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FILE MANAGER

HiFile

Version: 0.9.9.5

Web: www.hifile.app

A file manager is an integral part of a desktop environment. And while most do an adequate job of handling files and folders, for a majority of users, they aren’t everyone’s cup of tea. HiFile is one of the growing list of third-party file managers that make up for the shortcomings of the default ones.

The app is available as an AppImage. Grab it from its website, and make it an executable via your existing file manager, or with chmod +x .

One of the highlights of HiFile is that it’s lightning fast and lightweight. On first launch, you’re asked to select some basic settings, such as language and colour theme, which you can change later.

It uses a dual-pane layout, which is a traditional layout in many file managers. If you haven’t used one before, you’ll soon realise its convenience, especially when it comes copying and moving files and folders. You can use HiFile for all common file manager tasks, such as renaming, deleting, creating archives or extracting items from them, viewing text files, binary files or images, and much more. Interestingly, HiFile treats archives as normal folders; you can open them and perform any operations as with normal folders.

You can also use it to find, filter and sort files or folders. If you have folders that you tend to visit often, you can bookmark them with Ctrl+B or the star icon. This then makes it easier to access them.

HiFile is highly customisable, too. You can also zoom in and out of the interface just as you do in a web browser. Hold down the Ctrl key and then either scroll with the mousepad or touchpad, or with the + and - keys.

Talking of keyboard controls, one of HiFile’s specialities is the use of the spacebar to jump from one location to another. Also, when you start typing the name of a folder, HiFile quickly points you to the correct folder.