Tiffany Antopolski
tiffany.antopolski@gmail.com
Shaun McCance
shaunm@gnome.org
Phil Bull
philbull@gmail.com
Michael Hill
mdhillca@gmail.com
David King
amigadave@amigadave.com
Manage and organize files with the file manager.
Daniel Șerbănescu
daniel [at] serbanescu [dot] dk 2016, 2019

# Browse files and folders

Use the Files file manager to browse and organize the files on your computer. You can also use it to manage files on storage devices (like external hard disks), on file servers, and on network shares.

To start the file manager, open Files in the Activities overview. You can also search for files and folders through the overview in the same way you would search for applications.

# Exploring the contents of folders

In the file manager, double-click any folder to view its contents, and double-click or middle-click any file to open it with the default application for that file. Middle-click a folder to open it in a new tab. You can also right-click a folder to open it in a new tab or new window.

When looking through the files in a folder, you can quickly preview each file by pressing the space bar to be sure you have the right file before opening it, copying it, or deleting it.

The path bar above the list of files and folders shows you which folder you’re viewing, including the parent folders of the current folder. Click a parent folder in the path bar to go to that folder. Right-click any folder in the path bar to open it in a new tab or window, or access its properties.

If you want to quickly search for a file, in or below the folder you are viewing, start typing its name. A search bar will appear at the top of the window and only files which match your search will be shown. Press Esc to cancel the search.

You can quickly access common places from the sidebar. If you do not see the sidebar, press the Show Sidebar button in the top-left corner of the window. You can add bookmarks to folders that you use often and they will appear in the sidebar.