Buy a Samsung Galaxy phone in 2026 and it comes with two file managers preinstalled: Files by Google (the Android-default app from Google) and Samsung My Files (Samsung’s own One UI version). They overlap by 80 percent, and neither one tells you which job it does better. This guide compares the two on the four tasks people actually open a file manager for: cleaning storage, finding a specific file, sharing offline, and dealing with cloud and SD card.
The short answer up front: keep both, but lean on each for different jobs. Files by Google is faster and cleaner for storage cleanup and Quick Share transfers. Samsung My Files is faster for browsing SD cards, USB drives, and a Samsung-only Knox-protected folder. If you can only keep one, the answer flips depending on whether you mostly clean storage or mostly move files between cards and drives.
If you want a fuller cleaning workflow including third-party tools, see our Files by Google review and clean guide and the Samsung Galaxy junk-files cleanup tutorial.
Quick comparison
| Feature | Files by Google | Samsung My Files |
|---|---|---|
| App size | About 18 MB | About 55 MB |
| Storage cleanup | Yes, with categorised "Clean" recommendations | Yes, Storage Analysis button |
| Duplicate finder | Yes, hash-based | No native duplicate finder |
| Offline file transfer | Quick Share, up to 480 Mbps | Quick Share supported, plus Bluetooth and Wi-Fi Direct |
| SD card support | Yes, listed under Browse | Yes, first-class, with deeper folder operations |
| USB OTG support | Yes | Yes, with eject and rename support |
| Cloud accounts | Google Drive built in | Google Drive and OneDrive built in |
| Secure folder | Local PIN/pattern Safe Folder | Integrated with Samsung Knox Secure Folder |
| Ads | None | None |
| Default on Samsung Galaxy | Yes, since 2023 | Yes, since the original One UI |
Cleaning storage
This is the most-used reason to open either app, and it is where Files by Google has the edge. Open the Clean tab and the app surfaces six categorised cards: Junk files, Downloaded files, Large files, Duplicate files, Old screenshots, and Backed-up media (when Google Photos confirms a cloud copy exists). Each card lists what it found, lets you preview, and waits for a tap. The card-by-card workflow is faster than scrolling a folder tree.
Samsung My Files takes a different approach. The Storage Analysis button on the main screen shows a circular usage breakdown, then links into category views: Large files, Unused files (apps you have not opened in a while), Duplicate files, and Cached data. The biggest functional difference: Samsung My Files exposes per-app cache totals in one place and lets you batch-clear them, which Files by Google does not. That is useful when several apps have accumulated gigabytes of cache and you want to clear them without visiting each Settings page.
Where each one wins on cleaning:
- Files by Google is faster for clearing chat-app downloads, finding photo duplicates, and removing backed-up media. The Backed-up media card is the unique feature: nothing in Samsung My Files knows which photos have already synced to Google Photos.
- Samsung My Files is faster for clearing app caches in bulk and for the “Unused files” view, which surfaces files that have been on the device for a long time without being opened.
For day-to-day cleanup, Files by Google is the default. For a once-a-month deeper sweep, Samsung My Files plus the Storage Analysis screen catches things Files by Google leaves alone.
Searching and browsing
Both apps split the home screen into category tiles (Images, Videos, Documents, Audio, Installation files) plus a Browse view for the underlying folder structure. The category tiles are roughly equivalent. The folder browsing is where Samsung pulls ahead.
Files by Google’s Browse view shows Internal storage, SD card, USB drives, and a flat list of cloud accounts. Folder operations cover the basics: move, copy, delete, rename, compress, share. There is no built-in folder colour or pin, and the breadcrumb navigation is a single back arrow.
Samsung My Files exposes more folder-level operations. You can pin a folder to the home screen as a shortcut, hide unused storage locations from the main screen via “Edit My Files home”, view long file names without ellipsis truncation through a Listview button, and use a multi-pane view on Fold or Tab devices. For users who actually move files around (developers, video editors, photographers), the additional ergonomics matter.
Search is comparable. Both apps index file names and metadata. Files by Google has slightly better partial-string matching for documents; Samsung My Files is slightly faster on very large internal storage because of the more aggressive indexing it does in the background.
Sharing files between devices
Both apps support Quick Share, the renamed Nearby Share that Google and Samsung consolidated into a single protocol in 2024. Inside Files by Google, the Share tab is dedicated to Quick Share and includes the discovery screen that finds nearby Android and Chromebook devices. Transfers run at up to 480 Mbps when both devices support 5 GHz Wi-Fi, with end-to-end encryption on the transfer.
Samsung My Files supports Quick Share too, but the share sheet also surfaces Bluetooth, Wi-Fi Direct, and Samsung’s older Link Sharing (which uploads to a temporary cloud URL for non-Samsung recipients). For sharing with non-Samsung Android phones or with a friend who has a Chromebook, both apps end up at the same Quick Share screen. For sharing with an older Samsung phone that does not have Quick Share, My Files’s Wi-Fi Direct fallback is useful.
In practice, the Files by Google Share tab is a faster launch point if you transfer files between Android devices frequently. Samsung My Files’s wider protocol list matters mainly for legacy hardware.
Cloud accounts and SD card
Samsung My Files includes built-in shortcuts to Google Drive and OneDrive, and it can mount Network attached storage over SMB on some Galaxy models in 2026. Files by Google integrates Google Drive only. If your work files live on OneDrive (common for Microsoft 365 users), Samsung My Files saves a tap by exposing the OneDrive tree alongside internal storage.
SD card and USB OTG support is more complete in Samsung My Files. The app handles eject cleanly, supports renaming the SD card label, formats SD cards from inside the app, and shows free space at the top of the SD card view. Files by Google can read and write to an SD card but does not surface most of these utilities. On a phone that uses an SD card daily, Samsung My Files is the easier app to live in.
Secure folder and privacy
Files by Google has a Safe Folder feature inside the app: a separate, PIN- or pattern-protected vault that holds files inside the Files app sandbox. The PIN can be different from the device unlock code. It is local-only; nothing syncs to Google Drive or any cloud account.
Samsung My Files integrates with Samsung Knox Secure Folder, which is the device-level encrypted container Samsung ships on every Galaxy phone. Files moved into Secure Folder from My Files inherit the Knox protections (separate authentication, encrypted at rest, hidden from notifications). For users who already use Secure Folder for other apps, this integration is the cleaner option.
The trade-off: the Files by Google Safe Folder is portable across phones because it lives in the Files by Google sandbox. The Samsung Knox Secure Folder is tied to the Galaxy device and does not transfer if you switch to a Pixel or any non-Samsung Android phone.
Which to keep on a Samsung Galaxy phone
The two apps are good enough that uninstalling one is rarely worth it. The realistic answer is “lean on different ones for different jobs.” A workable split:
- Use Files by Google for cleaning storage, removing backed-up photos, and Quick Share transfers. The Clean tab is the fastest workflow for the common weekly cleanup.
- Use Samsung My Files for SD card and USB OTG work, OneDrive shortcuts, and Secure Folder moves. The deeper file-system ergonomics earn their keep when you actually browse folders.
If you have to pick one, the choice depends on how you use the phone:
- Keep Files by Google if you mostly clean storage and share files with non-Samsung devices. It is smaller, simpler, and the Clean recommendations are better.
- Keep Samsung My Files if you use an SD card, OneDrive, or Secure Folder regularly. The integrations are deeper and the folder operations are more complete.
Neither app shows ads. Neither one collects data beyond what Google or Samsung already collects at the OS level. Removing or disabling either one is safe (both can be re-enabled or reinstalled), but there is no storage or battery reason to do so.
For the actual install links, both ship preinstalled on every Galaxy phone running One UI 5 or later. The store listings below cover sideload, reinstall, or installing on a non-Samsung Android phone.
Files by Google
Samsung My Files
FAQ
Can I uninstall Samsung My Files on a Galaxy phone? On most Galaxy models you can disable it but not fully uninstall it without root. Disabling is reversible from Settings, Apps, Samsung My Files, Disable. Files by Google can also be disabled, but on a Pixel or Android-One phone it ships as the default file manager and disabling it leaves the phone without a built-in file browser.
Does Files by Google work on Samsung phones? Yes. Samsung has shipped Files by Google as a preinstalled secondary file manager on Galaxy phones since the 2023 Galaxy S series. The two apps coexist and do not conflict.
Which one is better for clearing storage? Files by Google for everyday cleanup (the Clean tab is faster). Samsung My Files for batch-clearing app caches in a single screen, which Files by Google does not expose.
Does Samsung My Files support Google Drive? Yes. Both Google Drive and OneDrive are first-class accounts inside Samsung My Files. Files by Google supports Google Drive only.
Which app handles SD cards better? Samsung My Files. It exposes eject, rename, and format from inside the app, and shows free space at the top of the SD card view. Files by Google supports SD card reads and writes but does not surface the utilities.
Is one safer than the other? Both are first-party apps with no ads and standard Android permissions. Files by Google sandboxes its Safe Folder inside the app; Samsung My Files routes secure files through Samsung Knox. Either is appropriate. The Knox integration is more durable on a Samsung phone, the Files by Google Safe Folder transfers with you if you switch brands.
