How to install Dolphin and Thunar file managers?

Question

As the title suggests, how can I install the Dolphin and Thunar file managers on Ubuntu 22.04?

Answer 1

"Best" is subjective, so it's unlikely you'll get an answer to that question. That said, you are certainly encouraged to explore to determine which file manager is best for you, as that's more important than what a bunch of people on the Internet might think.

As for installing the applications, you can do this quite easily. I tend to do many things through the Terminal, so the following instructions will show you how to install Dolphin and Thunar that way rather than through a GUI.

Enabling the "Universe" repository:

0. Open Terminal (if it's not already open). If you enjoy using keyboard shortcuts, Ctrl+Alt+T will open the Terminal.
1. Add the Universe repisitory:

   sudo add-apt-repository universe
   

2. Update apt:

   sudo apt update 
   

To Install Dolphin:

0. Open Terminal (if it's not already open). If you enjoy using keyboard shortcuts, Ctrl+Alt+T will open the Terminal.
1. Update apt to ensure the internal version list is up to date:

   sudo apt update 
   

   ^{Note: This step is unnecessary if you've recently updated apt.}
2. Install Dolphin:

   sudo apt install dolphin 
   

3. There is no step 3. You can, however, find Dolphin in your applications list and open it.

To Install Thunar:

0. Open Terminal (if it's not already open). If you enjoy using keyboard shortcuts, Ctrl+Alt+T will open the Terminal.
1. Update apt to ensure the internal version list is up to date:

   sudo apt update 
   

   ^{Note: This step is unnecessary if you've recently updated apt.}
2. Install Thunar:

   sudo apt install thunar 
   

3. There is no step 3. You can, however, find Thunar in your applications list and open it.

Answer 2

You use

sudo apt install thunar

to install the Xfce file-manager, and

sudo apt install dolphin

to install the KDE Plasma file-manager.

There is no best file-manager, as it varies on your tastes, plus what desktop you're running. Thunar is best on Xfce,

Dolphin is one of the best options if using KDE Plasma (The KDE Desktop offers more than a single choice), but neither will be the most efficient if used on a GNOME Desktop, but as we all have different tastes (and may have machine resources to spare) what is best for us can vary to what is most efficient.