Almost all Android smartphones ship with a built-in File Manager app today. However, not all OEM file managers offer the level of features and functionality that come with third-party apps on the Google Play Store. So today, we will tell you about the 10 best third-party file manager apps (often also referred to as file browser or file explorer) for Android. These apps will help you better organize your files and folders on an Android smartphone.
The best file manager apps on Android let you browse your files, find your downloads, manage your storage space, and more. There are plenty of file managers on Android, and most of them are free. While some of them offer you premium features for a small charge, others are ad-supported. So without any further delay, let’s check out the best file manager apps on Android.
- Files by Google
- Solid Explorer - Most Feature-rich App
- Total Commander
- Astro File Manager
- X-Plore File Manager
- Amaze File Manager - Made in India App
- Root Explorer
- FX File Explorer
- RS File Manager
- MiXplorer
Note: The apps mentioned in this article are meant for Android smartphones and tablets. For Android TVs, boxes and dongles, check out the best file managers for Android TV. If you also use an iPhone, check out the best file manager apps for iOS.
If you want the cleanest, no-nonsense, no-bloat file manager app on Android, look no further than Files by Google. As of 2022, it is available on most Android devices running Android 5.0 Lollipop and above. One of the best-rated file manager apps, Files by Google helps you free up space with cleaning recommendations, find files faster with search, share files offline without using mobile data, and back up files to the cloud to save storage space. The app is not only free to use but also ad-free.
Files by Google has three tabs: Clean, Browse, and Share. The ‘Clean’ tab shows how much storage your Android device has left and how much you are currently using. This is also where you see suggestions for cleaning your phone’s storage. The ‘Browse’ tab, on the other hand, makes it easier to find files by dividing them into different categories, such as Downloads, Images, Videos, Audio, Documents, and more.
2. Solid Explorer
A great Android file manager app that lives up to its name, Solid Explorer is one of the best apps in its category. Alongside the usual file management features, Solid Explorer offers paid add-ons for cloud storage support. It enables users to manage files on Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, Box, Yandex, Mega, etc., with ease. Paid plugins are also available for USB OTG (on-the-go) support, Cast, and more. The app also lets users archive (ZIP, 7ZIP, RAR, TAR) and decompress files along with support for various network file sharing protocols (FTP, SFTP, WebDav, and SMB/CIFS).
Solid Explorer also offers you a ton of rich customization options, including custom themes and icon sets. Solid Explorer can also manage files on your Chromebook with support for mouse and keyboard input. If you want to check the Storage space on Chromebook, head over to the linked article to learn more.
3. Total Commander
Originally launched in 1993 on Windows 3.1 as Windows Commander, Total Commander is widely regarded as one of the best file manager apps on Android. It not only lets you explore files and folders on your device but also copy or move entire sub-directories. The app supports drag-and-drop, in-place renaming, directory creation, file deletion, file archiving, and a host of other features. It also supports various file sharing protocols (FTP, SFTP, WebDAV, LAN, OBEX) and cloud storage through plugins. Other key features include media player, directory history, ability to alter permissions of a file, and more.
- Pros: Ad-free, Supports root functions, Built-in media player
- Cons: Archaic UI
- Download Total Commander: Free
4. Astro File Manager
Astro File Manager is yet another of the best and popular file manager apps on Android, and it’s easy to see why. It brings the familiar Windows Explorer aesthetics to Android, including the unmistakable yellow folder icons. It helps you organize, move, and back up your files to the cloud, as well as clean up your Android phone’s memory to boost its performance. One of the most aesthetically pleasing file manager apps, it has a user-friendly UI for easy navigation. It also offers simple folder management for internal, external, and cloud storage.
5. X-Plore File Manager
X-Plore File Manager is yet another of the best file manager apps on Android. It offers a dual-pane tree view, with any two folders of your choice shown simultaneously. That makes it easy to copy and paste files between two folders or move files quickly between multiple locations.
6. Amaze File Manager
A free and open-source software (FOSS), Amaze File Manager is one of the best apps in the segment. I’d especially recommend the app to folks looking for a relatively simple app with a clean UI and zero ads. It is not the most feature-rich as some of the other apps on this list, but basic functions like cut, copy, delete, compress, extract, etc., are accessible with ease. What’s more, you can also work on multiple tabs at the same time. The app also has a navigation drawer and multiple themes with cool icons.
- Pros: Open-source, Root support, Clean UI
- Cons: Lacks advanced features, Still in beta
- Download Amaze File Manager: Free
7. Root Explorer
Root Explorer is one of the best Android file managers for rooted devices. No wonder that it has been a favorite of power users for a long time. It is also the only paid app on our list, with a $3.99 price tag. Features include multiple tabs and cloud support for Google Drive, Box, and Dropbox. There’s also support for SQLite database viewer, Text Editor, ZIP/ TAR/ GZIP archiving, RAR extraction, multi-select, execute scripts, remount, permissions, bookmarks, and more.
8. FX File Explorer
FX File Explorer features a Material Design UI and puts a high emphasis on privacy. The app serves no ads and claims not to track user activity. The app comes with a productivity-oriented home screen that lets you directly access important folders, media files, and cloud storage. There’s also multi-window support, as well as ‘FX Connect’ to transfer files from one phone to another with Wi-Fi Direct. Another notable feature is Web Access, which enables the transfer and management of files and media from your computer’s web browser.
9. RS File Manager
The penultimate app on our list is called RS File Manager, and it is a free, fast, and full-featured app on Android. It offers all the traditional file manager features, including multi-select, cut, copy, paste, move, create, delete, rename, search, share, hide, zip/ unzip, bookmarking, etc. Other notable features include access to cloud storage services (Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, Yandex), network storage support (FTP, FTPS, SFTP, WebDAV), LAN support (SMB 2.0, NAS, NFS, CIFS, FTP, HTTP), and more.
RS File Manager also comes with a built-in app manager and root explorer. There’s also support for compression and decompression (ZIP, RAR, 7ZIP, OBB), USB OTG, and SD cards. You can also access the files on your phone from your PC while sharing options include Bluetooth, e-mail, and more.
10. MiXplorer
The final app on our list, MiXplorer, is one of the best-kept secrets among mainstream Android users. Developed by senior XDA developer Hootan Parsa, it is undoubtedly one of the best file manager apps on Android. It is a fast, smooth, beautiful, reliable, and full-featured file manager with a simple and intuitive user interface. It is also completely free and serves no ads.
Other notable features of MiXplorer include different view modes and sorting options for each folder separately, as well as advanced search functions. There’s also an HTML viewer which supports MHT, Markdown, AXml, CHM, MAFF, and more. It also supports packing and unpacking 7z and Zip/Zip64 (splitted-encrypted), TAR, TAR.GZ, TAR.BZ2, GZIP, BZIP2, XZ, WIM, Lizard, LZ4, LZ5 and Zstandard.
