These buttons open the developer's own site, repository or store listing in a new tab. wares.gg does not host downloads.
2 more ways to get Total Commander
Package managers
- winget
winget install --id Ghisler.TotalCommander - Chocolatey
choco install totalcommander
About Total Commander
Total Commander shows two directories at once and is built around the keyboard. Copy, move, compare, synchronise and multi-rename are all a shortcut away, archives open like folders, and built-in FTP and SFTP move files to servers without another program. A plugin system covers everything else, from cloud storage to viewing obscure file formats.
It is shareware. The trial has no time limit and no feature limit; it asks you to press one of three numbered buttons on launch until you buy a licence. That model has not changed in three decades, and neither has the loyalty of the people who use it.
Strengths
- Extremely fast keyboard workflow, refined over thirty years
- Archives, FTP and SFTP handled inside the file manager
- Directory synchronisation and multi-rename that actually scale
- A large plugin ecosystem, much of it still maintained
Limitations
- Paid, and the trial nags on every single launch
- Windows only and closed source
- The interface is unapologetically from another era
- There is a separate Android version that is a different purchase
Details
- Pricing
- PaidA one-off licence covers all future versions. The trial is unlimited but shows a nag screen on every launch.
- License
- Proprietary
- Developer
- Ghisler Software GmbH
- Platforms
- Windows
- How it runs
- Downloadable app
- Account
- Not required
- Works offline
- Yes
- Best suited for
- Anyone who moves a lot of files and is faster with a keyboard than a mouse
- Categories
- File managers
- Last verified
- Added
- Provenance
- Selected from the TechWalrus downloads catalog (Utilities); facts checked against the developer's own pages, 2 sources on file.
Alternatives to Total Commander
Compare allSoftware that can replace Total Commander for an important use case, and what changes if you switch.
Double Commander
A free dual-pane file manager in the Total Commander tradition, running on Linux and macOS too.
Double Commander is free and open source under GPL-2.0, runs on Windows, macOS and Linux, and only partly supports Total Commander plugins.
Directory Opus
Professional Windows file manager with tabs, dual pane, scripting and FTP.
Directory Opus is also a paid Windows-only file manager, adding tabs, scripting and deeply configurable layouts, though its many options take time to learn.
FreeCommander
Free dual-pane Windows file manager with tabs, search and archive handling.
FreeCommander keeps the dual-pane Windows layout with folder synchronisation and portable use for free, while extra features sit in a paid donor edition.
Far Manager
A two-pane text-mode file manager and shell for Windows, extended by plugins for archives, FTP and network browsing.
Far Manager is a free BSD-licensed two-pane Windows manager in text mode, with archive and FTP plugins but a steeper, more archaic interface.
Multi Commander
Free multi-tab, multi-pane Windows file manager aimed at power users.
Multi Commander is free for personal and commercial use on Windows, offering multiple tabs and panes plus a scripting engine, though still closed source.
XYplorer
Tabbed Windows file manager with scripting, portable mode and deep search.
XYplorer is another paid closed-source Windows manager, built around tabs, a scripting language and a fully portable mode rather than a classic two-pane commander.
OneCommander
Modern Windows file manager with Miller columns, dual pane and previews.
OneCommander offers dual panes and Miller columns with modern theming on Windows 10 and 11, with some features reserved for its paid Pro version.
Midnight Commander
Two-panel file manager for the terminal, with an editor and remote access.
Midnight Commander brings the two-panel workflow to the terminal on Linux and macOS under GPL-3.0, working over SSH but needing Cygwin or WSL on Windows.
Total Commander as an alternative
Listings that name Total Commander as an alternative.
Explorer++
A tabbed replacement for Windows Explorer that can run completely portable and save its settings to a file.
Total Commander replaces single-pane tabs with a keyboard-driven dual-pane workflow including FTP and SFTP, but it is paid shareware and closed source.
Files
A file manager for Windows with tabs, columns, tags and dual panes, built the way Explorer should have been.
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.
Q-Dir
Quad-pane Windows file manager that shows up to four folders at once.
Total Commander offers a refined keyboard-driven dual-pane workflow with FTP, SFTP and plugins, but it is paid and the trial nags on every launch.
Similar software
Related functionality, not necessarily a direct replacement.
Yazi
A terminal file manager where nothing blocks: every read, preview and copy happens asynchronously.
ForkLift
Dual-pane macOS file manager with built-in SFTP, S3 and WebDAV.
Path Finder
Professional Finder replacement for macOS with dual panes and a drop stack.
