PSA: What free android file managers are integrated with shizuku

From	Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com>
Newsgroups	comp.mobile.android
Subject	PSA: What free android file managers are integrated with shizuku
Date	2026-05-07 02:00 -0600
Organization	BWH Usenet Archive (https://usenet.blueworldhosting.com)
Message-ID	<10thgrg$gtt$1@nnrp.usenet.blueworldhosting.com> (permalink)

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PSA: What free Android file managers are integrated with Shizuku
     <https://github.com/RikkaApps/Shizuku/>
     <https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=moe.shizuku.privileged.api>  
     a. Android 11 introduced SAF restrictions
     b. Android 13 tightened them
     c. Android 14/15 removed nearly all loopholes
     d. Shizuku is now the only non-root method for full access

 Shizuku uses the shell level to act as a middleman, enabling other
  apps to borrow higher permissions without having to root Android devices.
  It provides explicit support for accessing /Android/data and /Android/obb 
  on Android 14 and above (where my unrootable USA Samsung is Android 13).

  Note: For 2026, every app on this list supports Shizuku natively because 
  Android 14/15 killed standard /Android/data access for everything else.

Background:
 For my WhisperIME/Heliboard STT tutorial, I needed to not only look at 
 protected storage but also to write to it, preferably using a file manager.
  adb shell sh /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/moe.shizuku.privileged.api/start.sh

 Randomly, I chose FV File Manager (which supposedly has ads but I don't see 'em).
 What's strange about FV File Manager (FolderV), is that 
  a. The icon is called FV File Explorer
  b. In Muntashirakon App Manager, it's called FV File Explorer
  c. Yet, the package name is com.folderv.file
  d. And it has a whopping 7 trackers & Play app signing
  e. Yet my unrooted degoogled Samsung Android 13 never displays ads.

Even so, I looked for other file managers which incorporate Shizuku.
Here's my list, so far, ordered mostly by privacy & functionality
 A. Native Shizuku integration (true API support)
 B. Partial or indirect Shizuku support (uses Shizuku for some operations)
 C. Non-Shizuku apps that still access /Android/data (own bypasses)

As always, please improve where I may have made errors or omissions.

PSA: Free Android file managers with Shizuku support (2025)

Shizuku allows apps to borrow elevated shell-level permissions without
root. On Android 14/15 it is now the only reliable non-root method for
accessing /Android/data and /Android/obb.

This PSA lists file managers that work with Shizuku, divided into three
simple categories:

A. Native Shizuku integration
B. Partial or indirect Shizuku support
C. Non-Shizuku apps that still access /Android/data

A. Native Shizuku integration
These apps call the Shizuku API directly and request Shizuku permission.

1. Material Files <me.zhanghai.android.files>
     FOSS | 0 Trackers | No Ads | Minimalist Material Design
     <https://github.com/zhanghai/materialfiles>
     <https://f-droid.org/en/packages/me.zhanghai.android.files/>
     <https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=me.zhanghai.android.files>

2. Fluffy <app.fluffy>
     FOSS | 0 Trackers | No Ads | Best for Android TV + Shizuku
     <https://github.com/mlm-games/fluffy>
     <https://f-droid.org/eu/packages/app.fluffy/>
     <https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=app.fluffy>

3. Swift File Manager <com.leosun.swiftfilemanager>
     Prop | 0 Trackers | No Ads | Modern UI for basic Shizuku tasks
     <https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.leosun.swiftfilemanager>

4. Ultimate File Manager Pro <za.kilowatch.ultimatefilemanager>
     Prop | 0 Trackers | No Ads | Includes a Wireless ADB Terminal
     <https://www.reddit.com/r/UFManagerPro/>
     <https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=za.kilowatch.ultimatefilemanager>

5. FV File Manager <com.folderv.file>
     Prop | 7 Trackers | No Ads | Fast updates for storage bypasses
     <https://folderv.com/>
     <https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.folderv.file>
     <https://github.com/folderv>

6. MiXplorer (Standard) <com.mixplorer>
     Prop | 0 Trackers | No Ads | Most feature-complete free choice
     <https://mixplorer.com/>
     <https://xdaforums.com/t/app-2-2-mixplorer-v6-x-released-fully-featured-file-manager.1523691/>
    The latest versions include both internal bypasses & native Shizuku.

B. Partial or indirect Shizuku support
These apps use Shizuku for some operations but do not fully integrate it.

7. X-plore File Manager <com.lonelycatgames.Xplore>
     Prop | 3 Trackers | No Ads | Classic Dual-Pane Tree View
     <https://www.lonelycatgames.com/apps/xplore>
     <https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lonelycatgames.Xplore>
   X-plore does not use Shizuku as its primary file-access engine.
   X-plore uses Shizuku only for specific privileged operations.

8. Cx File Explorer <com.cxinventor.file.explorer>
     Prop | 3 Trackers | No Ads | Visual Storage & Cloud Analysis
     <https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cxinventor.file.explorer>

9. MT Manager <bin.mt.plus>
     Prop | 2+ Trackers | Has Ads | Specialized for APK editing/patching
     <https://mt2.cn/>

C. Non-Shizuku apps that still access /Android/data
These apps do not use Shizuku. They rely on native code or legacy methods.

10. ZArchiver <ru.zdevs.zarchiver>
     Prop | 0 Trackers | No Ads | No Internet Permission | Archive Expert
     <https://zdevs.ru/en/za/apk.html>
     <https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ru.zdevs.zarchiver>
     On Android 15, ZArchiver's internal bypass is significantly slower 
     than Shizuku-based apps because it has to use a shizuku-less 
     injection method that Google is actively patching in monthly security 
     updates.

Note that Solid Explorer and Total Commander are not included because
they're not entirely free & TC does not have full Shizuku support. 

Note that Amaze is not on this list as Shizuku support remains an open
feature request (issue #3371 and others).

Note on ads (which I've never seen on my degoogled Android phone):
De-Googled Samsung devices often show no ads even in apps that contain
ad libraries. Samsung uses both Google and Samsung ad systems, and
removing or disabling these components prevents the ad code from running.
The ads are still in the app, but the phone cannot load them.

On most non-Samsung devices (Pixel, Motorola, OnePlus, etc.), removing
Google Play Services usually disables ads as well, but the behavior is
simpler because there is only one ad system. If the Google ad stack is
missing or blocked, ads usually fail to load.

How to verify Shizuku integration:
1. Start Shizuku.
2. Open the file manager.
3. Look for a Shizuku toggle or permission dialog.
4. Test access to /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/

If you have an app that doesn't support Shizuku but you need it to, 
you can use Shizuku-Runner, but that's the topic of a different PSA.
-- 
Some people try to understand everything, even though that's impossible.

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PSA: What free android file managers are integrated with shizuku Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-05-07 02:00 -0600
  Re: PSA: What free android file managers are integrated with shizuku Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-05-07 02:54 -0600
    Re: PSA: What free android file managers are integrated with shizuku Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-05-07 06:35 -0600

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