adventures with different distributions.
6
Midnight Commander
The ol’ reliable
Starting with the file manager loved by CLI experts, Midnight Commander is a bit different from the ones you’ll find on Windows. Rather than displaying icons for your directories, Midnight Commander is more of a text-based file manager, and uses a menu-based interface to help you perform file operations. As such, it’s better for folks who prefer terminal-like UIs to conventional GUI layouts for large-scale file operations.
But you shouldn’t let its seemingly rudimentary appearance deceive you. Midnight Commander’s dual pane interface makes moving files between two directories a cakewalk, while its built-in mcedit text editor supports syntax highlighting, can automatically indent code, and even works with macros. The best part? You can launch Midnight Commander when SSHing into your Linux machine from another client, allowing you to modify your files from its interface over a remote connection!
5
Konqueror
It has a built-in web browser
The KDE desktop environment includes a couple of game-changing utilities, and Konqueror is one of them. While its UI may appear a little dated compared to Dolphin (which I’ll go over in a bit), Konqueror makes up for it with its neat features. For starters, it’s capable of leveraging KHTML and KDEWebKit to render web pages directly inside its UI. Konqueror also pairs well with other applications to display detailed previews for different document types.
On the networking front, it supports FTP and SFTP connections, and you can even create split views to simplify file transfer operations between your client and server. It also borrows version control, custom context menu actions, and a few other features from Dolphin, on top of supporting a handful of plugins (including an AdBlocker, of all things) to further bolster its utility.
4
Treemacs
For Emacs lovers
Emacs is hands-down the most versatile text editor I’ve ever used – to the point where I still get intimidated trying to build certain projects with it. After all, it has its own collection of shortcuts and quirks that make it simultaneously useful and also a pain to deal with. But if you’re as fond of this platform as I am, you’ll want to give Treemacs a shot.
Compatible with most file types supported by Emacs, Treemacs offers a tree-based UI to help you manage your project files. It ships with the Git integration, supports session persistence, and has a flexible UI with customizable icon themes.
3
Thunar
Lightweight and efficient
The Xfce desktop environment is well-known for its lightweight nature, and its built-in file manager is no different. Compared to the other GUI-heavy file managers, Thunar doesn’t tax your system resources, making it a solid choice for older systems. Plus, it has a couple of handy features baked in.
For example, you can launch the terminal directly from a directory and set up custom keyboard shortcuts. You can also modify its behavior using plugins, create custom emblems for different folders, and even execute scripts from its interface.
2
Yazi
When you care about speed over all else
If you’re looking for something that’s even more responsive than Thunar, you’ll want to check out Yazi. Designed in Rust, Yazi is a terminal-based file manager like Midnight Commander that supports asynchronous file operations to speed up your tasks and works well with different image protocols.
Yazi also has a handful of plugins to choose from and even integrates with Ripgrep, Neovim, and other advanced tools. Speaking of, Yazi supports most of Vim’s keybindings, so you don’t have to memorize entirely different shortcuts if you already use this powerful text editor.
1
Dolphin
Customize it to your heart’s content
Lying on the opposite end of the efficiency spectrum from Yazi and Thunar, Dolphin is the default file manager on KDE Plasma that includes a lot of features at the expense of requiring extra CPU and memory resources. On the navigation front, it supports multiple tabs, can serve files inside split views, and supports different view modes.
Dolphin also lets you launch the terminal directly from its UI, works well with network shares thanks to KIO integration, and includes dedicated undo/redo options. Plus, it’s extremely customizable, as you can modify the panels and toolbars to your liking. Likewise, you can also set custom actions for the context menu, and that’s before you include the sheer number of plugins you can add to Dolphin.
Nothing quite like Linux’s file managers
If you’re still looking for cool file managers for your favorite distro, I’ve got a few more suggestions. Ranger is another neat terminal-based file manager that’s designed with a Vim-like interface, while Nemo is the default utility for organizing folders and directories on Cinnamon. PcmanFM is also worth checking out if you want a lightweight option, though its UI may seem somewhat dated if you’re used to the likes of Dolphin.