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Files vs Explorer++: catalog facts
Files	Explorer++
Freemium Free and open source under the MIT licence. The Microsoft Store listing is paid as a way…	Free Free and open source under the GPL.
Windows	Windows
Tabs, dual panes and a column view that Explorer still lacks Colour file tags and a working preview pane	Tabbed browsing with bookmarkable tabs, which Explorer only gained much later Completely portable when configured to save settings to a file rather than the registry
Windows only, and it needs a recent Windows 10 or 11 Heavier and slower to start than Explorer	Windows only The last tagged release is from January 2024
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: MIT	License: GPL-3.0
No account needed	No account needed
Works offline	Works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 21, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 21, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.