The best linux file manager. File managers for linux and their features

Console file managers Linux can be very helpful in daily tasks when managing files on local computer or when connecting to a remote. The visual representation of the directory helps to quickly perform operations with files and folders and saves us time.

In this article, we will take a look at some of the most commonly used file managers. Linux consoles, their functions and advantages.

Midnight command often referred to simply as MC, and is one of the best file managers discussed in this article. MC comes with all kinds useful functions besides copying, moving, deleting, creating files and directories, you can change access rights and owner, view archives, use it as an FTP client and much more.

To install Midnight Commander you can use the following commands:

Sudo apt install mc # sudo yum install mc # sudo dnf install mc #

Ranger is another the best choice if you're looking for a console file manager. He has vim-like interface, preview of selected file or directory, mouse support in bookmarks and tabbed view.

To install the ranger use the following commands:

Sudo apt install ranger # sudo yum install ranger # sudo dnf install ranger #

Cfiles is a fast terminal file manager written in C and using the library ncurses similar to Ranger and it also uses vi keyboard shortcuts.

It has several dependencies like cp, mv, fzf, xdg-open other. Although it is lightweight, its installation requires a few more steps.

To install cfiles, you first need to install development tools using the following commands:

Sudo apt-get install build-essential # sudo yum groupinstall "Development Tools" #

Then clone the cfiles repository and install it using the following commands:

Git clone https://github.com/mananapr/cfiles.git cd cfiles gcc cf.c -lncurses -o cf sudo cp cf / usr / bin / # Or copy somewhere to yourself in $ PATH

Vifm is another command line based file manager using the curses interface. It copies some features from mutter... If you are a vim user, you do not need to learn a new set of commands to work with vifm. It uses the same keyboard shortcuts and also has the ability to edit multiple kinds of files.

Like other console file managers, it has two panels and supports autocomplete. It also supports different views for comparing file trees. You can also execute remote commands with it.

To install Vifm use the following commands:

Sudo apt install vifm # sudo yum install vifm # sudo dnf install vifm #

Nnn is the fastest console file manager on our list. Although it has fewer features compared to other file managers, it is extremely lightweight and comes closest to a desktop file manager in terms of what you can get on the console. The simple interaction makes it easy for new users to get used to the terminal.

To install nnn, you can use the following commands:

Sudo apt install nnn # sudo yum install nnn # sudo dnf install nnn #

Lfm or Last File Manager- console based file manager curses written in Python 3.4. Can be used with one or two panels. It has several useful features like filters, bookmarks, history, VFS for compressed files, tree structure and direct integration with search command, utility grep, by the team df and other tools. Custom themes are also available.

You can install Lfm using the following commands:

Sudo apt install lfm # sudo yum install lfm # sudo dnf install lfm # sudo pacman -S lfm #

You can also install Lfm using pip

Sudo pip install lfm

Lf - "List files" is a command line file manager written in Go, inspired by Ranger. It was originally intended to fill in the missing feature gaps that the Ranger had.

Some of the main features of lf are:

• It's cross-platform - Linux, OSX, Windows(only partially);
• One binary file with no runtime dependencies;
• Low memory size;
• Configuration using shell commands;
• Customizable keyboard shortcuts.

To install lf, simply download the binaries associated with your OS from the lf releases page.

Last on our list is, which is yet another cross-platform console file manager. The authors of WCM Commander set out to create a cross-platform file manager that mimics the functionality of Far Manager.

It has a built in terminal built in text editor and viewer, syntax highlighting, virtual file system and very fast user interface... Mouse support is also included. A package for each OS can be found on the WCM download page.

Conclusion

This was our short presentation about some of the presenters file manager x Linux console. If you think we missed one or liked some of them more, please share your thoughts in the comments.

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BeeSoft Commander 2.23

BeeSoft Commander is a young project, an uncomplicated file manager written in the spirit of the UNIX-way. According to the unwritten rule, the program should fulfill only its direct responsibilities and nothing more.

The file manager uses the QT library and is very quick to launch from within the KDE environment. The toolbar is not customizable, but it contains virtually all the main functions of the program. You can work with multiple tabs. The right mouse button is responsible for selecting files - a tribute to the old tradition of Norton Commander. Many file operations are performed using function keys according to the old standard laid down also by Peter Norton.

BeeSoft Commander contains a good FTP client, allowing you to connect to multiple servers, save connection settings. The developers did not bother themselves with the implementation of viewing and editing various documents. With the built-in editor, you can only change text documents... If other types of files are found, the program either switches to HEX mode, or a chaotic set of characters is displayed. Editing is not available.

BeeSoft Commander doesn't need complicated configuration. You can specify the fonts and colors of the panels, adjust the width of the columns. And, in fact, that's where the fun of traveling through the settings ends.

Official site:

Worker is one of the most unusual file managers out there. The first thing you should immediately pay attention to is that there is no need to install any additional graphics libraries besides X11.

All control of the file manager is concentrated in numerous buttons located at the bottom of the application's working window. By clicking on the status bar, you switch groups of buttons. Each button calls a separate function. Both built-in Worker tools and external utilities designed to process files can act as functions.

Worker is tightly integrated with Midnight Commander and allows you to use the rules for processing archives of the console file manager. In addition, by default, MC is used as the file editor (Edit File function).

The Worker distribution includes only a viewer tool text files... All other actions (viewing graphics and videos, editing any types of data ...) are left to the mercy external programs... The default text editor is xedit, which is not surprising. xedit also only uses the X11 library.

Among the predefined functions (buttons) you can find converting audio information, converting graphics, mounting devices and much more.

The file manager is very unusual, which will of course make it difficult to learn from scratch. On the other hand, all competitors either use powerful graphics libraries (QT, GTK) or work in text mode. Worker in this light seems to be a kind of compromise solution.

Pivot table

GUI	+	+	+	+	+	+	-	+	-	+	+
Graphics Library	QT	GTK2	GTK1	GTK2	QT	QT	-	GTK2	-	GTK2	X11
Tabs	+	-	-	-	+	+	-	-	+	-	-
FTP client	+	-	-	+	+	+	+	+	-	-	+
FTP: //	-	-	-	-	+	+	-	+	-	-	-
SMB protocol: //	-	-	-	+	+	+	-	+	-	-	-
HTTP protocol: //	-	-	-	-	+	-	-	-	-	-	-
Document thumbnails	-	-	-	-	+	+	-	+	-	-	-
Text editor	+	+	-	-	-	+	+	-	+	-	-
Viewing images	-	-	-	+	+	-	-	-	-	-	-
Watching a video	-	-	-	-	+	-	-	-	-	-	-
HTML View	-	-	-	-	+	+	+	-	-	-	-
RTF Viewer	-	-	-	-	+	+	-	-	-	-	-
DOC view	-	-	-	-	+	+	+	-	-	-	-
HEX editor	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	+	-	-
Highlighting file types	-	-	+	+	-	-	-	-	+	-	-
Quick folders (Bookmarks)	-	+	-	+	+	+	+	+	-	+	-
Folder history	-	+	+	+	+	+	+	+	+	-	-
Frequently visited folders	-	-	-	-	+	+	-	-	-	-	-
Quick Launch Panel (Menu)	-	-	-	-	+	+	+	-	+	-	-
Plugins	-	+	-	+	+	+	+	-	-	-	-
Multitasking	-	-	+	+	+	+	+	+	-	-	-

	BeeSoft Commander 2.23
	emelFM2 0.1.6
	Gentoo 0.11.55
	GNOME Commander 1.2.0
	Konqueror 3.5.2
	Krusader 1.70.0
	Nautilus 2.12.2
	Tux Commander 0.4.101
	Text file managers and Worker

The file manager is an integral part of every operating system... It allows you to fully interact with all files, directories and their dependencies located on your computer's storage device. This article will introduce the most popular Linux. The list will include both programs that have a graphical interface and console utilities, the action of which occurs using the "Terminal" (analogous to the command line in Windows).

File managers with a graphical interface

Of course, the most popular are Linux file managers, which have a graphical shell, since for an ordinary user they are more familiar and much easier to use.

Linux distributions use a wide variety of managers, but there is simply no point in listing all of them. The most popular ones will be presented now.

Nautilus

Nautilus is probably the most widely used Linux file manager. And there is a perfectly reasonable explanation for this. It is used in distributions with a graphical shell of the Gnome desktop. In turn, Ubuntu is distributed on a modified Gnome, which has the name Unix, and as you know, it is Ubuntu that is the most popular distribution in the whole world and in the CIS in particular.

Nautilus compares favorably with the competition for the following reasons:

It has FTP, WebDAV (HTTPS), Windows, SSH and WebDAV (HTTP) connectivity.

In the manager window, you can create tabs by analogy with browsers.

There is support for scripts that can greatly expand the functionality of the program.

The history of transitions is being kept.

Images, text, audio and video can be previewed.

Supports bookmarks.

Many people think that Nautilus is the best Linux file manager, but it makes more sense to try it yourself.

Nemo

The next Linux file manager in line will be Nemo. It deserves this position, as it is used in graphical shell Cinnamon, which is installed by default in Linux Mint, and this distribution is considered the second most popular.

The file manager in Linux Mint has the following distinctive features:

Uses GIO and GVFS.

It is possible to open directories with superuser rights.

Has a terminal post design.

Convenient and "correct" management of GTK bookmarks.

The interface is equipped with big amount buttons that help navigate disk space.

There is support for several configuration options.

Of course, this is not the whole list of advantages, only the main ones, but they are enough for the reader to form his own opinion. By the way, this particular manager is recommended to users who have just decided to switch from Windows to Linux, since their managers are very similar to each other.

Dolphin

The next Linux file manager is Dolphin. It comes standard on the KDE desktop. It will not work to bring the original distribution kit with this desktop shell, since KDE is a separate development. However, users can easily install any distribution like Ubuntu with this desktop shell.

Compared to previous managers, Dolphin does not stand out much, but it also has its own characteristics:

Access to web resources.

Undo and redo (CTRL + Z) support.

The ability to use multiple tabs.

Using a variety of panels.

If you liked this "exhibit", then you urgently need to go to work environment KDE, and in the meantime we move on and move on to the console file managers.

Console file managers

The popularity of console file managers is not what it used to be. They are used less and less, but they should not be discounted. Some are able to surprise with their functions. Of course, they don't look as pretty as the managers with the GUI, but everyone has different tastes.

Midnight commander

Midnight Commander, or MC for short, is the first console file manager for Linux. And as many have noticed, our list is a kind of TOP.

MC is the most popular console manager. He received recognition for its simplicity and convenience. Its functionality has many buttons located at the bottom of the console window, but its main advantage is the ability to control the mouse. Not every manager can boast of such an option. Among other things, MC is a two-pane Linux file manager, but almost every console version of this utility has this feature.

As for the features, they are as follows:

Ability to massively rename files.

Templates of individual options are supported.

You can view the contents of DEB and RMP packages.

The ability to interact with archives.

There is a built-in text editor MCedit.

Ability to work in FISH and FTP client.

If you want to use a console file manager then MC is a great choice. However, MC has good competitors on the market for these programs, one of which will be discussed below.

Last File Manager

LFM is practically no different from MC, so there is no point in describing its advantages. Now we will briefly go over its distinctive features.

It is possible to change the view (one-panel and two-panel).

You can work with archives - VFM treats them as ordinary directories.

There is an option to compare files.

There is a log of actions by the type of history in browsers.

It is possible to create bookmarks.

The color can be changed.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are many Linux file managers. There are both graphical and console ones. It is up to you to choose which one to use. And this article is intended only to superficially touch upon the features of each program, in order to make the choice easier.

And if, when talking about managers for Windows and DOS, the number of different functions, with which the product is equipped, then in the case of file managers for Linux the situation is diametrically opposite, that is, the fewer the various functions, the better. As a result, one party taking part in the dispute authoritatively declares that the truth is contained in only one console, while the other side gets bored and shies away from further discussion.

Indeed, why does a file manager need many functions? Rather, why does he need functions other than the direct purpose of the product? If we turn back a few pages of history, we find there a young man - apparently a student - who sits in front of a 14-inch, as they said, "VGA-monitor" and briskly rearranges a floppy disk in a three-inch drive. At that time, the file manager really should have included the widest range of possibilities, since most of them worked in DOS at that time, and DOS was by no means a multitasking system, although multitasking was relatively emulated in it using resident programs sitting in random access memory and from time to time showing signs of life.

When the classic Norton Commander was replaced by the no less classic Volkov Commander, everyone was overjoyed, and with the advent of DOS Navigator, there was no limit at all. The world developed, Windows came - two titans appeared - FAR and Windows Commander, later renamed to Total commander... Both products, thanks to their architecture that support plugins, have become overgrown with add-ons. Peculiar subcultures of these products have emerged. Games are made for FAR and Total Commander, file viewers different formats, mail clients- you can find anything.

It is appropriate to pay attention to the reason here - it is likely that multitasking is so unusual for the user in the system where these file managers work that people prefer to work with ONE program that combines the functions of MANY programs. I cannot find any other logical explanation.

Now let's turn our attention to Linux. Windows users When faced with Linux file managers for the first time, they immediately call them "poor", or in some other words that cannot be printed. In fact, this is a misunderstanding of the main principle of the system, its cornerstone - multitasking. The origins are precisely in this. Therefore - it has always been - Linux software developers rarely make "combines". Each program should perform its intended function and do it well.

By improving only those functions that correspond to the intended purpose of the program, the developer achieves the best result. The following analogy can be given. There are two programmers - Ivanov and Prokhorov. Ivanov tries to learn all programming languages ​​at once, and Prokhorov only Java. And so Prokhorov studies Java perfectly and finds a high-paying job, and Ivanov at this time continues ... to study a little bit of everything. The sniper should be a sniper, and if he goes to wave his bayonet, there will be little sense from this.

So, Linux file managers primarily have a narrow specialization. They work with files. The most popular among the console file managers is Midnight Commander, which looks most similar to the good old Norton Commander. Two blue panels, menu and status bars, command line- nothing more. Meanwhile, this is one of the more user-friendly file managers I've worked with. Although I use the KDE graphical environment, it is often preferred to communicate with the file system in the console Midnight Commander - it constantly floats in my window on the screen.

Midnight Commander is perfectly Russified, in addition, it has a built-in text file viewer that understands Russian encodings. No, I do not contradict myself, talking about this "excess" - such a file viewer, as well as the editor built into the Midnight Commander, are very necessary - because there are many configuration files, often requiring editing, and for programming such an editor is very convenient, because it is equipped with syntax highlighting.

If you press Enter on a file in Midnight Commander, then most likely you will be able to view, run or play this file - depending on the nature of this file. Does Midnight Commander know how to play music or show videos? No, he just possesses enough good settings by default, to launch the XMMS player for the MP3 file, Mplayer for the video, and the Display utility for the image. You say, what's wrong with that? After all, FAR can also call external utilities. I'll ask a counter question - then why would he need plugins? This is not said with reproach. It's just the following question.

Everything you need to work with files is present in Midnight Commander. This is an FTP client, and the ability to enter archives as in a directory, and even the ability to perform certain bulk operations on files. for the latter, it is enough to select the files in the list, then press F2 to bring up the User Menu and select the do something with the current file item (do something with current file), and in the window that appears with the input field enter the command you need. For example, select such and such files with cartoons in DivX format. Press F2, select the above menu item, and enter the command: mplayer. Everything! All selected files will be displayed sequentially. By the way, the User Menu is perhaps the only menu not translated into the Midnight Commander. However, this does not make it less useful. Compress the current directory allows you to archive the contents of the current directory. There are also functions for compressing and decompressing individual files.

Let's move on from the console to the graphical shell and turn our attention to another file manager - Krusader, the letter K at the beginning of the name of which eloquently indicates that this program belongs to the KDE graphical environment. Krusader by appearance and the feature set can be compared to Total Commander.

Like Midnight Commander, Krusader allows you to transparently work with archives, FTP servers, and more. - all this is achieved through the so-called virtual file systems. Krusader is also equipped with two panels, but each of them can contain several tabs, "tabs", like pages in Opera browsers or Firefox. This is very convenient if you need to copy some files from a dozen directories into one, while actively working simultaneously with each of the dozen directories.

Krusader includes a useful tool for synchronizing the contents of directories, a powerful search utility, a partition mount manager (it has the ability to mount them automatically), a function for splitting a file into equal parts (for example, if you need to transfer large file on several floppy disks) and then assembling the file into a single whole from fragments. Krusader can interact with another utility - KRename, designed for mass renaming of files according to a given pattern with various parameters.

Krusader is equipped with a built-in image viewer and a text file viewer (based on the Kate editor, which means that there is syntax highlighting, encoding selection, and dozens of other functions). However, in which case Krusader can display the file in hexadecimal mode as well.

To quickly move between directories, Krusader provides a mechanism for bookmarks - and they can point to both local and network directories, for example, somewhere on an FTP server.

So, Krusader can do everything that a file manager should be able to do. What about plugins, you ask? Plugins that provide access to other file systems, how do plugins for Total Commander do? Everything is very simple. To Caesar - what is Caesar's. Linux itself provides access to different file systems, be it ext2 / ext3, FAT32 or NTFS. This access is implemented at the system level, there is simply no need to repeat it in the file manager. Want to get into Windows partitions? No problem. Linux partitions? No problem either.

This is again to the question that each program should do its own thing, and it is up to the operating system to provide the ability to work with file systems. The file manager should not do this - and does not. On Linux. But until Windows "sees" the Linux partitions and does not provide working access to them (although there are third-party drivers for this), as long as there will be corresponding plugins for file managers for the Windows platform.

A small excursion into the world of Linux file managers.

The description of each file manager will be accompanied by a command to install it using Ubuntu as an example. That is, an example installation using the package manager apt-get... In the case of Fedora apt-get should be replaced with dnf... And in openSUSE on zypper... V Red Hat and centOS on yum.

To install the file manager, you will need to enter the administrator password. You will also need to confirm the installation by entering a capital letter into the terminal Y.

Dolphin

The file manager that comes with the KDE Plasma desktop.

Dolphin has a customizable interface. You can turn on the two-pane data display mode. It is possible to quickly connect to any remote resource. There are three different styles for displaying files and folders. Also in Dolphin, you can open multiple tabs and switch between them, even in two-pane mode.

Installation command: sudo apt-get install dolphin.

Dolphin will download to your computer necessary components KDE shells for running programs from the Plasma desktop. Therefore, the final size of the downloaded data will be much larger than expected.

This is Dolphin running in dual pane mode. Looks minimalistic and clear

Double commander

Another "dvuhpanelnik", which is very popular, and not only among Linux users. It can often be found on Windows computers.

The great thing about Double Commander is that it includes a ton of gadgets by default for viewing and working with files. There is a button for comparing folders and documents, there is a built-in text editor (sensible, by the way, with syntax highlighting and other delights).

At the same time, the capabilities of Double Commander can be extended using plugins.

Installation command: sudo apt-get install doublecmd-qt.

This is how the analogue of Total Commander for Linux looks like

Nautilus

Nautilus was developed as part of the Gnome 3 shell, so if you have Ubuntu or Fedora installed, you are probably already familiar with Nautilus.

Like the other components of Gnome 3, Nautilus looks pretty, but is functionally inferior to most of the competition. No tabs or two-pane view modes. Base only. For example, he knows how to connect to:

• WebDAV and so on.

Although he still has his chips. Nautilus can be enhanced with scripts. So the programmers will have a place to turn around in terms of "pumping" the application.

Installation command: sudo apt-get install nautilus.

This is what modern file managers look like in Linux

Konqueror

Two-in-one program. It is a browser for both local storage and web pages at the same time. And this is evidenced even by its design, clearly sharpened for working with the Internet.

The double nature of the program prevents it from becoming comfortable enough both for working with local files and for working with websites. It lacks features from competing applications to manage local data, and it is too slow to work with the Internet.

But a two-pane data display mode is supported, and in the panels you can open a folder on your computer and a website at the same time.

Installation command: sudo apt-get install konqueror.

Home folder and website opened in Konqueror

Krusader

It is a more advanced and functional file manager developed by the KDE Plasma desktop team. But it looks great and works in any shell.

Installation command: sudo apt-get install krusader

As with other KDE applications, Krusader will install a bunch of required programs, which will greatly increase the weight of the file manager.

As you can see, the design is quite familiar - many will already be familiar with it.

PCMANFM

Another solution that visually resembles a web browser. However, unlike Konqueror, PCMANFM cannot open websites. And in general, it is far from the most functional file manager.

But understandable and very easy. It is used in distributions like Arch along with some simple shell like LXDE (which is part of it) or a window manager like IceWM. It requires few resources, therefore it is in demand among those who are still sitting on an old low-power computer. And also this manager:

• supports the basket,
• allows you to edit system menu applications,
• supports plugins and third party extensions,
• performs an advanced search in file system etc.

Installation command: sudo apt-get install pcmanfm.

Discreet, but many are lacking

Thunar

The tiniest graphical file manager on our list. Thunar is part of the XFCE shell, which is renowned for being a mere penny in size and requiring obscenely few resources to run even in 2019.

Actually, Thunar continues the shell philosophy. The same small and lightweight, yet functional enough. Thunar supports mouse gesture controls, and there are basic tools to automate the behavior of connected drives. There is support for additional extensions and customization using scripts. So appearances are deceiving - this utility is capable of a lot.

Installation command: sudo apt-get install thunar.

This is how absurd he looks

VIFM

The only file manager in the collection that launches and runs in the terminal. VIFM is the obvious choice for those who use a Linux distribution without graphical interface... It has all the basic functionality such as being able to connect to an FTP server, but its main feature- control scheme. It tries to copy the philosophy of moving and editing files in the manner of the popular Vi text editor, which is famous for its strange, but for many attractive and convenient controls.

Looks, by the way, stylish for a console program

XFE

And a bonus in the form of a file manager, which copies with all its appearance Windows design previous years. XFE has a built-in image viewer, a text editor. Tools for working with DEB and RPM packages. Ability to undo and redo operations in progress to, for example, retrieve an accidentally deleted file.

Very similar to Windows 98

This concludes our review. Hope you have found a suitable file manager for yourself.

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