XFile - File manager for Unix/X11

XFile is a compact file manager for Unix and alike systems running X11. It presents the file system as is, without imaginary locations, trashcans etc. XFile uses its own file type association database written in typical Unix/RC file syntax. The user interface is easily configurable and customizable with X resources. Mounting support for file systems defined in fstab, and integration with mount daemons that manage a dedicated media directory is also included.

The application is written in C, and has no dependencies, save for X and Motif. It is built using simple Makefiles. The source code is freely available under the terms of the X/MIT license.

Downloads

Latest release: xfile-src-1.0.4.tar.xz (Mar 14 2026).

Notable changes since 1.0.3 release:

• Input dialogs now have Home/End keys bound to the text field.
• The %n variable in tools commands will now expand to each file name in its own context,
  making token pasting work as expected for multi-selections also.
• Fixed the issue of not being visible to xlsclients(1).
• The rather pointless Access Time field is no longer shown in the attributes dialog.
• Fixed occasional mount point detection issues.

See the included README file for build instructions. On Linuxen, make sure to review and adjust the installation prefix and X resources (app-defaults) location, since defaults may not be suitable for all distros. The application is usually tested on FreeBSD and Debian GNU/Linux. If you have a question that isn't answered in the FAQ and manpage, feel free to contact me (Alex): mail@fastestcode.org

Documentation and Addons

XFile FAQ/Guide contains hints on configuring XFile as well as defining custom file types and handlers. See also Motif/EMWM FAQ on Motif based applications in general.

xfile-addon.tar.xz (Updated Jan 03 2026)
Since XFile ships with a very basic file type database, additional (mostly application specific) icons and file type definitions are provided in this tarball. To install, simply untar contents into ~/.xfile/. Read the README file inside the tarball for details.

xfile-xdgsvc-src.tar.xz (Updated Dec 26 2024)
A shim that allows xfile to act as xdg/freedesktop default file manager and be launched over dbus (such interface is used by some GTK programs, notably firefox and gimp). See the README file included.

xfind-src.tar.xz (Updated Feb 28 2026)
A simple, graphical file search utility (see screenshot) that interfaces with XFile. See the README file included, for installation instructions.

xfile-slanted-icons.tar.xz (Updated Dec 26 2024)
Alternate (indigo magic inspired) set of directory icons for xfile (to install, just copy *.xpm files into ~/.xfile/icons)

Screenshots

Click for a larger picture.

xfile screenshot xfile screenshot xfile screenshot

Links

Git repositories and distfiles archived/mirrored on SourceForge and Github.

See also: EMWM • XImaging • Misc. X Stuff • Homepage About