File Wrangler is a free and very simple Android file browser

There is no shortage of file browsers and managers on Android. Most of them have been developed years ago and continue to evolve and add features, others are comparatively new but also feature-packed. But most times, you don’t need the hundred bells and whistles of these apps, you just want an easy way to open folders and copy and edit files, all in a simple interface. If you’re looking for this kind of app, you should check out File Wrangler.

Simple Interface

File Wrangler’s interface is the first thing that drew me to it. It is clean and very easy to understand. On phones, you are immediately taken to your device’s internal storage, with the list of folders displayed clearly. Swipe left and another pane appears. You can navigate each of these independently, an option that comes in handy if you are copying files across different directories.

File Wrangler is a no-full file browser

On tablets (or in landscape on phones), the two panes appear next to each other. There’s also a Quick-Draw drawer that lets you bookmark your most visited files of folders so you don’t have to look for them each time you need them.

On tablets, the two panes and the Quick-Draw appear next to each other

Intuitive Actions

If you long-click on any file or folder, you enter the selection mode, and can then select more, share, copy, delete, view details, rename, and even compress the file(s) and folder(s).

You can also drag and drop these selected items to the other pane, bypassing the manual copy and paste (which, by the way, also gives you the option to completely move the file, instead of just copying it).

Selection mode

More great options

Not only is File Wrangler capable of browsing files and managing them, it has a few more positive points in its favor:

• It is free and ad-free, so the interface isn’t crowded by any ads.
• You can set the default home path.
• It can compress and unpack .zip and .tar files.
• You can choose to show hidden files and folders.
• It can show you files thumbnails, which comes in handy when browsing images or videos.
• It works just as well on phones and tablets.
• It has a clipboard that saves whatever item(s) you copied last and lets you browse as long as you want then paste them.
• The app asks for the bare minimum of Android permissions.

You can download File Wrangler and give it a try for yourself. I have been using it for over a year, with no issues, and I always install it on any new device I get and recommend it to friends. It’s well-made and incredibly easy to understand and use, which is exactly what a file browser should be.