Each Android ROM consists of a file management app. However, it is usually a “bone-reduced” application that does not integrate all the more useful features that distinguish alternative apps that are much more complete and versatile.
A file management application is particularly useful on Android devices because it allows you to copy and move items from the internal memory to the SD card or transfer files to or from shared folders on the local network. If you can switch files from one Android device to another, even when not connected to the same router, you can use apps like those presented in the article Transfer files between two Android devices: how to do this, to copy files to a shared folder in any PC (or vice versa), you can use one of the best designed and built file managers for Android.
The best file management apps allow you to connect, from your Android device, not only to shared folders in LAN via SMB/Samba but also to the main cloud services such as Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, Box and others as well as to FTP, SFTP and WebDAV servers.
Thanks to the copy and paste functionality, it becomes so easy to transfer files from your smartphone or to it.
Once the queen app among the best file managers for Android was ES File Manager: for some time now, however, it has become a bit too heavy and invasive.
Solid Explorer
For a couple of years now we have been using with satisfaction the excellent Solid Explorer presented in the article Android File Manager, as the best of the moment.
Not all the features of Solid Explorer are free (registration costs a few pennies and is highly recommended) but this app for file management is undoubtedly among the best, if not the best ever.
Solid Explorer has a very convenient user interface, clear, clean and above all usable. From the main menu (top left button) you can quickly access the contents of the local memory and all the devices or accounts configured.
By pressing the “+” button at the bottom right, you can create new folders and files, but above all, by pressing on New remote connection, you can establish a connection with many types of resources. Access to shared folders in LAN is very simple: just select LAN/SMB and enter the access credentials (Shared folder permissions in Windows: how to manage them).
Another “exclusive” feature of Solid Explorer is the possibility of orienting the smartphone horizontally (landscape mode) so as to obtain two separate panels of the file manager: in the first you can open the folder that will receive the files, in the second the folder that contains them. This will make it easy to select the files of interest, copy them and paste them elsewhere.
Go files
The free Google file manager is a great choice for those who are not inclined to switch between folders. The application offers a global view of the content of the Android smartphone by dividing the files not on the basis of the location of memory in which they are stored but according to their type.
So by tapping on Downloads, Apps, Images, Videos, Audio, Documents, Go Files, you will see the files that belong to each category, regardless of their location in the phone’s memory.
Go files is therefore an excellent tool to simply find files that did not remember where they were stored.
After selecting a category, the All tab will display the corresponding files. The folders listed on the right are the ones that actually contain the various elements.
For more information, we recommend reading the article File manager Android: Google releases Files Go, here’s how it works.
Total Commander
Total Commander’s excellent reputation in the Windows environment also infects Android. To manage files from your mobile device, wherever they are stored, Total Commander (downloadable from here) is an excellent choice.
The application is completely free and does not contain any advertising messages; the interface can certainly be improved but it preserves the retro taste of its Windows counterpart.
Total Commander allows you to manage only the files and folders on your smartphone: to access shared folders in LAN, WebDAV servers, cloud services such as Google Drive, FTP/SFTP folders you will need to install special plugins. All plugins are hosted on the Play Store and direct links are published on this page.
In Total Commander you can select one or more files by tapping on their icon on the left. At this point, by pressing and holding on one of the selected files, you can send them to other folders, copy them to memory, delete them and so on.