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Best open-source file manager for Android?
(lemmy.ml)
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I use Material Files
I like it. It supports hosting a ftp server and automatically finding SMB servers in the local network. This is the first file manager I've found that does these two things. But no app management unfortunately. Thanks!
I mean, you can click an .apk to run it with the installer (of choice even). That's all the file management part. Next you want it to also manage your photos, play videos?
I don't mean installing apps, I mean viewing installed apps and being able to extract apks from them by "copying" them to a folder, as well as some other things.
You want an app manager, not a file manager.
Having it built in tha file manager is very convenient for me. I've been using it this way in X-plore for ages.
This is the only one I like. I think it's done right under the hood. Good balance between features and looks like stock, without being too overloaded with options. It hasn't been updated in a while, though nothing seems broken AFAIK.
Nice, even WebDAV support
No update since 2024. It it abandoned?
I honestly didn't even notice that, it still works perfectly fine. I just looked at the repo and it seems like the developer is technically still working on it but very rarely. There just haven't been enough changes for a new release.
It is thr best bur on grapheneos, only the file manager from grapheneos has full access. I had to switch between file managers and one day I gave up. I only use the built-in one ...
I use GrapheneOS too and I don't have this issue. Did you give it the right permission?
Maybe I should have a look again?
I use it for nextcloud/webdav and accessing the data storage folder of gpslogger which was historically in the android/data folder.
Edit: it's still forbidden to access android/data ... they introduced that "security/privacy" features 1-2 years ago when they also forbid to us ethe Downloads folder directly for provacy reasons
IIRC there's a special setting to give it full access that you actually have to go into settings to add (you can't just add it from the prompts).
I can't find anything
Settings - > Apps - > Special App Access - > All Files Access.
I don't have a rooted phone. It does not work.
Huh, no idea why it's not working. It's definitely not the fact that your phone isn't rooted, since mine isn't either. I'm running GrapheneOS on Android 17, so it might just be something in my version of Android.
That is strange. Material files explicitly states that my phone is not rooted and can't access the files
Fossify's File Manager is what I use daily.
It is very pleasant-looking, but lacks many important features, e.g. SMB/FTP/etc support.
I like Ghost Commander
I typically don't use this style of file manager on desktop but on mobile it just seems to work well for me.
For my phone I'm using Amaze, for my Tablet Ghost Commander becuase of its "Ability to copy and move files between its two panels".
I use Amaze as well, and it's pretty great.
Amaze supports app management, running an ftp server, and automatically searching for local smb servers. Nice, might become the one I use daily.
Total Commander : https://www.ghisler.com/android.htm
I like this one but not in development anymore.
Another person here posted its actively maintained fork: https://lemmy.ml/comment/27551987
I use Ghost Commander from f-droid
Discovered it an hour ago. I like how functional and customizable it is, although admittedly somewhat ugly.
Yes, it is fugly.
Better than Material Files for SFTP but it reprompts for the SMTP password inconsistently on app switch. Kind of annoying but whatever.
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(2 replies)
Material Files and Amaze
Not FOSS but been using Solid Explorer for forever, has all the features I need.
This one is really nice! App management and SMB support are the features I've primarily been looking for.
Alas is not in F-Droid
it's a fork, the original one is on fdroid but recently unmaintained :)
Not FOSS, but MiXplorer is free (PlayStore version is paid, but the version from Google Drive is free and has integrated mechanism to download updates) and probably best option I ever found.
You can connect to various remote storages, including those on local network, which is what I needed. Also has integrated file viewers and editors and can preview files in archives.
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this post was submitted on 31 Aug 2026
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