File Management Apps

One of the big differences between Android and iOS (iPad) is the ability to manage and move files with you in control.  There are a number of apps to do this, although you don’t necessarily need them!  All you need to do is plug you tablet into your computer and it appears as another device.  In file manager you can then upload and download anything you want between the devices and move things around.

It’s the ideal opportunity to clean up your device and transfer files, pictures and videos.

On the iPad you cannot do this directly.

However, you may wish to simply manage files on your device without being connected to a computer.  There are any number of such apps, many of which are free.

• ES File Manager is one of the most popular file managers available to Android users, and rightly so, as it provides a wealth of features for file management. The app covers the file management basics with an explorer window for copy, paste, delete and move operations; a sidebar for accessing your favorite folders; local storage locations; media galleries; a light media player; and an archive creator.
•  ASTRO Cloud & File Manager is another popular and powerful choice for file management. Like the name says, ASTRO includes both local storage and cloud storage management features, which means you can make sense of your internal storage and SD card space while also expanding your reach to the cloud.
• AntTek Explorer Ex is another full-featured file manager that applies the two-pane interface for easy drag and drop controls while also coming with a lot of modern extras. In addition to basic file management, AntTek supports file streaming from a remote server
• ‘Total Commander‘ will be familiar to many desktop users as it’s already a popular third-party file management tool for desktops. It uses two panes side by side. This apps makes copying, pasting, and comparing files and folders particularly easy to handle.
• X-plore File Manager features a two-pane file explorer with buttons and features displayed in a dividing column in the middle of the screen
•  “File Explorer“ or FX, offers a nice browsing interface that starts you out with a single window displaying bookmarks, files, and additional resources. You can then open up new windows that can be viewed in split view style, à la Total Commander, while also including the ability to create even more windows, for a combination of multi-tab and two-pane interface styles. The app includes thumbnail viewing, a text editor, support for WiFi SMB sharing, a Recycle Bin, and an optional Root Explorer plugin.

When using a file manager, you need to be aware of file extensions.  These are the (normally) 3 letter acronyms which appears on the very right of the file name after the dot.  They allow that particular file to be assoicated with a particular app, so that clicking/tapping it will run the file with that app (you often have more than one app that can open a file – hence the option which sometimes appears asking if you want to use a particular app just once and then asking if you want to make it the “default app” by going to settings and applications and choosing the default option.

There are thousands of file extensions.  Here are some of the common ones- what kind of files are they?

• .doc
• .docx
• .txt
• .csv
• .xls
• .mp3
• .avi
• .jpg
• .mp4
• .mpg
• .tif
• .gif
• .dnf
• .mdb
• .exe
• .com
• .pdf
• .htm
• .php
• .ttf
• .dll
• .sys
• .cab
• .zip
• .rar
• .tmp
• .bak