File Managers
Last updated: 2024, Wed Jun 5th at 14:47 CDT
This a list of file managers that I prefer, for a variety of reasons. There are a lot to choose from these are just a tiny selection of them.
NNN #
NNN is a CLI based file manager. It is very light and responsive, with a lot of plugins and configuration available. It does have mouse, multi tab, and multiple navigation support.
To Install: #
Preferred method
For basic use, install with package manager, if you want icons, trash, or other features its best to compile it yourself
sudo pacman -Su nnn
AUR: nnn-icons, nnn-nerd
sudo apt install nnn
sudo dnf install nnn
sudo zypper in nnn
Build Instructions #
Dependencies may be different than the names listed depending the distro. The ones listed below are for APT packages
Dependencies #
apt install make pkg-config libncursesw5-dev libreadline-dev
Build #
Either download the latest source release and decompress it or clone the repo
git clone https://github.com/jarun/nnn
either way you choose then enter the directory
cd nnn
There are several options, available when compiling. For example by default the details are printed first then the names, but if you want the names printed first then you can compile it with the O_NAMEFIRST option. A list of these supported user patches can be found in
patches on the website. If you want Icons enabled you can find instruction in the
wiki. To build with git status column and emoji icons
make O_GITSATUS=1 O_EMOJI=1
Essentials #
There are a lot of plugins to make this file manager more flexible with things like live previews, to install the plugins the easiest way is
cd ~
sh -c "$(curl -Ls https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jarun/nnn/master/plugins/getplugs)"
then follow the configurations page.
Yazi #
Yazi is a terminal file manger written in Rust. With full asynchronous support, multiple CPU tasks can be done efficiently across multiple threads. Like most file managers, Yazi has multi-tab support, along an expanding feature set including bulk rename and several different search/find options.
To Install: #
Preferred method
The best way to install would be though crate.io
sudo pacman -Su yazi
AUR: yazi-git
sudo zypper in yazi
Build Instructions #
Dependencies may be different then the names listed depending the distro. The ones listed below are for APT packages, along with Rust
Dependencies #
apt install make gcc
rustup update
Build #
git clone https://github.com/sxyazi/yazi.git
cd yazi
cargo build --release
Then, you can run:
./target/release/yazi
Additional install options
Can install
yazi-fmfrom crates.iocargo install --locked yazi-fm
Essentials #
To change the
base presets copy any of config files into ~/.config/yazi/
Dolphin #
Dolphin is one of KDEβs file manager, built with QT, with multiple tabs and split view features. It can display files and folders from many Internet cloud services and other remote machines. There is integrated terminal support, that allows you to run commands on the current folder. You can expand the capabilities of Dolphin even further with powerful plugins.
To Install: #
Preferred method
Dolphin is best installed though the package manager for your distro, it works best if installed with other KDE apps.
sudo pacman -Su dolphin
sudo apt install dolphin
sudo dnf install dolphin
sudo zypper in dolphin
Additional install options
If you need a standalone client, you can choose a Flatpak or a Snap
Essentials #
Some of the available and most useful extensions are listed on their official site.
Thunar #
Thunar is the GTK based file manager for XFCE, it has split view and multiple tab support. Thunar uses a clean and intuitive interface for quick startup and navigation. Functionality can be expanded with its plugins.
To Install: #
Preferred method
Thunar is best installed though the package manager for your distro.
sudo pacman -Su thunar
sudo apt install thunar
sudo dnf install thunar
sudo zypper in thunar
Essentials #
Some of the available and most useful plugins are listed on their official site.