Which component of an operating system is responsible for managing the files ?

An operating system splits its core functionality across several distinct manager subsystems, each governing one category of resource: executing programs, primary memory, persistent file/directory data, and hardware communication.

The stem asks specifically which subsystem is responsible for files — that is the component that creates, names, organizes into directories, and retrieves data held on secondary storage.

• Memory Manager: allocates and tracks pages/frames of primary memory (RAM) for running programs; it does not organize persistent file data.

• Process Manager: creates, schedules, and terminates processes and threads for execution; it governs CPU time, not stored files.

• Device Driver: translates a generic OS I/O request into device-specific commands for one hardware peripheral; it operates below the file abstraction, not the file organization itself.

The subsystem that organizes, names, stores, and retrieves files and directories on secondary storage is the File System Manager.