Windows Explorer, the default file manager for Microsoft Windows,
hasn’t really changed all that much over the years. Below you’ll find
reviews, screenshots and links to download 10 11 12 14 15 different alternatives.
If I haven’t included your favorite file manager (for Windows..) in
this list, by all means please leave a comment below or feel free to contact me. I’d be more than happy to include it.
Update: I’ve done another 10 Windows Explorer reviews.
Name | Cost | Trial? | Rating (x/5) |
A43 | free | n/a | ***½ |
Ac Browser Plus | $21.00 | yes | ** |
CubicExplorer | free | n/a | *** |
Directory Opus | AUD $85.00 | yes (30 days) | **** |
ExplorerXP | free | n/a | *** |
Far Manager | $25.00 | yes (40 days) | ***½ |
FileMatrix | 24.00 | yes | *** |
freeCommander | free | n/a | ***½ |
PowerDesk Pro/Standard | $39.95/free | n/a | **¾ |
Servant Salamander (2.5) | $30 | yes (30 days) | **** |
SpeedCommander | 37.95 | yes (60 days) | *** |
Total Commander | $34 | yes (30 days) | **** |
XPlorer | free | n/a | ***½ |
xplorer² | 19.95 | yes (21 days) | *** |
XYplorer | 29.95 | yes (21 days) | **** |
A43
Requirements: Windows 2000, Windows XP
Download: http://www.primitus.us/a43/
Features:
button. You can also turn your zip archives into self-extracting
archives the same way.
registry. A43’s configuration information is saved in a local .ini file.
Thoughts:
A43 took up about 18mb of RAM after using it for 5 minutes. It dropped
down to 3mb of RAM after 15 seconds of not using it. Its response time
was very quick while renaming, moving and copying files. The
drag-and-drop zip/unzip and rar/unrar feature is pretty neat – if I
made zip files often I would find this very helpful. Also, you can fit
A43 on a floppy and take it with you to use on any PC (doesn’t require
an installation). The built-in text editor was easy to use, as was
‘quick launch’ section. The ‘file filter’ feature (use wildcards to
sort files) is well located and works exactly as you’d expect. Between
the features and the price, this is a file manager that I won’t delete
right away.
Screenshots:
![]() default view |
![]() easy unzipping |
![]() Tools list |
![]() bottom pane – quick launch |
![]() image preview |
Ac Browser Plus
Requirements: Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP
Download: http://www.konradp.com/products/acbplus/
Features:
drive, and so you can query this index in a second, more: drive
indexing.
batch scripts- .bat, or anything else), which can be executed in the
context of currently selected files or folders (thanks to the script
templates).
allowing you to filter out items from current file browser window
Thoughts:
Lots of features, but the interface feels very “Windows 95″ at times.
If it was free I would consider leaving it installed and maybe try it
out for a while longer. Because some of the other file managers are as
feature-rich (or more so) and have a more consistent (and at times much
more attractive) interface, I can only give it two stars out of five.
Screenshots:
![]() easy to view detailed info |
![]() helpful scripts |
![]() purchase to change background |
![]() thumbnail view |
![]() extra navigation |
![]() ac browser plus options |
CubicExplorer
Requirements: Windows 95 (untested), 98, ME, NT (untested), 2000, XP, Vista (works, not supported yet)
Download: http://www.cubicreality.com/ce/download
Homepage: http://www.cubicreality.com/
Features:
Thoughts:
Here’s why I gave CubicExplorer 3 stars instead of 2 or 2½ – it has
potential, and it’s free. Since it’s not even at version 1.0 yet (0.77a
as of 10/13/06), it can only get better (right?). Unfortunately, the
0.77a has been around since March of this year, and the forum indicates
that work on .80a started a while ago (but it’s still not out). With
all of that said, the Quick View feature is something that I would use,
frequently. Showing actual html code when an .html file is selected,
rather than a ‘preview’ of the web page, is ideal for me. The built in
text editor is excellent for stashing snipits of text, html, web page
addresses etc, and allowing that text to be a tab is fantastic. While
this version has too few features for me, I will certainly give the
next one a try.
Screenshots:
![]() default view |
![]() CubicExplorer prefs |
![]() Text as a tab |
![]() Quick View files |
Directory Opus
Requirements: Windows 95/98/ME or NT4/2000/XP
Download: http://www.gpsoft.com.au/DScripts/Download.asp
Homepage: http://www.gpsoft.com.au/Index.html
Features:
Thoughts:
Directory Opus is a great File Manager. There are a lot of features and
options, and nearly every aspect of this program is customizable. It
really is an Explorer replacement, and it offers to do so during the
installation – so when you open any folder, Directory Opus will launch.
The built-in FTP client works exactly as you’d expect. The many
different view options are easy to access and just “make sense”. While
in use, Directory Opus took up 28MB of memory on my system. The instant
that it’s minimized, its memory use dropped to 1MB. If I used Windows
more often, I would gladly pay the $85.00 to purchase this software. In
fact, the next time I have a day job that requires Windows use, I will.
Screenshots:
![]() quick ftp connect |
![]() contextual (and excellent) auto-help |
![]() thumbnail view |
![]() extra (audio) file info |
![]() nag screen |
![]() id3 editing |
![]() huge “file” list |
![]() replace Windows Explorer |
ExplorerXP
Requirements: Windows 2000, Windows XP
Download: http://www.explorerxp.com/index.html#download (scroll to the bottom)
Homepage: http://www.explorerxp.com/
Features:
Thoughts:
Pretty straight forward Explorer-like File Manager. While it doesn’t
have as many features as many of the other reviewed file managers, it
is free (for non-commercial use) and makes a great “first” upgrade for
beginners. Anyone who has used Windows Explorer for more than 5 minutes
will feel right at home using ExplorerXP.
Screenshots
![]() default view |
![]() two windows |
![]() ExplorerXP prefs |
![]() command list |
Far Manager
Requirements: Windows 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000 or XP
Download: http://www.farmanager.com/download.php?l=en
Homepage: http://www.farmanager.com/index.php?l=en
Features:
Windows operating systems. Far Manager works in text mode and provides
a simple and intuitive interface for performing most of the necessary
actions: viewing files and directories, editing, copying and renaming
files and many other operations.
configurable interface. File system navigation is made easier through
the use of color highlighting and file sort groups.
extended by external DLL modules – plugins (made possible by a special
set of interfaces – the Plugins API). For example, archive support, the
FTP client, the temporary panel and the network browser are all
implemented as plugins included in the standard distribution of Far.
Thoughts:
Far Manager is a pretty old-school File Manager. Mouse support is
provided, but this is a File Manager for keyboard commandos. Very cool plugins
add great extra features (FTP, email, Winamp control etc). I’m not sure
that I’ll pay for this File Manager, but I will be using it until the
40 days is up before I decide.
Screenshots:
![]() Far Manager default view |
![]() execute a command in Far |
![]() select multiple files |
![]() built in text viewer |
![]() search in Far |
FileMatrix
Requirements: Windows 98, ME, NT4 SP6, 2000, XP or Vista
Homepage: http://www.gardenerofthoughts.org/ideas/filematrix/index.htm
Features:
hints), between 1 and 10 columns for navigation in directories, 30 sets
of columns called boards for organizing sets of directories, directory
tree navigator, thumbnail pictures, drag-and-drop between columns and
boards and to / from other applications, skins, special graphical
effects.
for example, the results of a search), picture converter (including the
ability to normalize pictures to a specified size), media player (with
the possibility to resume playing later), mouse gestures with a user
interface called mouse menu, file hover information (which includes a
thumbnail and a played media clip), text search with ranking (like an
online search engine), steganography integrated with the viewer /
editor (noise management included).
Thoughts:
FileMatrix is quite unique among all of the other File Managers
reviewed in this article. The interface is much different than the
typical explorer-style manager. The use of “boards” and “containers”
makes viewing and grouping files a snap. If you’re tired of the
same-old-file-manager, give this one a try. And be sure to make use of
the included Wizards and help files – they will really come in handy.
Screenshots:
![]() thumbnail view |
![]() right-click options |
![]() tools options |
![]() image converter |
![]() config and help wizard (very helpful!) |
![]() nag screen |
freeCommander
Requirements: Windows 95, 98, ME, NT (from version 4.0), 2000, XP, Vista (?)
Download: http://www.freecommander.com/fc_downl_en.htm
Homepage: http://www.freecommander.com/
Features:
Thoughts:
‘Easy access to system folders’ is one of the features that first
jumped out at me. My immediate thought was “why isn’t that in all file
managers?” I may have overlooked it in some of the others, so I
certainly won’t say that this is the only one that has this feature.
“Size of folders” (not enabled by default) does slow things down – as
freeCommander calculates and displays the folder size. With that said,
it’s very handy to try and figure out where your hard drive space has
gone, and easy to get to when you need it. The image preview was a bit
slow for me compared to most of the others. The screenshot feature
allows you to chose between image types (bmp and jpg) and even adjust
the quality. I think the biggest drawback to freeCommander is the lack
of built in FTP support, and I suppose it’s not that big of a deal.
This program, though free, is donation-worthy.
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Screenshots:
![]() quick access to System Folders |
![]() freeCommander prefs |
![]() Extras menu |
![]() Quick access to Programs |
![]() default freeCommander view |
PowerDesk Pro/Standard
Requirements: Windows 98, ME, NT4, 2000, XP, or 2003
Download: http://www.shop.avanquest.com/usa/trial_form.php?pid=686
Homepage: http://www.v-com.com/product/PowerDesk_Pro_Home.html
Features:
Thoughts:
OK here’s my beef.. It’s not a bad File Manager at all. It’s very
customizable, has all of the features you’d expect, but the ones you
really want to try (add notes to files, ftp, sync folders) are only
available in the Pro version (which there’s no trial for). The Standard
version is free, but has a ‘nag’ bar that takes up too much screen
real-estate. I would much rather a 10 day fully-functional demo version
before I decide to lay down $40. Also, they added me to a mailing list
when I specifically said I did not want to join (you must provide an
email address to download the demo).
Screenshots:
![]() horizontal view |
![]() file filter |
![]() PowerDesk Standard options |
![]() Tools list |
![]() customize the toolbar |
Servant Salamander (2.5)
Requirements: Windows 95, 98, ME, NT 4, 2000, or XP
Download: http://www.altap.cz/download.html
Homepage: http://www.altap.cz/
Features:
This is a list of the main features for version 2.5 RC1. All details/features for v2.5 can be found here, and v2.0 here.
Thoughts:
At the suggestion of a number of commenters, I downloaded and installed
Servant Salamander 2.5 RC1. It’s another Norton Commander-style
inspired file manager, and a pretty great one at that. It has every
feature you’d expect, and then some. The plug-ins allow for features
that go above and beyond a file manager (screenshots, encrypt and
decrypt, sftp/scp etc). The ability to set a ’skill level’ is a great
idea. Executing commands is not only easy, but the command window
doesn’t automatically close once the command has been executed! As it
stands right now, I can’t pick a “winner” between Servant Salamander
and Total Commander. I’m quite sure that it just comes down to personal
preference. If Norton Commander-style file managers are your thing, I
would strongly suggest you try both Total Commander and Servant
Salamander, and decide for yourself which is best. If you’re on a
limited budget, go for freeCommander. When the demo versions expire, I
plan on buying either Total or Servant – I’ll update this after I
decide.
Screenshots:
![]() default view |
![]() Servant Salamander plug-ins |
|
![]() Servant Salamander prefs |
![]() set a user level |
|
![]() map network drives |
![]() execute commands |
SpeedCommander
Requirements: Windows 95/98/98SE, Windows ME, Windows NT 4, Windows 2000, XP, 2003, Windows XP/2003 x64 Edition
Download: http://www.speedproject.de/enu/download.html
Homepage: http://www.speedproject.de/enu/speedcommander/index.html
Features:
Thoughts:
Lots of features (built in browser is cool) and very snappy response
times. Macros are simple to use. Worth checking out, but the price is a
bit steep. If I had an x64 version of Windows I would be anxious to try
out this app.
Screenshots
![]() default view |
![]() View options |
![]() File options |
![]() Run a command |
![]() Preview files |
![]() Launch apps |
Total Commander
Requirements: Windows 95, 98, ME, Windows NT 4.0,
Windows 2000, and Windows XP. 16bit version available for Win 3.1.
Another for Windows CE and the Pocket PC.
Download: http://www.ghisler.com/download.htm
Homepage: http://www.ghisler.com/
Features:
typing the program name or by pressing ctrl+enter or ctrl+shift+enter.
place your frequently used DOS or Windows programs into a drop-down
menu. The actual directory and/or the file under the cursor can be
delivered to the application.
binary or text format, using either the ASCII- (DOS) or the ANSI-
(Windows) character set. The line width and font size can now be
changed. You can even view files inside archives! New: Support for
Unicode UTF-8 format.
French, Italian, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Dutch, Spanish, Czech,
Russian, Polish, Hungarian, and now also Hebrew, Greek, Afrikaans,
Catalan, Turkish and Ukrainian
Thoughts:
Having only used it for about 30 minutes total (so far), take these
comments with a grain of salt. Total Commander appears to be the
fastest file manager in terms of response times. I asked it to
calculate the size of 14 folders (that contained a couple hundred
files) and it immediatley
gave me the answer. The hard drive didn’t clunk away trying to count
files, it just happened. As the screenshots below demonstrate, Total
Commander looks very old school (though there are many options to
customize the look and feel). As the name implies, it’s styled after
Norton Commander, and as you’d expect it can be completely controlled
via the keyboard. At $34 USD I’m curious to compare it to Free
Commander (see comments at the bottom). I reserve the right to bump
this up to 4 stars after I look at Free Commander
Screenshots:
![]() Total Commander prefs |
![]() default view |
![]() FTP view |
![]() customize the button bar |
![]() calculate file/folder sizes |
XPlorer
NOTE: a number of folks have mentioned that XPlorer
may include a trojan (AVG catches it as Trojan Horse Generic10.AEGX).
I’ve removed the download link, but left the URL available if you want
to copy and paste it into your browser and try downloading it/living on
the edge.
Requirements: Windows 95, 98, ME, NT 4.0, 2000, XP, 2003 or Vista
Download: http://guti.webcindario.com/static.php?page=XPlorer (scroll to download section)
Features:
Thoughts:
Arguably the most Windows Explorer-like of all the reviewed File
Managers, XPlorer is certainly better than the default Windows
Explorer. Here’s my only real complaint – when you delete a file, it
remains ‘visible’ in the list of files until you refresh the screen.
And you can only refresh by hitting F5 on your keyboard (no
right-click, no Edit > Refresh etc). That one annoying ‘feature’ is
enough for me not to use it (I replicated this problem on 3 different
Windows XP machines). If that kind of thing doesn’t bother you, by all
means check this one out because it’s not bad otherwise.
Screenshots:
![]() default view |
![]() right-click options |
![]() Xplorer options |
![]() File list |
xplorer²
Requirements: Windows 98, ME, NT, 2000, XP, 2003
Download: http://zabkat.com/x2down.htm
Homepage: http://zabkat.com
Features:
Throughts:
The ability to search for files everywhere, with Omni-Finder, is
actually very cool/powerful. The built-in Help is very useful, as it
explains all of the features (and how to use them) clearly, with
illustrations. At first glance xplorer² appears fairly average, digging
deeper shows it to be a powerful File Manager.
Screenshots:
![]() default view |
![]() preview window |
![]() Tools list |
![]() System navigation |
![]() Commands via a container |
XYplorer
Requirements: Windows 95, 98, NT, ME, 2000, XP or Vista
Download: http://www.xyplorer.com/download.htm
Homepage: http://www.xyplorer.com/index.htm/
Features:
access to information (file properties and previews) and action (Find
Files, Reports).
Very handy with complex search patterns or distributed search locations.
breadcrumb you can get. It takes no screen space, is 100%
keyboard-driven, and takes you up and down relative to your current
location.
selectable text or data chunk from any other application onto a folder
in XYplorer, where it will be automatically converted into a *.txt-file
or an *.rtf file, depending on the content.
more, using high-quality resampling for shrinking/zooming), audio, and
video files (displaying detailed media information).
Thoughts:
Wow. It only took a couple of minutes of looking around to see some
features that I’d never seen before (drop text to file, ctrl+backspace
breadcrumb) – and some that I’ve seen before but never this detailed
(see the “Rename Special” screenshot below). If you click and hold the
left mouse button on an image (in the Preview area) it enlarges until
you release the mouse button. Very cool. XYplorer appears to have a
slighly larger memory-footprint than Directory Opus (the only other
Explorer-style file manager that I gave 4 stars), but it is less
expensive.
Screenshots:
![]() default view |
![]() Rename special |
![]() hover info |
![]() Tools menu |
![]() XYplorer prefs |
![]() customize the Toolbar |
Source: SimpleHelp.net
Is there Any Windows explorers that look like a mac’s? because im making my pc look like a mac. and it looks cool
Thank you very much was very good
This is exactly the 4th post, of yours I really went through.
But yet I enjoy this particular one, Pictures of Window Treatments “15 Windows Explorer Alternatives | Tech Blogs” the most.
Thanks -Kyle