Google Files was released as a simple Android Go style app, but over time it evolved into Android File Manager, by replacing the “Files” application in the latest versions and no longer “go” in the name.
The application is gone add new functions little by little, so it’s easy to lose sight of what you can and can’t do with this app. Here we present its main functions, so that you get the most out of it.
Manage your files
Google Files is a file manager, so obviously you can use it to manage your files. It sounds like a huge no-brainer, but at l aunch the app didn’t work like this: it wasn’t until a year after launch that it enabled browse mobile folders
The truth is that this function is still a bit hidden, because if you want to check the storage of the mobile in the classic style (by folders, instead of grouping them by type) you have to open the Explorer tab and go, at the bottom, at Internal storage.
As a file manager, Files is not as complete as MiXplorer and others, but it has all the basics, accessible from the ⋮ menu of each file: copy, move, rename, share and delete, with recycle bin included.
Unzip the files
Who has Google Files has a ZIP file decompressor, without needing to install anything else. Tap a ZIP file in Google Files to bring up a floating window in which the content is listed. After pressing Extract, they will be automatically unzipped and organized by categories.
The “bad” news is that Google FILES does not allow you to compress files, which is possible with the Google Files app. Whereas Google Files replaces the Files, the normal thing would be that in the future it would also be possible to do this in Files.
Hide documents in a secure folder
Google’s Files app includes its own hide files securely, something that is becoming more and more popular being in different layers of personalization and even in Google Photos. The difference, of course, is that here you can hide any file, be it a photo, video, document or whatever.
To do this, you need to use the context menu of any file and press Move to secure folder. You can then choose whether you want to use a PIN code or a pattern to protect your files. You can access your private folder from the tab To explore.
Send files without data
With the arrival of Share with Nearby, the Google Files file sharing system has been somewhat eclipsed, even though it was one of the first options offered to the app. It is a system for send files from one mobile to another without using data
The use is very simple: you must have Google Files open on both mobiles. In one of them you choose To send and the file; on the other, you press To receive. Then you just need to accept the transfer and wait for the sending to complete.
Delete unnecessary files
Google Files was born as an app for free up space on mobile devices, something that is obvious since it is the first tab of the application To clean. The freeing up of Google Files space covers several sections – which we will see below – in most cases being a manual cleanup.
An automatic cleaning and this implies that you press a button is junk file, above all. This automatically removes temporary files, without you having to choose what is valid and what is not, like in other cleanup options.
Remove duplicates
Still in the area of cleaning, a very useful function of Google Files is to find duplicate files. The app searches for pairs of identical files that you have multiple times in storage, although you are responsible for choosing what you want to delete.
The good thing about this feature is that the search requires the files to be completely identical and you can select All duplicates to automatically select copies. However, it is recommended that you review your selections first just in case.
Free up space
The functions to free up space on the Google Files mobile are numerous and are all centralized in the Clean tab. Besides cleaning up junk files and duplicate files, you will see other cleaning tips, depending on the cases that apply to your mobile.
These suggestions range from apps you haven’t been using recently for large files or videos from applications such as WhatsApp or Telegram. Here you have to be careful not to delete anything that you might regret, although you will still have the Recycle Bin to retrieve what was deleted.
View your photos, videos and audios
Finally, we must not dismiss Google Files as an app for see the content you have on your mobile, ideal if at that time you have nothing better on hand. For example, you can view photos or videos from the app itself.
At this time, Google Files will not replace VLC, but lately it has added several improvements to its integrated reader including gestures and even support for casting to a Chromecast, etc.
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