Build a Simple File Explorer in C (Step-by-Step)

When learning C programming, many beginners stick to small examples like calculators or guessing games. But if you really want to understand the power of C, you need to dive into system-level programming.

In this tutorial, we’ll build a File Explorer in C — a console-based program that lets you:

List files and directories
Identify whether an item is a file or folder
Navigate inside directories (cd)
Exit when you’re done

By the end, you’ll not only have a working project but also a deeper understanding of C system programming and how operating systems handle files.

🔹 Why Build a File Explorer in C?

Before jumping into code, let’s understand why this project is useful.

System Programming Practice – You’ll work directly with the file system using C libraries.
Learn Important APIs – Functions like opendir, readdir, stat, and chdir are used in real-world system tools.
Mini Shell Foundation – File explorers are the foundation of command-line shells like Bash and Zsh.
Real-World Skills – Developers working on Linux, embedded systems, or OS development often rely on these techniques.

This makes it a perfect C programming project for students and beginners looking to go beyond theory.

🔹 Prerequisites

To follow along, you should:

Know the basics of C (variables, loops, functions).
Be using Linux or macOS (Windows can work but may require dirent.h alternatives like windows.h).
Have a working C compiler (GCC or Clang).

🔹 Understanding the Libraries

We’ll use a few key libraries in this project:

<dirent.h> → Allows reading directories (opendir, readdir, closedir).
<sys/stat.h> → Provides file information (stat) to check if something is a file or directory.
<unistd.h> → Lets us change directories (chdir) and get the current path (getcwd).
<stdio.h> & <string.h> → For input/output and string handling.

These libraries give us direct access to the operating system’s file system.

🔹 Step-by-Step Code

Here’s the complete implementation of our File Explorer in C:

                cpp
            

            #include <stdio.h>
#include <dirent.h>
#include <sys/stat.h>
#include <string.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <unistd.h>

void listFiles(const char *path) {
    struct dirent *entry;
    struct stat fileStat;
    DIR *dir = opendir(path);

    if (!dir) {
        perror("opendir");
        return;
    }

    printf("\nContents of %s:\n", path);
    while ((entry = readdir(dir)) != NULL) {
        char fullPath[512];
        snprintf(fullPath, sizeof(fullPath), "%s/%s", path, entry->d_name);

        if (stat(fullPath, &fileStat) == 0) {
            if (S_ISDIR(fileStat.st_mode)) {
                printf("[DIR]  %s\n", entry->d_name);
            } else {
                printf("[FILE] %s\n", entry->d_name);
            }
        }
    }
    closedir(dir);
}

int main() {
    char path[512] = ".";
    char input[256];

    while (1) {
        listFiles(path);

        printf("\nOptions:\n");
        printf("cd <dir>  - Change directory\n");
        printf("exit      - Quit program\n");
        printf("Enter command: ");
        fgets(input, sizeof(input), stdin);
        input[strcspn(input, "\n")] = 0;

        if (strncmp(input, "cd ", 3) == 0) {
            char newPath[512];
            snprintf(newPath, sizeof(newPath), "%s/%s", path, input + 3);
            if (chdir(newPath) == 0) {
                getcwd(path, sizeof(path));
            } else {
                perror("chdir");
            }
        } else if (strcmp(input, "exit") == 0) {
            printf("👋 Exiting File Explorer.\n");
            break;
        } else {
            printf("❌ Unknown command!\n");
        }
    }
    return 0;
}
        

🔹 Code Explanation

Let’s break it down:

listFiles() Function
- Uses opendir() to open a directory.
- Reads entries using readdir().
- Uses stat() to check if an entry is a file or directory.
- Prints [DIR] or [FILE] accordingly.
Main Loop
- Starts at the current directory (".").
- Lists files in the current folder.
- Waits for user input.
Supported Commands
- cd <dirname> → Moves into the given folder.
- exit → Closes the program.
Navigation
- Uses chdir() to switch directories.
- Updates the path with getcwd().

This is a basic shell-like program where you can explore your file system from the terminal.

🔹 Sample Output

                markdown
            

            Contents of .:
[DIR]  .
[DIR]  ..
[FILE] main.c
[DIR]  src
[FILE] README.md

Options:
cd <dir>  - Change directory
exit      - Quit program
Enter command: cd src

Contents of ./src:
[DIR]  .
[DIR]  ..
[FILE] utils.c
[FILE] utils.h
        