I changed Files by Google with an uglier app, and I am not going again

Files by Google works nice for primary file administration, has a pleasant UI, and is useful if you need to do some cleanup and free up storage. However, it does not allow you to make folder shortcuts or transfer recordsdata from Drive to native storage.

After making an attempt a few well-liked file managers for Android, I settled on X-plore. This is just not the best-looking app by way of UI, however it beats all the gorgeous ones by way of usability. From WiFi file sharing and built-in viewers to enhancing ZIP recordsdata and saving them again, X-plore has changed Google Files on my cellphone for good.

Dual-pane tree view

See each supply and vacation spot with out switching tabs

The very first thing you discover if you open X-plore is the dual-pane format. Your display splits into two panels, every displaying a tree of folders you’ll be able to increase and collapse. If you will have ever used Windows Explorer or these previous DOS-era file managers like Norton Commander, it will really feel acquainted.

This format makes copying and transferring recordsdata far much less tedious. Instead of navigating to a folder, choosing recordsdata, hitting transfer, after which looking for the vacation spot folder one faucet at a time, you’ll be able to see each the supply and the vacation spot facet by facet. Select recordsdata on one facet, faucet the goal folder on the opposite, and hit copy or transfer. It sounds easy as a result of it’s, and it is one thing most file managers still don’t offer.

The tree view additionally helps if you’re making an attempt to determine what’s consuming your storage. You can increase folders degree by degree and see precisely the place issues are buried, as a substitute of tapping into one folder after one other and dropping observe of the place you began.

Network and cloud entry

One app in your NAS, servers, and cloud drives

X-plore pulls collectively each distant storage possibility I care about right into a single interface. It helps SMB/LAN for accessing shared folders on my Windows PC, FTP for fast transfers, SFTP over SSH for safe connections, DLNA for media servers, and WebDAV for self-hosted setups. If you employ a NAS at house, you will actually love what X-plore has to supply.

What’s extra, you’ll be able to add a number of accounts from the identical cloud service. So when you’ve got, say, three Google Drive accounts for work, private, and a shared one, all of them present up as separate entries within the sidebar. Same goes for Dropbox and OneDrive. Most file managers allow you to join one account per service, so this can be a step-up in case you work with a number of cloud accounts.

Supports WiFi file sharing and net server

Transfer recordsdata with out touching a USB cable

Now Wi-Fi file sharing is the function that made me pay for the complete model. Granted, it is not the most costly app on the planet, however it all the time takes one thing particular for an app to make me pay. Turn Wi-Fi file sharing on, and X-plore begins a small net server in your cellphone. It offers you a URL you could open in any browser in your laptop. From there, you’ll be able to browse your cellphone’s recordsdata, obtain them, or add recordsdata to your cellphone, all by the browser window.

I’ve solely used Blip or LocalSend to maneuver a big video or a batch of screenshots to my PC. With X-plore I can toggle the Wi-Fi sharing possibility, open the hyperlink on my laptop computer, and drag recordsdata in both path. It works on any system linked to the identical community, whether or not that is a Mac, a Chromebook, and even one other cellphone.

The net interface is bare-bones, however it does its job. You get a primary file itemizing, add buttons, and folder navigation. You should not going to mistake it for a sophisticated net app, however it works quick and does not want any setup past tapping a button.

Built-in viewers

Open PDFs, movies, and databases with out leaving the app

X-plore comes with its personal viewers for PDFs, pictures, movies, music, and plain textual content recordsdata. That means you needn’t soar out of the file supervisor and into one other app simply to test the contents of a file. Tap a PDF, and it does not trouble you with choosing a devoted app, however opens it in its personal viewer. Similarly, in case you faucet a photograph, you get a full-screen preview.

There’s a SQLite database viewer as properly. If you are into Android growth or simply interested by how apps retailer information, X-plore helps you to open .db recordsdata and browse their tables. It’s a distinct segment function, however it saves you from putting in a separate database browser. There’s additionally a hex viewer if you should examine uncooked file information.

You can configure X-plore to make use of its built-in viewers by default or hand off recordsdata to no matter system app you favor. I maintain the built-in viewers for fast previews and solely swap to devoted apps after I have to edit one thing. It cuts down on the variety of apps I need installed, in order that’s a plus.

Advanced options

Root-level entry and energy instruments most apps skip

X-plore can attain folders that almost all file managers would not. After Android 11 locked down entry to the Android/information listing, lots of file managers misplaced the power to browse app information. X-plore presents deeper entry, and when you’ve got Shizuku arrange in your system, it may go even deeper without having full root entry.

For rooted customers, X-plore has devoted root options that allow you to browse and edit system recordsdata. But even with out root, the ability instruments are strong. Disk Map offers you a visible breakdown of what is utilizing your storage, sized by how a lot house every folder takes.

Then there are checksums for verifying file integrity, a vault with actual AES encryption for delicate recordsdata, sync jobs for preserving folders mirrored between places, and an app supervisor that exhibits APK signatures.

When usability beats fairly interface

X-plore generally is a little annoying on the free model. It exhibits full-page adverts if you first open the app or whilst you’re navigating between folders. It does not occur consistently, however it’s frequent sufficient to interrupt your circulation if you’re in the course of transferring recordsdata round. The donate model, which prices about $3 on the Play Store, removes these adverts totally and unlocks premium options like WiFi file sharing and SSH. For what you get, that is a no brainer.

Compared to FX File Explorer, X-plore will get way more frequent updates, despite the fact that FX does make ascending and descending sorting a bit simpler. If you’ve got been utilizing Total Commander, X-plore will really feel simply as highly effective however extra intuitive, particularly the WiFi file sharing that Total Commander lacks. And in case you grew up utilizing Windows Explorer, the tree format will really feel like coming house.

It’s not the prettiest file supervisor on Android, however as soon as you’ve got labored with that dual-pane view and people community instruments, going again to something easier looks like a downgrade.