A Practical Guide to Split View and Tabs in elementary OS Files

The Files app in elementary OS is designed to keep everyday file management calm and uncluttered. It handles familiar jobs such as browsing folders, copying documents, opening external drives and arranging downloads, while its tabs and split view make larger tasks much easier to control.

These features are especially useful when you are moving files between locations, comparing two folders or keeping a project organised across several storage devices. Whether you are sorting photos from a weekend in Melbourne, preparing documents for an Australian tax return or managing music on a home studio computer in Perth, Files can reduce the need for multiple windows.

Getting around the Files app

Open Files from the Applications menu or the dock, and you will see a straightforward layout. The sidebar provides quick access to common locations such as Home, Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Music, Pictures and Videos. It can also show bookmarked folders, connected drives and network locations when they are available.

The main pane displays the contents of the current folder. You can switch between icon and list views depending on whether visual browsing or detailed file information matters more. List view is often preferable for large folders because it makes names, types, sizes and modification dates easier to scan. Icon view works well for photographs, wallpapers and other media where previews are useful.

The path bar or breadcrumb navigation lets you move back through a folder hierarchy without repeatedly reopening locations. Selecting a breadcrumb takes you directly to that level. You can also use the search function to locate a file by name, although search results are most useful when filenames are descriptive rather than a collection of generic names such as “IMG_4832”.

Files uses standard Linux file-management conventions. Single-clicking selects an item, double-clicking opens it, and right-clicking reveals actions such as copying, renaming, moving to Trash and opening with another application. If you are coming from Windows or macOS, the familiar behaviour makes the transition relatively gentle.

Working with tabs

Tabs let you keep several folders inside one Files window. This is useful when you want to leave a project folder open while visiting Downloads, an external drive or a shared folder. Instead of filling the desktop with separate windows, you can move between locations from the tab bar.

Create a new tab through the tab control or the relevant menu command. Depending on the elementary OS release and the current keyboard settings, a shortcut such as Ctrl+T may also be available. Open a folder in the new tab, then use the tab bar to switch between locations. Closing the active tab returns you to another open tab rather than closing the entire Files window.

A practical example is a university or office workflow. One tab can contain a folder for a report, another can show Downloads, and a third can display a USB drive. You can download a PDF, move it into the report folder and inspect the removable drive without repeatedly navigating from Home. For someone working between a laptop in Brisbane and a desktop in Adelaide, this makes a familiar file structure easier to maintain across devices.

Tabs are also helpful for separating tasks. Keep a personal folder open while handling work files, or leave an archive folder available while sorting recent documents. The goal is not to keep every location open indefinitely. Close tabs when they are no longer useful so the current session remains understandable.

When copying between tabs, select the file, use the copy command, switch tabs and paste it into the destination. Dragging between tabs can be less predictable if the destination is not visible for long enough, so keyboard commands or the context menu may be safer for important files. Before deleting or replacing anything, check the active tab and the destination path carefully.

Using split view for file transfers

Split view places two folder locations side by side in the same window. It is one of the quickest ways to compare directories and transfer files because both the source and destination remain visible. Open split view using the toolbar control or menu option provided by your version of Files, then select a folder in each pane.

The two panes are independent. You can browse one location on the left and another on the right, making it easier to compare contents, move folders or copy groups of files. A common arrangement is Downloads on one side and Documents on the other. Another is an SD card beside Pictures when importing photographs from a camera.

Drag a selected item from one pane to the other to begin a transfer. Files may copy or move depending on the source and destination, so watch for the operation indicator and any confirmation message. Holding a modifier key can alter the action in some desktop environments, but using the context menu is better when the difference between copying and moving matters.

Split view is particularly useful with removable storage. An external SSD formatted as exFAT may be shared between elementary OS and other computers, while a Linux-formatted drive might be used only with Linux systems. Before moving a large collection, check that the destination has enough free space and that the drive is mounted correctly. A drive used for a photography trip along the Great Ocean Road deserves the same care as an internal project folder.

To compare two folders, open matching locations in each pane and sort them by name, type or modification date when those controls are available. This can reveal duplicate downloads, missing documents or files that have been edited in one location but not another. It is safer than relying on memory, particularly when folder names differ only slightly.

Combining tabs and panes in real workflows

Tabs and split view solve different problems. Tabs are best when you need several locations available but only one at a time. Split view is best when two locations must be visible together. You can use both during a larger task: keep several project folders in tabs, then use split view inside the active tab when transferring files.

Imagine preparing audio for a small event in Sydney. One location contains raw recordings, another contains edited tracks and a third holds exported files. Tabs keep those locations available without opening several windows. When it is time to move a finished track into the export folder, split view provides a clear source-and-destination arrangement. For a broader elementary OS audio setup, this Mixxx configuration guide can be useful alongside a tidy music library.

The same method works for backups. Keep the source project folder in one pane and a backup drive in the other. Copy, rather than move, the files if the original should remain untouched. For a large backup, work in batches and verify that the transfer has finished before disconnecting the drive. The progress indicator may disappear only after all queued operations are complete.

A careful naming system makes these workflows more reliable. Use meaningful folder names such as “2026-03 Client Photos” or “Household Receipts 2025-26” rather than broad labels like “Stuff”. Dates in year-month-day order sort naturally, which is handy for invoices, scanned records and recurring projects. Australian users managing receipts around the end of the financial year can avoid a crowded Downloads folder by creating a simple structure for receipts, statements and exported reports.

When several files have similar names, use the list view and inspect file sizes and modification dates before copying. A duplicate may be an updated version rather than an unnecessary copy. Renaming files before a transfer can also prevent confusion, but avoid changing extensions unless you know which application uses the file format.

Managing external drives, hidden files and permissions

Files normally displays connected USB drives and other mounted storage in the sidebar. Select the drive to browse it, and use the eject or unmount control before physically removing it. This gives the system time to finish writing data. Pulling out a drive during a transfer can corrupt the files or the filesystem, even when the transfer window appears to be nearly finished.

External media is common in Australian households because laptops, cameras and home-office computers often share data. A USB drive may move between a desktop in Canberra, a laptop used on the road and a television or games console. File compatibility matters in these situations: exFAT is broadly supported, while Linux-specific formats may not be readable by other devices. Formatting erases the drive, so back up its contents before making changes.

Hidden files are generally concealed because they contain configuration data or other items that should not be changed casually. If you need to inspect a hidden configuration folder, enable the option through the Files menu or use the applicable keyboard shortcut for your release. Turn hidden files off again after the task so ordinary browsing remains uncluttered.

Permissions can explain why a file opens but cannot be edited, or why a folder refuses a move operation. Files stored in your Home directory usually belong to your user account and are straightforward to modify. System locations and files owned by another account may require administrator access. Avoid changing permissions or using elevated commands unless you understand the effect, particularly inside system directories.

Network shares can also behave differently from local folders. A mounted share may become unavailable when a home router restarts or a laptop changes networks. On an NBN connection, a brief outage or router reboot can interrupt access even though local files remain available. Copy important work to local storage before editing it extensively, then save a deliberate copy back to the share when the connection is stable.

Keeping file management predictable

The most effective way to use Files is to treat navigation as part of the task rather than an afterthought. Before copying, identify the source and destination. Before moving, confirm that the original should disappear from its current folder. Before deleting, check the filename, path and file type. These small pauses prevent many ordinary mistakes.

Use bookmarks for locations that you visit regularly. A current project folder, a shared work directory or a backup destination can be added to the sidebar so you do not need to navigate through several levels each time. Remove old bookmarks when a project ends; a short sidebar is easier to understand than a catalogue of forgotten locations.

Downloads deserves particular attention. Browsers, messaging apps and software stores can all place files there, causing it to become a temporary holding area that quietly turns into permanent storage. A weekly sort into Documents, Pictures, Music or project folders keeps search results cleaner. It also makes backups more complete because important files are less likely to remain in an overlooked location.

For photographs, use folders based on event and date rather than relying only on camera-generated names. For music, separate original recordings, working files and final exports. For documents, use clear categories and retain the original file when an edited copy is created. This structure makes split view useful because each side has a clear purpose.

Remember that the Files app is a manager, not a backup system. A second copy on another drive is useful, but a backup should be separated from the computer often enough to protect against accidental deletion, hardware failure or malware. Cloud storage may help with selected folders, but check its Linux support and synchronisation behaviour before treating it as the only copy.

With a little planning, tabs reduce window clutter, split view makes transfers visible, and the sidebar keeps important locations close at hand. The key is to know where a file begins, where it is going and whether the operation is a copy or a move. What readers should remember is simple: use tabs for several destinations, split view for side-by-side work, and verify every important transfer before closing Files or disconnecting a drive.