Table of Contents
Introduction
A file manager is the main graphical tool you use to browse, organize, and manage files and folders in a Linux desktop environment. While the command line can do everything a file manager can, beginners usually find a graphical interface more intuitive for daily tasks like copying documents, opening downloads, or cleaning up old files.
Different desktop environments ship with different default file managers, but they all share common ideas and behaviors. In this chapter you will learn what file managers do, how they are typically organized, and how to use their most important features without going into command line details that are covered elsewhere in the course.
Common Linux File Managers
On Linux, your default file manager usually comes from your desktop environment. For example, GNOME uses Files (also known as Nautilus), KDE Plasma uses Dolphin, XFCE uses Thunar, and many lightweight desktops use PCManFM or similar programs. They all present a graphical view of the same underlying filesystem, so if you open your home directory in any of them you see the same files.
Although their names and appearance differ, the basic functions are the same. You can open folders, create new folders, copy and move items, delete unwanted files, and access removable drives. Because these tasks are so similar, once you learn to use one Linux file manager, switching to another is mostly a matter of getting used to slightly different menus and icons.
Starting the File Manager
You typically open the file manager from the main application menu, a dock, or a panel launcher. There is usually an icon that looks like a folder. Clicking it opens a window that normally starts in your home directory.
On many desktops you can also open the file manager by pressing a keyboard shortcut. For GNOME, Super + E is common, and for KDE Plasma, usually the same. The exact shortcut depends on your distribution and configuration, but the idea is that you can quickly reach your files without searching through menus.
If you insert a USB drive or external disk, the desktop environment often offers to open it in the file manager. Clicking that option creates a new file manager window or tab focused on that drive.
The File Manager Window Layout
Most Linux file managers share a similar basic layout. At the top, you typically see a toolbar with navigation controls and a location bar. On the left, there is a sidebar with shortcuts to common places. The main area on the right displays the contents of the current folder.
The toolbar usually has Back and Forward buttons that work like a web browser history, letting you move through folders you recently visited. There is often an Up button that moves you to the parent directory of the current folder. Beside these, you may see buttons to change the view, search, or open a new tab.
The location bar shows the current folder path. In some file managers this appears as a series of clickable buttons, each one representing a part of the path, such as Home, Documents, and so on. In others you can click in the bar to see and edit the full path as text. This is useful if you know the exact path you want to visit.
The sidebar typically contains quick access shortcuts to important locations. These often include your home directory, Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Music, Pictures, Videos, Trash, and any mounted drives or network locations. The sidebar lets you jump quickly between these places with a single click, instead of manually stepping through many nested folders.
Understanding Views and Sorting
Most file managers let you change how files are displayed. Common views include an icon view, a detailed list view, and sometimes a compact view. Icon view shows larger icons and is convenient when working with images or when you prefer a more visual layout. List view shows smaller icons with additional columns such as file size, modification date, and type. This view is often better when you want to search visually for a file by name or sort many items.
Sorting controls decide the order in which files appear. You can usually sort by name, size, type, or modification date. Some file managers also let you reverse the sort order, for example from newest to oldest, instead of oldest to newest. Sorting options are usually available through a menu in the toolbar or by clicking on the column headers in list view.
You can also often choose whether folders appear grouped at the top of the list or mixed in with files. Grouping folders first can make navigation easier, especially in large directories.
Basic Navigation Between Folders
To move into a folder, you double click it. To go back up one level, you can click the Back button or the Up button, or use keyboard shortcuts. Some file managers let you press Backspace or Alt + Up for similar navigation. Over time you will find the combination that feels faster to you.
You can move directly to a location by using the location bar. Many file managers support a shortcut such as Ctrl + L to focus the location bar as text. You can then type a path, such as /home/yourname/Documents, and press Enter to jump there. This combines the precision of the command line with the convenience of a graphical interface.
Another common feature is tabs. Instead of opening many separate windows, you can open multiple tabs inside a single file manager window. A new tab usually starts with your home directory. Tabs help keep your workspace organized when you are working on several different folders at once, for example copying files from Downloads to Documents and Pictures to an external drive. You can switch between tabs by clicking them or by using keyboard shortcuts like Ctrl + Page Up and Ctrl + Page Down, depending on the file manager.
Opening Files and Choosing Applications
In a file manager, double clicking a file usually opens it with a default application. For example, an image may open in an image viewer, a text document in a text editor, and a video file in a media player. Sometimes you might want to open a file with a different program.
You can right click on a file and look for an option such as “Open With” or “Open With Other Application.” This shows a list of installed programs that can handle that file type. You can pick one time or set a new default. For instance, you might change your preferred text editor from a basic editor to a more advanced one.
File managers remember these preferences per file type, so every .txt file, for example, will open with the chosen application until you change the association again.
Creating, Renaming, and Deleting Items
Creating a new folder is one of the most common tasks. Usually you right click in an empty area of the main view and choose “New Folder,” then type a name. Many file managers also support a keyboard shortcut like Ctrl + Shift + N for this action. Organizing your files into folders such as “Work,” “School,” or “Projects” keeps your home directory manageable.
Renaming a file or folder is typically done by right clicking on it and choosing “Rename.” Alternatively you may be able to select the item and press F2, or click slowly twice on the name. When you rename something, be careful with hidden files and folders that start with a dot, because they often store configuration settings.
Deleting items usually sends them to the Trash or Wastebasket, not directly removed from disk. This lets you recover something if you delete it by mistake. The Trash appears in the sidebar and you can open it to see its contents. From there, you can restore items to their original locations or permanently delete them. Some file managers offer a “Delete Permanently” option that skips the Trash. Use that only when you are sure you no longer need the file.
Always check the destination before deleting permanently. Once you empty the Trash or use permanent delete, recovering files is often difficult or impossible for typical users.
Copying, Moving, and Drag and Drop
Copying and moving files are central tasks in any file manager. The simplest method is drag and drop. You select one or more items, then click and hold while dragging them onto another folder in the sidebar or in the main view. Depending on where you drop them, the file manager may interpret this as a move or a copy.
When you drag items within the same filesystem, the usual behavior is to move them. When you drag them to a different device such as a USB drive, the default behavior is often to copy them. Many file managers allow you to hold a modifier key such as Ctrl or Shift to force a copy or move, but the exact key can vary.
Another approach uses the clipboard. You can right click an item and choose “Copy” or “Cut,” then navigate to the destination folder and choose “Paste.” Keyboard shortcuts such as Ctrl + C for copy, Ctrl + X for cut, and Ctrl + V for paste work similarly to other desktop applications. Cut followed by paste performs a move, and copy followed by paste duplicates the item.
File managers often show progress windows for larger transfers, with estimated time remaining and transfer speed. You can usually minimize these windows and continue working during long operations, such as copying a large collection of photos to an external disk.
Selecting Multiple Files
To work efficiently, you often need to select more than one file at a time. File managers give you various ways to select multiple items. You can click and drag a selection box around items in icon view. You can hold Ctrl and click individual files and folders to select or deselect them one by one. You can often use Shift click to select a range from one item to another.
Some file managers have a menu option or shortcut such as Ctrl + A to select all items in the current folder. Once selected, all chosen files and folders can be moved, copied, or deleted together. This is essential when cleaning up old downloads or organizing large collections of data.
Working with Hidden Files
Linux uses a simple convention for hidden files and folders. Any name starting with a dot, such as .config, is hidden by default in graphical file managers. Hidden items often store application settings and should not be modified casually.
File managers usually provide an option to show or hide these items. This is often found in a View menu or triggered by a shortcut such as Ctrl + H. When you toggle it, hidden files appear slightly faded or with a different icon style so you can distinguish them. For normal daily use you can leave hidden files invisible. When you need to adjust a configuration or look for application data, you temporarily enable their display.
Avoid deleting or renaming hidden files or folders unless you know what they are for. Many applications rely on them, and changes can reset settings or cause unexpected behavior.
Managing Drives and External Devices
File managers in Linux also help you work with storage devices. When you plug in a USB drive, an external hard disk, or insert a memory card, a new entry usually appears in the sidebar. Clicking it opens the contents and makes the device available, a process known as mounting.
You can copy files to and from this device just like any other folder. Once you finish, it is important to unmount or safely remove it before physically disconnecting it. In the file manager this is usually done by right clicking the device name in the sidebar and choosing an option like “Eject” or by clicking a small eject icon next to it.
Unmounting ensures that all data is written to the device and reduces the risk of corruption, especially for USB drives. After the device disappears from the sidebar or shows that it is safe to remove, you can unplug it.
Searching for Files
Most modern file managers have a built in search feature. There is usually a search box near the top of the window or a shortcut such as Ctrl + F that activates it. When you start typing, the file manager filters the contents of the current folder or performs a deeper search depending on how it is configured.
Some file managers support full content search, using an indexing service that scans files in the background. This lets you search for text inside documents, not just names. Others provide only name based searches. There are often options or filters so you can limit results to certain file types, date ranges, or sizes.
Graphical search is convenient when you only remember part of a file name or a general idea of where you saved something. More advanced command line search techniques are covered separately, but for most beginners the file manager search is enough for everyday use.
Tabs, Split Views, and Advanced Layouts
To make file management more efficient, many file managers support tabs and sometimes split views. Tabs keep several folders open and easily accessible inside a single window. You can drag items between tabs or right click a folder to open it in a new tab.
Split view divides the main area into two panels that can each show a different folder. This is especially useful for large copy or move operations, for example organizing photos from a camera card into structured subfolders. Instead of switching back and forth, you can see both source and destination at once and drag items directly between them.
Some file managers let you customize panels further by adding side panes for information such as file details or previews of images and documents. These metadata panes can show size, type, modification time, and sometimes thumbnails, which helps you quickly inspect files without opening them.
Permissions and Ownership at a Glance
Linux permissions and ownership are managed at the system level and will be explained in detail elsewhere. File managers present a simplified view of this information. If you right click a file or folder and open Properties, you usually see a Permissions tab that shows who owns the item and what actions are allowed for different categories of users.
You can sometimes change these settings from the file manager if you have the necessary rights. For your own files in your home directory, this is often allowed. For system files, changes may require administrative privileges and the file manager might ask for your password or disallow the change. While it can be convenient to adjust permissions graphically, it is safer to learn the underlying concepts before making many changes.
Integration with Other Desktop Features
File managers are closely integrated with the rest of the desktop environment. You can drag files from the file manager into other applications, for example dropping an image into an email or an office document. You can create desktop shortcuts by dragging a file or folder to the desktop, depending on how your environment handles the desktop space.
Many file managers support “Open Terminal Here” from a right click menu. This opens a terminal window whose working directory is the current folder. It is a convenient way to transition from graphical file management to command line operations in exactly the right location, without manually changing directories.
File managers can also show special virtual locations such as “Recent Files” or “Starred” items. These are not real directories but dynamic views that collect recently opened documents or items you have marked as favorites. Using these features can speed up access to files you use often.
Customization and Preferences
You can usually customize how the file manager behaves and appears through its preferences dialog. Options often include the default view mode, whether to show hidden files by default, whether to confirm before deleting, and what to do when you plug in a new device.
You can often change the default folder that opens when you start the file manager. Some users prefer the home directory, others might choose a work folder they use daily. Adjusting icon sizes and the amount of information shown under each icon can make the interface more readable, especially on high resolution displays or small screens.
While these preferences vary from one file manager to another, spending a few minutes exploring them can make your daily work smoother and more comfortable.
Conclusion
File managers provide a graphical, intuitive way to explore and manage the Linux filesystem. They give you visual access to your home directory, external devices, and system locations, and they integrate well with the desktop environment and applications. After practicing navigation, copying, moving, deleting, and searching, you will be able to handle most day to day tasks without touching the command line. As you become more comfortable, you will see that file managers and terminal tools are simply two different views of the same underlying system, and each has its strengths depending on what you want to accomplish.