These 3 Windows file managers made me ditch File Explorer - and they're free

6 days ago 14

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ZDNET's key takeaways

Don't settle for the Windows default file manager.
Here are three options that improve on the default.
Each of these can be installed and used for free.

The file manager is one app that doesn't always get the appreciation it deserves. It's fairly easy to assume that the default app is good enough. After all, isn't it just about managing, finding, and opening files?

On a very basic level, yes, that is what a file manager is about. But not all file managers are created equal. It doesn't matter what operating system you use, because there are always options from which to choose (some of which are better than what you're using).

Case in point, Windows File Explorer.

Sure, File Explorer will do, but why settle for "will do" when you can use an app that will serve you better?

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You want options, let me show you some of my favorites I discovered after spending a week away from Linux and finding myself frustrated with the default app.

1. Total Commander

Total Commander is a powerhouse file manager that is my go-to for the rare occasion that I have to use Windows. One of the main reasons for this is how easy it is to connect to Samba shares on my network. Not only can you map a network drive, but you can configure it to autoconnect at startup. Given how often I use my network shares, this is a must for me, and Total Commander is tops in this area.

I will warn you that Total Commander does have a slightly outdated UI, one that would look right at home on Windows XP or 7, but I would suggest that you overlook that old-school interface and just use this file manager.

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Total Command includes features like:

Dual windows with drag-and-drop support
Side panels
Built-in tools for batch renaming, archiving
FTP client.
Favorites
File operations, including copy, move, delete, and rename files and directories
File Comparison using a built-in text editor
Sync folders, including subdirectories, for easy backup and organization
Encode and decode files in formats like MIME and UUE
File Splitting/Combining
Full-text search and duplicate file search capabilities
File filters based on specific patterns, sizes, or dates
Extend functionality with plugins
Configure the layout and toolbar to your desires
View images and videos directly within the application
Background downloading
Secure FTP over SSL/TLS (requires OpenSSL DLLs from www.openssl.org)

Total Commander is free to install and use. You can find the installer on the Total Commander download page.

2. OneCommander

Imagine having a file manager that looked somewhat like the default Windows app and had much more flexibility.

That's OneCommander.

OneCommander is like a power-user version of Windows File Explorer. Because of that, if you are satisfied with only the basic features of a file manager, you might as well stick to the default.

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OneCommand includes features like:

DirectX and custom rendering
Tabs that are saved between sessions
Dual-pane view
Miller-Columns navigation (tree structure) or Standard layout
Dark and Light themes
User-editable icons
Built-in file preview built-in
Long Unicode Path support
Favorites can be organized into project groups
Quick Filtering
Picture Preview with included metadata and GPS photo location
Adaptive view and dynamic columns
Named windows
Simplified network drive mapping
Paste text and images directly as files
Paste video links to download as MP4
File Automator with RegEx renaming and Image Converter
Script support

This is another file manager that makes connecting to network shares incredibly simple. You can even map network drives, so you don't have to always open a tab and type \\192.168.1.176\Public.

It's the little things.

OneCommander is found in the Windows app store and offers both a free and a Pro version ($24.99). The Pro version is only necessary for commercial use and adds features like built-in support for FTP, SFTP, and FTPS management, support for more file formats (such as 7zip and RAR), customizable themes, enhanced file operations, a process viewer, and MTP device connectivity.

3. FileVoyager

FileVoyager is considered a Swiss Army Knife file manager, and that's a fairly accurate assessment. This file manager includes more features than you'll ever need for a file manager, and I find that refreshing.

FileVoyager is another dual-pane window manager with a UI that might make your eyes go wide, as there's a lot to it.

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One really cool thing I found with the FileVoyager UI is that when you drag and drop a file from one pane to another (whether they are both local or one is local and the other is remote), a pop-up appears allowing you to select if you want to move, copy, delete, or create a shortcut. Another favorite feature of mine is the ability to easily connect to and map network shares.

In fact, there's a whole lot to like about FileVoyager, especially if you consider yourself a power user. You'll find features like:

Browse disks, folders, shares, archives, and FTP/FTPS
Browse in modes like report or thumbnail modes
Common file operations (rename, copy, move, link, delete, recycle)
Compress and decompress ZIP, 7Zip, GZip, BZip2, XZ, Tar, WIM, ARJ, CAB, XAR, Z, RAR, LZH, LZMA, ISO, WIM, and many others
Play virtually any Audio or Video formats
Compare files or folders
Synchronize folders
Hash tool with malware report
Quick preview feature for any file format
Render multimedia files
View ebooks and comicbook files, such as PDF, EPUB, MOBI, FB2, DJVU, CBR, CBZ, XPS, … (Powered by SumatraPDF
Syntax highlighting for virtually any source code language/format
Render file formats that are supported by Preview Handlers
Support for numerous character encodings
Display files in either flat or hexadecimal format

Even with a UI that looks like it would be better suited for previous iterations of Windows, I found FileVoyager to be a vast improvement over the default.

FileVoyager is free to install and use from the official site. I will warn you to be careful of the ads on the FileVoyager site.

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