diff --git a/elements/file/directory.go b/elements/file/directory.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9dbe8a9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/elements/file/directory.go
@@ -0,0 +1,73 @@
+package fileElements
+
+import "io/fs"
+import "path/filepath"
+import "git.tebibyte.media/sashakoshka/tomo/elements/basic"
+
+type ReadDirStatFS interface {
+	fs.ReadDirFS
+	fs.StatFS
+}
+
+type DirectoryView struct {
+	*basicElements.List
+
+	filesystem ReadDirStatFS
+	location string
+	onChoose func (file string)
+}
+
+func NewDirectoryView (
+	location string,
+	within ReadDirStatFS,
+) (
+	element *DirectoryView,
+	err error,
+) {
+	element = &DirectoryView {
+		List: basicElements.NewList(),
+	}
+	err = element.SetLocation(location, within)
+	return
+}
+
+func (element *DirectoryView) Location () (string, fs.ReadDirFS) {
+	return element.location, element.filesystem
+}
+
+func (element *DirectoryView) SetLocation (
+	location string,
+	within ReadDirStatFS,
+) error {
+	if within == nil {
+		within = defaultFS { }
+	}
+	element.location   = location
+	element.filesystem = within
+	return element.Update()
+}
+
+func (element *DirectoryView) Update () error {
+	entries, err := element.filesystem.ReadDir(element.location)
+
+	listEntries := make([]basicElements.ListEntry, len(entries))
+	for index, entry := range entries {
+		filePath := filepath.Join(element.location, entry.Name())
+		listEntries[index] = basicElements.NewListEntry (
+			entry.Name(),
+			func () {
+				filePath := filePath
+				if element.onChoose != nil {
+					element.onChoose(filePath)
+				}
+			})
+	}
+	element.Clear()
+	element.Append(listEntries...)
+	
+	return err
+}
+
+func (element *DirectoryView) OnChoose (callback func (file string)) {
+	element.onChoose = callback
+}
diff --git a/elements/file/file.go b/elements/file/file.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..03a4e80
--- /dev/null
+++ b/elements/file/file.go
@@ -0,0 +1,67 @@
+package fileElements
+
+import "io/fs"
+import "git.tebibyte.media/sashakoshka/tomo/theme"
+import "git.tebibyte.media/sashakoshka/tomo/elements/basic"
+
+// File is a 
+type File struct {
+	*basicElements.Icon
+
+	// we inherit from Icon directly because it is not our responsibility
+	// to draw text. this will be the responsibility of the directory that
+	// contains the file. we don't handle mouse events on the file label
+	// text either because when the user clicks on that we want to rename
+	// the file.
+
+	filesystem fs.StatFS
+	location string
+	onChoose func ()
+}
+
+func NewFile (
+	location string,
+	within fs.StatFS,
+) (
+	element *File,
+	err error,
+) {
+	element = &File {
+		Icon: basicElements.NewIcon(theme.IconFile, theme.IconSizeLarge),
+	}
+	err = element.SetLocation(location, within)
+	return
+}
+
+func (element *File) Location () (string, fs.StatFS) {
+	return element.location, element.filesystem
+}
+
+func (element *File) SetLocation (
+	location string,
+	within fs.StatFS,
+) error {
+	if within == nil {
+		within = defaultFS { }
+	}
+	element.location   = location
+	element.filesystem = within
+	return element.Update()
+}
+
+func (element *File) Update () error {
+	info, err := element.filesystem.Stat(element.location)
+	if err != nil { return err }
+
+	if info.IsDir() {
+		element.SetIcon(theme.IconDirectory, theme.IconSizeLarge)
+	} else {
+		element.SetIcon(theme.IconFile, theme.IconSizeLarge)
+	}
+	
+	return err
+}
+
+func (element *File) OnChoose (callback func ()) {
+	element.onChoose = callback
+}
diff --git a/elements/file/fs.go b/elements/file/fs.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..812333b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/elements/file/fs.go
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+package fileElements
+
+import "os"
+import "io/fs"
+
+type defaultFS struct { }
+
+func (defaultFS) Open (name string) (fs.File, error) {
+	return os.Open(name)
+}
+
+func (defaultFS) ReadDir (name string) ([]DirEntry, error) {
+	return os.ReadDir(name)
+}
+
+func (defaultFS) Stat (name string) (FileInfo, error) {
+	return os.Stat(name)
+}
diff --git a/examples/fileBrowser/main.go b/examples/fileBrowser/main.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..34da5b0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/fileBrowser/main.go
@@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
+package main
+
+import "os"
+import "git.tebibyte.media/sashakoshka/tomo"
+import "git.tebibyte.media/sashakoshka/tomo/theme"
+import "git.tebibyte.media/sashakoshka/tomo/layouts/basic"
+import "git.tebibyte.media/sashakoshka/tomo/elements/file"
+import "git.tebibyte.media/sashakoshka/tomo/elements/basic"
+import "git.tebibyte.media/sashakoshka/tomo/elements/containers"
+import _ "git.tebibyte.media/sashakoshka/tomo/backends/all"
+
+func main () {
+	tomo.Run(run)
+}
+
+func run () {
+	window, _ := tomo.NewWindow(384, 384)
+	window.SetTitle("File browser")
+	container := containers.NewContainer(basicLayouts.Vertical { true, true })
+	window.Adopt(container)
+
+	controlBar := containers.NewContainer(basicLayouts.Horizontal { })
+	backButton := basicElements.NewButton("Back")
+	backButton.SetIcon(theme.IconBackward)
+	backButton.ShowText(false)
+	forwardButton := basicElements.NewButton("Forward")
+	forwardButton.SetIcon(theme.IconForward)
+	forwardButton.ShowText(false)
+	refreshButton := basicElements.NewButton("Refresh")
+	refreshButton.SetIcon(theme.IconRefresh)
+	refreshButton.ShowText(false)
+	upwardButton := basicElements.NewButton("Go Up")
+	upwardButton.SetIcon(theme.IconUpward)
+	upwardButton.ShowText(false)
+	locationInput := basicElements.NewTextBox("Location", "")
+	
+	scrollContainer := containers.NewScrollContainer(false, true)
+	homeDir,_ := os.UserHomeDir()
+	directoryView, _ := fileElements.NewDirectoryView(homeDir)
+	directoryView.Collapse(0, 8)
+	choose := func (filePath string) {
+		directoryView.SetLocation(filePath)
+		locationInput.SetValue(directoryView.Location())
+	}
+	directoryView.OnChoose(choose)
+	locationInput.OnEnter (func () {
+		choose(locationInput.Value())
+	})
+	choose(homeDir)
+	
+	scrollContainer.Adopt(directoryView)
+	controlBar.Adopt(backButton,     false)
+	controlBar.Adopt(forwardButton,  false)
+	controlBar.Adopt(refreshButton,  false)
+	controlBar.Adopt(upwardButton,   false)
+	controlBar.Adopt(locationInput,  true)
+	container.Adopt(controlBar,      false)
+	container.Adopt(scrollContainer, true)
+
+	window.OnClose(tomo.Stop)
+	window.Show()
+}