After knowing elementary OS, downloading and installing it, now we learn to use its File Manager that is called Files. With file manager we access files, folders, documents, disk partitions, external drives, by browsing, creating, copying/moving, renaming, and deleting files. By this guide you learn how to do those things with Files. More that that, there are also Open In Terminal and Color Folders which are important to learn. I wish this guide will be useful for everybody getting started with elementary OS. Enjoy!
Subscribe to UbuntuBuzz Telegram Channel to get article updates directly.Switch from Windows 7 to elementary OS: Review | Download | Install | Post-Install | User Interface | Office Suite | Tweaks | Customization
File Manager Overview
Files is the name of this file manager. Simple looking, minimal number of buttons, grey-white colored. Features are:
- Simple but modern user interface
- Headerbar, no menubar, that is titlebar mixed in one with toolbar
- No minimize, it remembers last place when user closes it
- Thumbnails, list, and compact view modes
- Zoom with keyboard
- Basic navigation, address bar, single-click to open, go back/forward
- Basic manipulation, including copy/paste, delete, make new folder
- Color folders
- Multitabbing
- Left panel displays Home, Partitions, and Network groups of locations
- Capacity indicator in every active Partition
- Search (Ctrl+F) is limited to address bar drop-down menu, not done in main area
- Recycle bin
$ files.elementary.io --version
** Message: 03:06:02.201: Application.vala:50: Report any issues/bugs you might find to https://github.com/elementary/files/issuesio.elementary.files 4.0
1. Running File Manager
- Open Applications Menu (Super+Space)
- Find Files with folder icon.
- Click it.
- File manager running.
To put file manager in Plank (bottom dock), drag and drop Files icon from Applications Menu onto Plank.
2. View
This section discusses visual looks of the file manager. This includes explanation of headerbar, panel, and main area.
- Green: headerbar.
- Red: left panel.
- Yellow: tab bar.
- Blue: main area.
More about titlebar, please read Wikipedia. More about headerbar, please read elementary, GNOME and KDE.
Files file manager uses top element of its window that is called Headerbar. If you are familiar with macOS, since Yosemite, you will find it very similar. Here's example of headerbars of three windows of Files.

- Close button
- Back button
- Forward button
- Thumbnails view button
- List view button
- Compact view button
- Empty space
- Address bar
- Empty space
- Maximize button
3. Accessing Files and Folders
Accessing is several things: display, select, open, copy-paste, cut-paste, rename, delete, and special.
Select:
Click the check mark on a file or a folder so that it displayed with grey background. To deselect, click the check mark once again so it lost its grey background.
Open:
Click an item to open it. Folder content will be displayed, file will be opened in another application.
Copy-Paste:
Select a file > right-click > Copy > go to a folder > right-click empty area > Paste > file copied.
Cut-Paste:
Select a file > right-click > Cut > go to a folder > right-click empty area > Paste > file moved.
Move:
Drag and drop a file from a folder into another folder. This is actually the same as Cut-Paste.
Rename:
Right-click a file > Rename > file displays a text box > type new file name > press Enter > file renamed.
Display:
Files represented to us differently according to their types. The file manager automatically previews several types such as documents, PDFs, pictures and videos, but doesn't preview for folder and executable files.
Special:
Folders outside of user's Home folder are forbidden except for administrator user. You cannot create nor delete any file within a forbidden folder. This is a normal security system so don't worry. This is the reason you see Lock icon on every folder under / directory and other folders below it. To Unlock them all, you need a special Files window: run Files > Files icon displayed on Plank > right-click Files icon > New Window As Administrator > root access File Manager opened.
4. Accessing Disk & Partitions
![]() |
Picture 4.1 (Devices section on left panel displaying several partitions) |
Other than File System, Files displays disk partitions of Hard Disk Drive you have right below it. You will see them with their filesystem label, not with alphabets like D:\, E:\, F:\, unlike Windows. If you have not yet rename every one of your partition, you might see them labeled with "such and such GB partition". For example, picture 4.1 depicts my disk partitions with funny names such as dingo, libre2, yakkety, etc. as I named them when I created them.
If you have USB flash drive or external HDD attached, of perhaps DVD disk, Files displays them also on the same place.
To open a disk partition, click the name. To savely remove it, click Eject (black triangle) button after its name.
5. Multitab and Multiwindow
Files works with multitab just like a web browser and on elementary OS you can display two windows of it side by side fullscreen.
- To create new tab, click + button below address bar area, and a new tab created.
- To open new window, right-click Files icon on Plank > New Window, a new window opened.
- To arrange two windows of Files side by side, drag a Files window and push mouse cursor to left edge of screen, and drag another Files window and push it to right edge of screen. The result should looks like picture below.
6. Open In Terminal
- Open a folder.
- Right-click an empty space > Open In > Terminal.
- A Terminal window opened with prompt located in same directory within Files.
This feature is very helpful for example to access a deep path folder quickly and to teach using console commands more easily to newbies. By this, it is not necessary anymore to type multiple commands just to go to a long addressed directory. Talking about AppImage, it is also easier to execute it by this.
7. Open With
You can open a file type with alternative application installed instead of the standard one you have. To do so, right-click a file > Properties > a small informative dialog opened > change Open With selection to alternative program you want > Close > open that file > file opened with alternative program. For example, if you were accustomed to open MP3 file in Music Player, you can instead do "Open With" it in Audacious Player. Another example, instead of opening TXT file in Code Editor, you can "Open With" Geany if you already have it. Picture below depicts those and opening a photo alternatively with Shotwell instead of Photo Viewer.
8. Coloring & Bookmarking
You can give color to a certain folder to make it unique to others:
- Right-click a folder.
- Select a color from color selection.
- Your folder name is now colored.
- To revert back, do the same but click X on the color selection.
You can put several folders you love the most on left panel as quick access:
- Go to folder you want.
- Press Ctrl+D.
- Folder displayed on left panel.
- Repeat that for other folders you love.
For example, as I am teaching, I put my teaching materials as bookmarks along with my writing materials for I currently writing a book (I wish I could finish it as soon as possible). If you are a graphic designer, you can bookmark folders related to your graphic assets or tools. If you are a programmer, you can bookmark folders containing references and coding materials. And so on.
9. Searching
- Press Ctrl+F.
- Address bar changed to search bar.
- Type keyword you want to search.
- Press Enter.
- Search result displayed as drop down rather than result we usually see on main area.
- Move selection with Up/Down arrow.
- Press Enter to go to selected file.
- Press Esc to close search functionality.
Closing Words
Up to this section you should have basic abilities to navigate and manipulate between folders and files with elementary OS file manager. With this ability you can already live with elementary OS lively. Files will be your close friend everyday. Next time, you will learn more about installing additional applications and more stuffs. That's all. Enjoy!
Further Readings
- https://blog.elementary.io/the-heuristics-of-headerbars
- https://tech.slashdot.org/story/18/01/27/2245240/should-apps-replace-title-bars-with-header-bars
- https://wiki.gnome.org/Initiatives/CSD
- https://developer.gnome.org/gtkmm-tutorial/unstable/sec-buildapp-header-bar.html.en
- https://wiki.gnome.org/Initiatives/GnomeGoals/HeaderBars
- https://developer.gnome.org/hig/stable/header-bars.html.en
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Window_decoration#Title_bar
This article is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.