Alternatives to Files
A file manager for Windows with tabs, columns, tags and dual panes, built the way Explorer should have been. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.
The original
Files
A file manager for Windows with tabs, columns, tags and dual panes, built the way Explorer should have been.
Replacements
Listings that take over the same core job as Files.
OneCommander
Modern Windows file manager with Miller columns, dual pane and previews.
OneCommander also targets Windows 10 and 11 with dual pane and modern theming, using Miller columns, but it is closed source with some features in a paid Pro version.
Explorer++
A tabbed replacement for Windows Explorer that can run completely portable and save its settings to a file.
Explorer++ is a lighter open-source tabbed browser that runs fully portable and has ARM64 builds, but it is single-pane and its last tagged release was January 2024.
Directory Opus
Professional Windows file manager with tabs, dual pane, scripting and FTP.
Directory Opus is a paid, closed-source Windows manager with scripting, FTP and a very strong batch rename, offering deeper layout configuration than Files.
XYplorer
Tabbed Windows file manager with scripting, portable mode and deep search.
XYplorer is paid and closed source, keeping tabbed browsing while adding a built-in scripting language, deep search and a fully portable mode.
Sigma File Manager
Modern file manager with tabs, dual-pane view, global search and media previews.
Sigma File Manager is also open source with tabs, dual pane and media previews and runs on Linux too, but it is a heavier Electron app from one developer.
FreeCommander
Free dual-pane Windows file manager with tabs, search and archive handling.
FreeCommander offers dual panes, tabs and folder synchronisation and runs portable from a USB stick, but it is closed source and its interface looks dated.
Multi Commander
Free multi-tab, multi-pane Windows file manager aimed at power users.
Multi Commander is free for commercial use with multi-tab panes and a scripting engine, but it is closed source and has a dense interface.
Total Commander
The dual-pane Windows file manager people have been using since 1993, still updated, still shareware.
Total Commander moves to a keyboard-first dual-pane workflow with FTP, SFTP and directory synchronisation, but it is paid, closed source and dated in appearance.
Also worth comparing
These listings name Files as their own alternative, so the relationship runs both ways.
File Pilot
A small, fast file explorer for Windows with panels, tabs, fuzzy search and batch renaming.
Files is open source under MIT with tabs, dual panes and tags, but heavier and slower to start than File Pilot.
Spacedrive
Cross-device file explorer built on a distributed virtual filesystem.
Files is an MIT open-source Windows file manager with tabs, tags and cloud provider integration, replacing Spacedrive's cross-device libraries with a Windows-only tool.
Tablacus Explorer
A portable, tabbed file manager for Windows that can be extended with add-ons.
Files adds dual panes, column view, colour tags and Git status, but needs a recent Windows 10 or 11 and is heavier to start.
xplorer²
A paid tabbed dual-pane file manager for Windows that replaces File Explorer.
Files is an MIT-licensed Windows manager with tabs, dual panes, columns and colour tags, needing recent Windows 10 or 11.
Similar software
Related functionality, not a direct replacement.
Double Commander
A free dual-pane file manager in the Total Commander tradition, running on Linux and macOS too.
Yazi
A terminal file manager where nothing blocks: every read, preview and copy happens asynchronously.
WinSetView
Apply consistent folder views across Windows Explorer.
Q-Dir
Quad-pane Windows file manager that shows up to four folders at once.
TagSpaces
An offline file organizer that adds color-coded tags to files and folders without a database.
