PCMan File Manager

PCMan File Manager, or PCManFM for short, is a super handy open-source file manager for Linux-based systems. It's lightweight and is the go-to file manager for the LXDE (Lightweight X11 Desktop Environment) project.

Key Features of PCManFM

This tool has some great features, like tabbed browsing that makes it really fast and efficient when you're working with large files. Plus, it has a clean and user-friendly interface that runs on the GTK+ toolkit. If you use the package from your Linux distribution's standard software repositories, all the necessary dependencies will be installed automatically.

User-Friendly Interface

The interface is familiar and looks a lot like Nautilus, which is the default file manager for GNOME. The cool thing about PCManFM is that it can easily take over from other popular file managers like Dolphin, Nautilus, or Thunar. While it's best on LXDE, you can also use it with GNOME, Xfce, or even KDE desktop environments.

Navigating with Ease

When you open PCManFM, you'll see a sidebar with four key bookmarks: Home folder, Desktop, Trash Can, and Applications. There's also an URL bar where you can type in the full path of any folder. Quick navigation buttons let you open new tabs or jump between folders easily. If you want to add more bookmarks to your sidebar, just hit CTRL+D while in a folder or use the Bookmarks menu.

Extra Tools at Your Fingertips

You can open your current folder in a Terminal or as Root through the Tools menu. The View menu allows you to see hidden files and even switch to Full Screen mode! You can view items as icons or lists and sort them by name, size, modification time—whatever works best for you! Plus, PCManFM shows how much free space is available on your local disk drive right in the sidebar.

Organizing Your Applications

An interesting feature is how it organizes installed applications into categories in the sidebar under “Applications.” This really cuts down on searching through a main menu! Overall, PCMan File Manager stands out as an easy-to-use alternative to more complicated file managers. If you're after something friendly and customizable for managing files and folders, we recommend giving PCManFM a try!