In This Article
The right file manager turns “where did that download go” into a two-tap answer. Here are the six worth installing, and the one to keep off your phone.
Quick answer
For most people, the file manager already on the phone is enough. Files by Google handles everyday cleanup, search, and sharing without a download. Install a third-party app only for a specific job the defaults do badly: browsing a NAS over SMB, opening RAR archives, a dual-pane copy view, or root access. For those, Solid Explorer is the best paid pick and Material Files is the best free one. Skip anything carrying the ES File Explorer name.
Android gives you a real file system, and a real file system needs a browser. The good news: the built-in option finally got good. Files by Google ships on Pixel phones, Samsung adds My Files, and between them they cover routine cleanup, search, and sharing for most people.
So the reason to install something else has narrowed to a short list of specific jobs. You want to browse a network drive. You need to crack open a RAR file. You miss the two-pane copy view from a desktop. You run a rooted phone and need access the defaults block. This roundup covers the six apps worth keeping for those cases, and ranks them by how many readers each one actually suits.
Best option for most people
Files by Google is the right answer for almost everyone, and you probably already have it. It is fast, free, free of ads, and built around the two things people actually do: find a file and clear some space. Reach past it only when you hit a wall it cannot climb, and the picks below tell you which app climbs which wall.
At a glance
| If you want to | Use | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Clean up storage and find files fast | Files by Google | Free |
| Browse a NAS, open RAR, copy in dual-pane | Solid Explorer | Paid, one-time |
| Use a desktop-style two-pane manager for free | Total Commander | Free |
| Stay open source with zero telemetry | Material Files | Free |
| Get a free all-rounder with archive and cloud support | X-plore File Manager | Free, optional unlock |
| Dig into system folders on a rooted phone | Root Explorer | Paid |
1. Files by Google
Files by Google is the default that earned its place. It ships pre-installed on Pixel phones and many other Android devices, so for most readers this is a settings choice, not a download.
It does the everyday work well. A clear storage breakdown shows what is eating space, duplicate detection and junk cleanup free it up, and Nearby Share moves files to another phone without a cable. Search is quick, and the interface stays out of the way. It is no longer the thin afterthought it once was.
The honest limit: it is built for local storage and basic cleanup, not power use. There is no SMB or FTP browsing, no dual-pane view, and archive support stops at ZIP. For most people that ceiling never gets in the way. For the jobs it cannot do, the next five picks exist.
Highlights
- ⭐ Best for: everyday cleanup, search, and sharing without installing anything.
- ⚠️ Watch out for: no network browsing, no dual-pane, ZIP only.
- 💰 Pricing: free, no ads, no in-app purchases.
Key features
- Storage cleanup: flags duplicates, junk, and large files in a few taps.
- Nearby Share: sends files to another Android phone offline.
- Clean storage map: shows where space went, by category.
Get it on the Google Play Store. Files by Google is Android-only; iOS has no equivalent.
2. Solid Explorer
Solid Explorer is the one to buy when the defaults run out of room. It is the strongest paid file manager on Android, and the price is a one-time unlock rather than a subscription. Confirm the current figure on the Play Store, since regional pricing varies, but it is firmly in pocket-change territory.
The feature set is what you pay for. Dual-pane browsing makes moving files between two locations a drag-and-drop instead of a juggling act. It speaks SMB and FTP, so a NAS or home server shows up like any other folder. Cloud accounts plug in alongside local storage, and archive support covers RAR, not just ZIP. For anyone with a network drive, that SMB browsing alone justifies the cost.
It is polished enough that power features never feel bolted on. The trade-off is simply that it costs money, and a reader who only ever cleans up local storage will not need any of it.
Highlights
- ⭐ Best for: power users with a NAS, a home server, or heavy archive work.
- ⚠️ Watch out for: it is a paid app, overkill if you only manage local files.
- 💰 Pricing: one-time unlock after a trial, confirm the price on the Play Store.
Key features
- Dual-pane view: two folders side by side for fast moves.
- SMB and FTP: browse a NAS or server as a normal folder.
- Full archive support: opens and creates RAR as well as ZIP.
Solid Explorer is on the Google Play Store, and the developer keeps feature notes on the official Solid Explorer site. It is Android-only.
3. Total Commander
Total Commander carries decades of desktop heritage onto Android, and it does it for free. If you used the Windows version, the Android app will feel instantly familiar: the same two-pane layout, the same dense, function-first approach.
Functionality arrives through plug-ins. Add the SMB plug-in for network shares, the FTP plug-in for servers, WebDAV for cloud drives, and the app extends exactly as far as you need. Nothing you do not install is loaded, which keeps the core app lean.
Here is the honest part: the interface is spreadsheet-dense and makes no apology for it. A newcomer will find it busy. A veteran will find everything exactly where muscle memory expects. It is free, capable, and unfashionable, and its fans would not trade it.
Highlights
- ⭐ Best for: desktop veterans who want a free two-pane manager.
- ⚠️ Watch out for: a dense interface and a plug-in setup step.
- 💰 Pricing: free, core plug-ins are free too.
Key features
- Classic dual-pane: the desktop two-column layout, on a phone.
- Plug-in system: add SMB, FTP, and WebDAV only as needed.
- Lightweight core: loads only the plug-ins you install.
Find it on the Google Play Store, with the full plug-in list on the official Total Commander Android page. It is Android-only.
4. Material Files
Material Files is the pick when you want a file manager you can trust on principle. It is open source under the GPL, and the code is public for anyone to audit. There is no telemetry and no advertising, which is the whole point.
It is also genuinely pleasant to use. The interface follows Material Design, so it looks at home on a modern Android phone, and performance is quick. Archive handling, an FTP client, and root support are built in, which is more than the clean look suggests.
You can install it from the F-Droid open-source app catalog as well as the Play Store, which suits readers who prefer to stay outside Google’s store. The catch is scope: it does not match Solid Explorer’s deep SMB and cloud toolkit. For a privacy-first reader, that is a fair trade.
Highlights
- ⭐ Best for: privacy-first and open-source readers who want a clean, fast app.
- ⚠️ Watch out for: a lighter network and cloud toolkit than the paid options.
- 💰 Pricing: free and open source, on F-Droid and the Play Store.
Key features
- Open source, no telemetry: GPL-licensed, auditable, ad-free.
- Material Design interface: clean, modern, and fast.
- Built-in extras: archive support, an FTP client, and root access.
Get it on the Google Play Store or from F-Droid. Material Files is Android-only.
5. X-plore File Manager
X-plore File Manager is the free all-rounder, the app to reach for when you want one tool that does a bit of everything without spending money. It pairs a dual-pane layout with a wide feature set and a generous free tier.
The coverage is broad. Archive support handles RAR as well as ZIP, an FTP client browses servers, and cloud accounts connect alongside local storage. A built-in viewer for images, video, and text means you can check a file without leaving the app. An optional one-time purchase removes ads and unlocks a few extras, but the free version is fully usable.
It does not have the visual polish of Material Files or the depth of Solid Explorer. What it offers is range at no cost, and for a reader who wants RAR support and FTP without paying, that is a strong deal.
Highlights
- ⭐ Best for: readers who want a free do-everything manager with RAR and FTP.
- ⚠️ Watch out for: ads on the free tier and a busier look than rivals.
- 💰 Pricing: free with ads, optional one-time purchase to remove them.
Key features
- Wide format support: opens RAR and ZIP archives natively.
- FTP and cloud: connects to servers and cloud accounts.
- Built-in viewers: previews images, video, and text in-app.
X-plore File Manager is on the Google Play Store. It is Android-only.
6. Root Explorer
Root Explorer is the specialist, and it is honest about it. This is a paid app built for one audience: people running a rooted phone who need to reach the system folders Android normally keeps locked.
For that audience it is the deepest tool here. It browses the full system partition, edits files in protected directories, and includes a text editor and archive support tuned for that work. If you run a custom ROM and tweak system files, this is the app that does the job cleanly.
For everyone else, it is the wrong pick. A phone without root cannot use its core features at all, so the audience is small by design. If you do not know whether your phone is rooted, it almost certainly is not, and you want one of the five picks above instead.
Highlights
- ⭐ Best for: owners of rooted phones and custom ROMs who edit system files.
- ⚠️ Watch out for: useless without root, and editing system files can break things.
- 💰 Pricing: paid, one-time purchase on the Play Store.
Key features
- Full root access: browses the system partition end to end.
- Protected-folder editing: changes files Android normally locks.
- Built-in tools: a text editor and archive handling for system work.
Root Explorer is on the Google Play Store. It is Android-only and needs a rooted device.
The app to avoid
Safety first
Skip ES File Explorer. Google removed it from the Play Store as part of a wider takedown of apps from its developer, DO Global, after the brand became notorious for bundled adware. Apps using the ES name today are clones, often ad-heavy and sometimes worse. Stick to the six picks above and leave the legacy brand alone.
ES File Explorer was once the most popular file manager on Android, which is exactly why its name still circulates. Its removal is documented in the public record of the ES File Explorer delisting. A familiar name is not a safety guarantee. The six apps in this roundup are current, maintained, and trustworthy, so there is no reason to gamble on a clone.
What changed with Scoped Storage
If an older file manager once reached folders a new one cannot, Scoped Storage is usually the reason, not a bug. Google introduced it a few Android releases back, and it is enforced on every current version, to stop apps from rummaging through the entire file system.
In practice, an app now gets full run of its own space and shared media folders, and asks permission for anything beyond that. The apps in this roundup are built for those rules and handle them gracefully. The one real exception is deep system access, which still needs genuine root, and that is what Root Explorer is for. Google’s official storage documentation spells out where the lines fall.
The verdict
The verdict
Bottom line: file management on Android is a solved problem, and for most readers Files by Google solves it with no download required.
Reach further only for a specific job. Buy Solid Explorer if you have a NAS or do heavy archive work. Pick Total Commander if you want a free desktop-style two-pane manager. Choose Material Files if open source and zero telemetry matter to you. Take X-plore for a free all-rounder with RAR support. Keep Root Explorer for a rooted phone, and skip it otherwise. Whatever you choose, give the ES File Explorer name a wide berth.
Questions people actually ask
- Do I really need a third-party file manager?
Most people do not. Files by Google covers everyday cleanup, search, and sharing for free. Install something else only for a specific job the defaults skip, such as SMB browsing, RAR archives, a dual-pane view, or root access. - How do I open a RAR file on Android?
Use Solid Explorer or X-plore File Manager. Both open RAR archives natively. Files by Google and Material Files handle ZIP only, so RAR needs one of the dedicated apps. - Will a third-party file manager work on the latest Android?
Yes. Every app here is maintained and built for current Android. Scoped Storage limits broad file-system access for non-root apps, and these handle that gracefully. Deep system access still needs genuine root. - Can a file manager show hidden folders like WhatsApp statuses?
Yes. Turn on the show-hidden-files option and you can reach hidden folders. Files by Google has the toggle, and Solid Explorer and Material Files browse the same paths under shared media storage. - Is ES File Explorer safe to use?
No. Google removed it from the Play Store after the brand became known for bundled adware. Current apps using the ES name are clones. Use one of the six picks above instead.
How we tested
We checked each app on a Pixel 8a and a Galaxy S24 running current Android, confirmed every pick is live on the Google Play Store, and verified feature claims against vendor documentation and the F-Droid listing for Material Files. The ES File Explorer removal is cross-checked against the public record. We revisit this guide when an app’s behavior or store status changes.
