Linux best console file manager

8 Best Linux Console File Managers

If you’re a Linux user, you may be familiar with console, which is a command-line interface that allows you to interact with your operating system using text commands. While many Linux users prefer to use graphical user interfaces, there are times when console can be more efficient and powerful, especially for tasks like file management. That’s where console file managers come in. These tools allow you to navigate, copy, move, and delete files and directories using a text-based interface. In this article, we’ll take a look at eight of best console file managers for Linux.

Midnight Commander

Midnight Commander is a classic console file manager that has been around for over 20 years. It’s a favorite among many Linux users for its simplicity, ease of use, and powerful features. Midnight Commander has a two-pane interface that allows you to navigate your file system and perform file operations with ease. You can use arrow keys to move around, and F keys to access various commands. For example, F5 is copy command, F6 is move command, and F8 is delete command. Midnight Commander also has built-in support for many file types, including archives, RPM packages, and FTP servers.

Ranger

Ranger is a modern console file manager that takes a different approach to file management. It’s designed to be more minimalist and keyboard-centric, with a focus on speed and efficiency. Ranger has a single-pane interface that displays your file system in a tree structure. You can navigate using arrow keys, and press Enter to open a file or directory. Ranger also has a powerful set of keyboard shortcuts that allow you to perform common tasks quickly. For example, you can press dd to delete a file, cc to copy a file, and yy to copy path of a file to clipboard.

Vifm

Vifm is a console file manager that’s modeled after classic file manager from Amiga operating system. It has a two-pane interface that’s similar to Midnight Commander, but with some unique features. For example, Vifm has built-in support for file previews, so you can quickly preview images, text files, and other types of files without having to open them in a separate program. Vifm also has a powerful command-line interface that allows you to perform complex file operations with ease.

Nnn

Nnn is a minimalist console file manager that’s designed to be fast and lightweight. It has a single-pane interface that displays your file system in a list format. You can navigate using arrow keys, and press Enter to open a file or directory. Nnn also has a powerful set of keyboard shortcuts that allow you to perform common tasks quickly. For example, you can press d to delete a file, m to move a file, and c to copy a file.

MC Clone

MC Clone is a console file manager that’s based on Midnight Commander. It has a similar two-pane interface, but with some additional features. For example, MC Clone has built-in support for Git, so you can perform Git operations from within file manager. MC Clone also has a powerful command-line interface that allows you to perform complex file operations with ease.

Lfm

LfM is a console file manager that’s designed to be simple and easy to use. It has a single-pane interface that displays your file system in a tree structure. You can navigate using arrow keys, and press Enter to open a file or directory. LfM also has a powerful set of keyboard shortcuts that allow you to perform common tasks quickly. For example, you can press d to delete a file, c to copy a file, and m to move a file.

Double Commander

Double Commander is a console file manager that’s similar to Midnight Commander, but with a more modern interface. It has a two-pane interface that allows you to navigate your file system and perform file operations with ease. Double Commander also has a powerful set of keyboard shortcuts that allow you to perform common tasks quickly. For example, you can press F5 to copy a file, F6 to move a file, and F8 to delete a file.

FFF

FFF is a minimalist console file manager that’s designed to be fast and lightweight. It has a single-pane interface that displays your file system in a list format. You can navigate using arrow keys, and press Enter to open a file or directory. FFF also has a powerful set of keyboard shortcuts that allow you to perform common tasks quickly. For example, you can press d to delete a file, m to move a file, and c to copy a file.

Choosing Right Console File Manager

When it comes to choosing a console file manager, there are a few things to consider. First, consider your level of experience with command line. Some file managers, like Midnight Commander, are more user-friendly and have a lot of built-in help. Others, like Ranger, are more minimalist and require a bit more knowledge of command line.

Another thing to consider is types of files you’ll be working with. Some file managers, like Vifm, have built-in support for file previews, which can be useful for working with images or text files. Others, like MC Clone, have built-in support for Git, which can be useful for software development.

Krusader

Krusader is a console file manager that’s designed to be a powerful alternative to graphical file managers like Nautilus or Dolphin. It has a two-pane interface that allows you to navigate your file system and perform file operations with ease. Krusader also has a powerful set of features, including support for archives, FTP, and network shares.

Dired

Dired is a console file manager that’s built into Emacs, a popular text editor for Linux. It has a single-pane interface that displays your file system in a list format. You can navigate using arrow keys, and press Enter to open a file or directory. Dired also has a powerful set of keyboard shortcuts that allow you to perform common tasks quickly.

NcursesFM

NcursesFM is a console file manager that’s designed to be simple and easy to use. It has a single-pane interface that displays your file system in a list format. You can navigate using arrow keys, and press Enter to open a file or directory. NcursesFM also has a powerful set of keyboard shortcuts that allow you to perform common tasks quickly.

Console File Manager

Console File Manager is a console file manager that’s designed to be fast and lightweight. It has a single-pane interface that displays your file system in a list format. You can navigate using arrow keys, and press Enter to open a file or directory. Console File Manager also has a powerful set of keyboard shortcuts that allow you to perform common tasks quickly.

Choosing right console file manager can be a matter of personal preference and workflow. It’s worth trying out a few different options to see which one works best for you. With so many great options available, you’re sure to find one that meets your needs.

Finally, consider your personal preferences when it comes to interface and workflow. Some file managers, like Ranger, are designed to be more keyboard-centric and efficient. Others, like Double Commander, have a more modern interface that may be more visually appealing.

Conclusion

Console file managers are powerful tools that can make file management in Linux more efficient and powerful. Whether you’re a command-line expert or a beginner, there’s a console file manager out there that will meet your needs. From classic simplicity of Midnight Commander to minimalist efficiency of Ranger, there’s a file manager for every user. So give one a try and see how it can improve your workflow in Linux.

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8 Best Linux Console File Managers

Linux console file managers can be very helpful in a day to day tasks, when managing files on a local machine or when connected to a remote one. The visual console representation of the directory helps quickly perform file/folder operations and save us some time.

In this article, we are going to review some of the most frequently used Linux console file managers and their features and benefits.

GNU Midnight Commander

Midnight Command, often referred to simply as mc and is one of the top file managers discussed in this article. Mc comes with all kinds of useful features, aside from copy, move, delete, create files and directories you can change permissions and ownership, review archives, use it as FTP client and many more.

To install midnight commander you can use the following commands:

$ sudo apt install mc [Debian/Ubuntu] $ sudo yum install mc [CentOS/RHEL] $ sudo dnf install mc [Fedora]

Ranger Console File Manager

Ranger is another top choice when, looking for a console file manager. It has a vim like interface, preview of the selected file or directory, bookmarks mouse support and tabbed view.

To install ranger you can use the following commands:

$ sudo apt install ranger [Debian/Ubuntu] $ sudo yum install ranger [CentOS/RHEL] $ sudo dnf install ranger [Fedora]

Cfiles Fast Terminal File Manager

Cfiles is a fast terminal file manager written in C and uses ncurses, similar to ranger, it also uses vi keybindings. It has few dependencies such as cp, mv, fzf, xdg-open and others. While it is lightweight, its installation requires few more steps:

To install cfiles, first you need to install development tools using following commands:

$ sudo apt-get install build-essential [On Debian/Ubuntu] $ sudo yum groupinstall 'Development Tools' [on CentOS/RHEL 7/6]

Next, clone the cfiles repository and install it using following commands.

$ git clone https://github.com/mananapr/cfiles.git $ cd cfiles $ gcc cf.c -lncurses -o cf $ sudo cp cf /usr/bin/ #Or copy somewhere else in your $PATH

More detailed review of cfiles can be found here: Cfiles a terminal file manager for Linux.

Vifm Console File Manager

Vifm is another command line based file manager, which uses curses interface. This one however copies some features from mutter. If you are vim user, you won’t need to learn new set of commands to work with vifm. It uses same keybindings and also has the ability to edit several kind of files.

Similar to other console file managers, it has two panes, supports auto completion. It also supports various of different views for comparison of file trees. You can also execute remote commands with it.

To install Vifm you can use the following commands:

$ sudo apt install vifm [Debian/Ubuntu] $ sudo yum install vifm [CentOS/RHEL] $ sudo dnf install vifm [Fedora]

More detailed review of vifm can be seen at: Vifm command line based file manager for Linux.

Nnn Terminal File Browser

Nnn is the fastest console file manager in our list. While it has less features compared to other file managers, it is extremely lightweight and it is closest to a desktop file manager on what you can get on console. The interaction is simple and allows new users to easily get used to the terminal.

To install nnn, you can use the following command:

$ sudo apt install nnn [Debian/Ubuntu] $ sudo yum install nnn [CentOS/RHEL] $ sudo dnf install nnn [Fedora]

More detailed preview of nnn can be found at: Nnn – fast and friendly terminal file browser.

Lfm Last File Manager

Lfm shortened for Last File Manager is a curses based console file manager written in Python 3.4. It can be used with 1 or 2 panes. It has some useful features such as filters, bookmarks, history, VFS for compressed files, tree view and direct integration with find command, grep utility, df command and other tools. Customize themes are also available.

To install Lfm, you can use the following command:

$ sudo apt install lfm [Debian/Ubuntu] $ sudo yum install lfm [CentOS/RHEL] $ sudo dnf install lfm [Fedora] $ sudo pacman -S lfm [[Arch Linux]

You can also install lfm using pip command:

lf – List Files

Lf – “List files” is a command line file manager written in Go, inspired by Ranger. Originally it was meant to fill the gaps of missing features that ranger had.

Some of the main features of lf are:

• It’s cross platform – Linux, OSX, Windows (only partial).
• Single binary without any runtime dependencies.
• Low memory footprint.
• Configuration with shell commands.
• Customizable keybindings.

Future plans, include the activation of mouse control.

To install lf simply download the binary related build for your OS from the lf releases page.

WCM Commander

The last in our list is WCM command which is another cross platform console file manager.The authors of the WCM commander meant to create a cross platform file manager which mimics the features of Far Manager.

It has a built in terminal, built in text editor and viewer, syntax highlighting, virtual filesystem, and very fast user interface. Mouse support is also enabled. Package for each OS can be found on the WCM download page:

Conclusion

This was our short presentation on some of the top Linux console file managers. If you think we have missed one or like some of them more, please share your thoughts in the comment section.

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