FileBrowser: Documents Manager Reviews

by Woody The Woodchuck

Why would anyone selling a _utility_ app force purchasers to print the associated manual double-sided (no option for single sided printing) and, to top it off, include a watermark that is almost as dark as the text—rendering the printed manual virtually unreadable? For all I know, this may be the greatest app since soft ice cream but I may never get there because I can’t read the dang manual. Seriously, people, think of your users when you make decisions like this.

FWIW, the problem I’m having that I was looking for an answer to in the manual is how to selectively access documents from a particular app on my iPad and move them to/access them from other iPads and even my MBP. Some things are easier to scan for in a printed document—IN MOST CASES. Mind you, I’ve used Macs since 1984 and iPads since they first came out, so I rarely need to access manuals. But FileBrowser appears to have sufficient meat that reading the manual might have been worthwhile.

by Northern_Flicker

Unfortunately, this was a total waste of a purchase for me. I was looking for a file manager app that offers a password-protected file area in addition to a startup password. As I always do prior to purchasing an app, I carefully read the description here in FileBrowser Store, and then I went to the dev’s website to read up on all the features not listed in FileBrowser Store description.

The website stated this: “We pride ourselves in the security of our product and the flexibility it provides you. You can set a startup password, lock the My Private Files area, and set the level of protection you need.”

What the description failed to mention, however, is that you don’t get to choose the password for the “My Private Files” area. It is automatically set as the exact same password as the startup password, which is totally mind-boggling. Once I discovered this, I immediately deleted FileBrowser .

Perhaps you should make this fact clear in the description, so others don’t waste their time and money. There is really no point in offering the ability to lock the “My Private Files” area if it must share the same password as the startup password. If someone happens to crack the startup password, they can also get right into the “My Private Files” area by entering the very same password. I doubt anyone who takes security seriously would consider that a security feature.

by Teriego

this app can move files from just about anywhere to ... wherever or whatever app your iOS device can touch. It is also one of the better music file managers - especially if you want an iOS alternative to iTunes, or need to stream music from the cloud or off of a NAS. The most notable, and most irritating, exception to the usefulness if this app is the limited access it has to iCloud. I expect that this is an Apple issue - sandboxes and greed being what they are these days. Well, my work-around is to store files somewhere other than iCloud if I think I might need the mobility... sorry, Apple but, like Microsoft, you guys just don’t really have your users foremost in your plans. With time, users learn.

by IPad Bob

Big changes with tabs, drag and drop. With mouse and trackpad support and improved multitasking on iPad these changes make sense. UI is a bit “Cartoony”, I like the old UI better, but then drag and drop would not have worked. Developer response below is 2yrs old from previous release.

Enhancement request - Support for NFS on Linux would be a suggestion, FTP is a poor substitute. Look at nPlayer (a video player, not file manager) for a good implementation of nfs. I have to use FileBrowser to get files to and from some systems that only support nfs. System->nPlayer via nfs->this app via Apple’s Files app and back is just a pain but works. It would so much nice to go straight from FB to/from system via nfs without needing 2 other apps.

by R010159

I have been using FileBrowser for years. Recently I belatedly found that I could also access the files on my PC. So right in front of me I have access to my network server, my PC, and my Dropbox files. It is interesting that photos on the iPad show up as actual files within this app that can be treated as any other file instead of having to go to the more limiting iOS Photos app. FB also has a built in server which allows other devices to exchange files with you independent of platform, such as a PC. Outstanding attention to functionality!

Here is where I have been very surprised. Apple introduced their Files app recently, iOS 11. It is their first attempt at a file manager. It is limited. What is interesting is that when users want to open a file from within an app like Pages, their new file manager opens where the file can be selected. this app shows up as a selection. If you make that selection, when this app is running, you have access to all the locations for files that you have when you are in that this FB app. The locations are displayed as directories. This includes files on the PC, online storage like Dropbox, and your network servers. This is quite an enhancement for the Apples Files app. So I can open a file on my PC from within Pages or other iOS apps. This is very nice indeed!

by Weekapog

With MacOS Server (High Sierra and Server App 5.4), this app is unable to access shared volumes made available via File Sharing for Local Network Users (users that cannot log into the server but have accounts setup via the Server app to access services on the server). This issue greatly reduces the usability of FileBrowser for our purposes. The interoperability issue may exist with other versions of MacOS and/or the Server app.

Access to shares of Local Users (users that can log in the server, such as our IT administrator) appears to work fine.

I am not sure if the issue is with this app app or with how Apple keeps adjusting/deprecating file serving features of MacOS.

If anyone from Stratospherix can comment on whether this is a known issue, a known incompatibility, or if this is a bug that is being worked on, I would be most appreciative.

EDIT: Thank you Stratospherix for providing support regarding Apple’s switch to SMB and requirement for domain/workgroup. After updating file share credentials, all works well. Back to five stars!

by Zachary_300

Great app I use it for accessing my network storage setups and it works great very fast so simple to use and setup I think my grandma could do it. I love that I can sign in with touch id the only complaint I have is that when setting up network storage at least to windows is that when signing in if the storage server does not have a password there is no button that says does not have a password but I figured out if I hit connect without imputing anything it would work anyways otherwise a fantastic app definitely recommended.

by Inverse.lee

I was skeptical of an app that seemed to do what I wanted to do with files on an iPad, and obviously the Apple version of files was completely inadequate. This application deserves to be al default application in terms of its ability to share files like a true computer. You can browse your computer as if your there, you can drag your iPad down and play a video file on your computer and stream it to your iPad anywhere in the same WiFi range without actually transferring it at all. I’m in complete awe of FileBrowser. If they could find a way to actually run programs that would just be the absolute nuts.

by Lookingwolf

I’m new to Apple products. I bought an iPad Air 3. I was having learning curve problems. I couldn’t get files moved to where I wanted, causing me a lot of grief. I tried many file managers, The one that came with the IPad was just about worthless for my needs.
After a month and a half of fooling around with different apps, finally FB file manager answered all my file transferred needs. FileBrowser has just about every file transfer function anyone needs. I turned on the operational hints to help me navigate through the options. I was able to connect two NAS servers and get my videos easily transferred from an attached USB flash drive into an email as an attachment with very little trouble.
I take my hay off to the FB app developers. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a solid file management app. Good Job!

by AlohaKid808

I actually got two apps after searching for apps that will allow SMB connections. THIS is the one! Having access to all my drives from my iPad is great. AND if you have an Apple TV, there is a version for it also. Being a photographer it’s nice to see my images on my 4K tv. Reads all my Canon raw files!

The ONLY thing that I’m not sure about for the iPad version is the menu tab for “iCloud”. It does not show my iClouds files. I have looked at all the documentation and really see nothing referring to iCloud. I see how to add stuff like Box, DropBox, One Drive, etc., but nothing for iCloud. Developer, am I missing something? NOT a biggie but I am curious.

by ThinksDeeply

I have been using File Browser nearly since it’s beginnings and it is absolutely the most efficient and effective browser made for iOS devices. It handles local, cloud, and NAS file systems effortlessly. The user interface is straightforward and logical. I have yet to find anything that I need to do with a file that isn’t handled by this awesome app. AND to top it all off FileBrowser and it’s developers DO NOT COLLECT any data from my devices, the files on my system, or any of my activity. This is a major PLUS for an iOS app.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for producing such a reliable and secure utility app.

by H-scott

Get FileBrowser! Best solution I’ve found to display pc files on my Apple TV (4th generation) as well as your iPhone and iPad. Plus this app provides a slideshow feature for your photos and also streams your videos. My pc’s are running Linux which I use for network shares which I can now access using this app on both my iPhone and iPad. Very easy to setup plus excellent instructions are provided to setup a free Zerotier One VPN connection so your files are also available when you’re away from home. And the best part... excellent support! I emailed a question one afternoon and had a response the next morning.

by Music Lover 555

I’ve been using FB for a number of years and it just keeps getting better with every release.

Makes it so easy to connect to networked computers and drives. I love that it can show a “Folder” view even for DLNA devices where other apps only show a “Library” view.

One improvement that i hope they can make is to address lost connections. For example, if I pause playback of an MP3 file on a network drive for more than a few minutes, the connection is lost. On reconnecting, FileBrowser doesn’t remember the file or file path being accessed. A refresh option to reestablish the connection would be great.

by 1500Contacts

I’ve been using File Browser now for over five years now and it solve all the local file sharing issues between my home computer and my iOS devices. Even after Apple add some file management capabilities to iOS, I find FileBrowser is so feature rich that I will still use it over iOS’s limited file management options. File Browser lets me easily save or access files on my local network connected computer from my iPad and iPhone directly, and has for many years now. Stratopherix is routinely adding new features to FileBrowser and keeps it updated. I’ve had no issues with FileBrowser whatsoever.

by Tweakphile

I have had the application for awhile - it was “okay”.

Recently the developer has really stepped it up. If you have a server (multiple here) where you keep files FileBrowser has grown into a very useful tool. The user interface is pretty good and it’s capabilities have really grown to where this VERY useful in our home. It is how I manage files on my home servers. It has become very simple to share files from it to others as well.

Well done little app - if you need to manage files. Not drag and drop easy on my older devices, new iPads are needed for that, but “it just works” like apps for Apple products are supposed to.

by Mike In WA State

FileBrowser allows me to exchange files across my iOS, OS, Windows 10 & XP platforms using my in-house WiFi network. One frequent thing I do is take a picture with my iPhone and within seconds get it onto to my Win 10 machine, then into PhotoShop for whatever. The results out of PhotoShop are then saved on the SSD and available to all WiFi devices.

Another frequent use is exchange of business files between my Win 10 and XP machines. Those two platforms no longer communicate well. FB solves the problem. Before discovering FB I would use email with attachments for this.

Hardware wise I have an SSD connected (ethernet) to an Apple Time Capsule. This SSD becomes the file central repository that all devices, via this app, connect to. FunctionalIy it's similar to DropBox but more user friendly, it's faster, no login required, it's in-house, and not as operating system invasive. Like once installed, just try removing DropBox from your computer(s). Good luck.

I also have a 2nd SSD connected the same way, used for backup of the primary. Backup is automated and scheduled using ChronSync.

I no longer have any reason to use DropBox.

by Blue Box Bill

Once you become accustomed to the interface, using this app is like running any other app on your device, whether that's a phone, tablet or a computer so don't let a brief learning curve get in the way of portable seamless access to your digital life in ways you might not imagine.

It has so many uses, from watching video that's (hosted) on your computer with a hand held device that frees you up to move away from your computer (to a more comfortable setting and does so without cluttering your device's limited storage capacity) to sharing files on social media WITHOUT storing those files on your device.

Being able to create Bookmarks to specific file sets on different devices and drives is a great time saver and helps you stay focused on personal goals. I can't wait to discover the next new way I put this app to use.

My 'go-to' computer is a 27 inch iMac, just to put (lack of) portability into some frame of reference which is to say that if you like having portable hand held access to your stuff without carrying around your computer and all connected drives, then you owe it to yourself to check out this app.

by Liljohn2

We bought this app to allow remote access to our music library on the road. It works perfectly for that. The software also allows us to read .pdf and other files without the hassle of copying to the iPad.
We ran into problems getting the software set-up for remote access but tech support worked with us through the entire process. Turns out the iPhone defaults to use WiFi instead of the cellular carrier. That allowed remote access at home but lost it on the road. Now that we know to turn off WiFi first, everything works fine. Tech support stuck with us even though it was not an app problem. Terrific customer service!

by Imlwb

Your IOS devises can have large storage. My iPad Pro is 500gb. Much of this does not need to be backed up to iCloud even though I want these large files on my iPad. You would think that “on my iPad” would not backup to iCloud but it does. The only thing you can individually turn off from iCloud backups is an app. But if you turn off the Apple File app you lose the ability to have shared files between all your Apple devise's. this app lets you put these big files in FileBrowser. Not you can turn off FileBrowser in iCloud backup so all the key data that changes everyday on contacts, phone numbers, calendar etc will be backed up and synced with a much smaller iCloud storage than your 500gb SSD on your devise. Thank you for a great fix.

by JoiLC

This is the best file manager to manage LOCAL files. I connect to my pc or Mac from my local personal home network. Was able to copy folder past onto iPad. From there had access to the folder.
Was able to adjust size of thumb nails of photos in the folder via pinch jester. I tried several other programs that just don’t work. This program is a MUST for file management. This program saved me in Vietnam when I didn’t have access to laptop. I had to borrow someone else’s laptop copy files professional photographers photos from usb drive to laptop then access that laptop via this program get the folders copied to my iPad. Then wipe the photos from the borrowed laptop return laptop 20 min later.
This program is a MUST have. Thank you SO much for writing it.