Phials Help

Phials is a file manager for people who care about their files. Browse with tabs and split panes, preview almost anything without leaving the window, organize folders with ratings, tags, and notes, and make the whole thing look and work the way you like.

This guide is organized from everyday tasks to deeper features.

Basic Use

Start here. These pages cover the things you’ll do every day.

• The File Explorer: the main window and how you move around it
• Favorites: quick access to the folders you use most
• Tabs: open several places at once
• View Modes: grid, details, columns, and more
• Sorting, Filtering & Grouping: shape what you see
• Metadata & Properties: the details Phials shows about your files
• Workspaces: save and reopen a tab you have set up
• Search: find files fast
• Vials: add ratings, tags, and notes to a folder
• The Markdown Editor: write and edit Markdown in Phials

Customizing Phials

Make Phials yours.

• Arranging Panels
• Themes
• Community Plugins
• Editing the Path Bar and Tab Bar
• Keyboard Shortcuts
• Default Behaviors

Advanced Use

Go further.

• Saved Views
• Editing the Context Menu
• File & Metadata Caches
• Advanced Search

Vials

A Vial turns an ordinary folder into one that remembers ratings, tags, custom properties, notes, and saved views. All of it is stored right beside your files, so it travels with the folder.

File Previews

Phials shows a rich preview for most files (images, video, audio, documents, spreadsheets, 3D models, and more) in the sidebar, a tab, or fullscreen.