My new favorite Android file manager is way better than Google's default - and it's free

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ZDNET cardinal takeaways

• Material Files is simply a well-designed Android record manager.
• This app blows distant the competition.
• Material Files is escaped and tin beryllium installed from the Play Store.

I've tried truthful galore Android record managers implicit the years. I've seen those that look bully but deficiency features, those that person excessively galore features and a pleasing aesthetic, and those that look unspeakable and don't person capable features. 

It's been a tiresome journey, 1 that yet had maine giving up and sticking with the default. Until now.

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Recently, I stumbled upon Material Files, which is an open-source Android app, and I astir instantly proclaimed it the cleanable Android record manager. It looks autochthonal connected my Pixel 9 Pro and has precisely the close magnitude of features. When you unfastened Material Files, you would deliberation that it was built by Google specifically for Android, but it's not. 

What's truthful large astir Material Files?

Material Files is developed by Hai Zhang and, to my surprise, is escaped to instal and usage and has nary pesky in-app purchases. How tin this be? Well, it is, and I'm not astir to look this acquisition equine successful the chompers.

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Material Files features bookmarks, distant connections, a built-in FTP server, transportation options for FTP, SMB, and WebDAV, the quality to person aggregate windows unfastened simultaneously, prime all, unfastened successful terminal, transcript path, share, filters, and more. 

In different words, it has everything a bully record manager should. Now you mightiness beryllium wondering wherefore a bully record manager has maine doing a blessed dance. One of my biggest issues with truthful galore record managers is the deficiency of SMB support. 

I support a Samba server moving connected my network, truthful I tin easy prevention and unfastened files from immoderate machine. Most Android record managers deficiency the quality to link to that server, or, if they do, the UI is terribly designed and cumbersome to use.

The distant connectivity diagnostic unsocial makes this record manager 1 of the best.

Jack Wallen/ZDNET

Material Files fixes that with casual SMB connections and a UI that's casual to navigate. For example, if I privation to link to an SMB server, I pat the three-line paper fastener adjacent the apical left, pat "Add storage," pat SMB server erstwhile prompted, and either hold for the app to automatically find the SMB server (which it does each time) oregon pat "Add manually" and participate the details myself.

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Material Files supports respective options for distant connectivity.

Jack Wallen/ZDNET

Once I've added a server, Material Files saves the transportation for casual access. It doesn't get immoderate easier than that. 

Material Files does a large occupation of accessing DCIM storage, Downloads, Movies, Music, and Pictures, and it has a shortcut to Screenshots. The method of accessing screenshots with the Google record manager is awkward astatine best, truthful that diagnostic is simply a blessing.

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One different diagnostic that I emotion is that you tin navigate to a determination successful Material Files, pat the three-dot paper fastener successful the precocious right, and pat "Create shortcut" to adhd a location surface launcher for the peculiar folder oregon determination you are presently browsing. I created a shortcut to my SMB directory, truthful I tin instantly entree it from my location screen. That's convenient.

How to get Material Files

Material Files is installed done the Google Play Store.

To instal the app, each you person to bash is hunt for it successful the store, pat the entry, and past pat Install. That's it. Once installed, unfastened it and commencement navigating your files and connecting to your distant locations. You volition not find a amended record manager for Android. Period. This is the 1 to which each others should beryllium compared, and to which each developers should aspire. 

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Trust maine erstwhile I accidental this is the lone Android record manager you need. Get it, usage it, and hide astir the different record managers.