A file manager is a program that enables us to explore the filesystem and manage files and directories. It is the most important utility of an operating system. Without it, moving, renaming or deleting files is a difficult task.
Windows 10 OS has a powerful file manager as compared to the earlier edition of the Windows OS, but it still lacks many features. Two of the biggest limitations of the Windows Explorer is that it doesn’t support regex search and keyboard shortcuts.
If you use Windows OS for professional tasks, you must use a third-party program for managing files. Below, I’ve shared the best Windows file manager software that you can use as an alternative to the Windows Explorer tool.
Top 5 Best file manager for Windows OS
6Q-Dir
Q-Dir is a file manager software that allows you to explore directories in 10 different ways. Hence, you can work with multiple directories at a time with it.
Q-Dir comes with an inbuilt FTP client. It lets you see the files packed inside the Windows cabinet and Zip archives. The program supports drag-and-drop function. Hence, you can move files between folders easily with it.
Q-Dir adds a search box to each pane. It lets you preview photos. It allows you to create regex enabled filters for finding files. For easier management of the files, the program adds some of its important functions to the context menu of Microsoft Windows OS.
5Far Manager
Unlike other file manager software we’ve covered here, Far Manager provides a command line interface that supports mouse events.
The file manager supports plugins and it provides a variety of keyboard shortcuts. The software enables you to record macros for executing the same task in another directory. Because it is a text based file manager, the program is incredibly fast and lightweight.
The file manager ships with an inbuilt text editor and it supports color customization.
4FreeCommander XE
FreeCommander XE is one of the most powerful file manager software for the Windows OS. It is a small utility that provides many features.
FC XE enables you to capture desktop screenshots in four different ways. It has a tool that allows you to search for files containing specific text. As it has an inbuilt text editor, you can check the file’s content without opening the document processor. FC XE comes with a bulk file renamer utility.
FreeCommander XE allows you to send files to a remote computer. It supports FTP protocol. It lets you create encrypted self-extracting archives.
3Total Commander
Total Commander is yet another popular file manager software for the Windows OS. It provides dual-pane layout. TC offers two icon libraries for its menu bar and the toolbar.
The program lets you share files over a network connection. It has the option to synchronize directories. TC can encode and decode encrypted files. It supports batch rename operation on files and directories.
You can combine smaller files into a single file or split large files with the Total Commander program. TC allows users to compare directories and create compressed archives in six different formats. It lets users change the volume label of a disk without formatting the disk.
Total Commander enables you to customize menu, shortcuts, colors, etc. It can unhide hidden files and folders.
2XYPlorer
XYPlorer is the best Windows file manager software. It has a great interface. Its toolbar gives you access to 15+ powerful utilities. XYPlorer provides a powerful file finder tool that enables you to find files by their tag, content, size, date, etc.
XYPlorer supports integration with the Windows context menu. It lets you filter files with complex regular expressions. It supports checkbox selection.
You can customize the interface of this file manager software. XYPlorer supports multi-pane windows and it offers color filters that highlight file names, directories with different colors.
The program can calculate the size of the files/folders in real-time. It enables users to find duplicate files. It can rename multiple files in one go.
Do you know?
Microsoft introduced the popular Unix shell called Bash in the Windows 10 OS in 2016. If you know Linux commands, you must unlock the bash shell and begin using it to manage files.
If you know shell scripting, you can write scripts to automate file management tasks in Windows. Bash should be used by advanced users only because if you fire an incorrect command, you may end up removing a file/directory permanently.
If you’re a normal computer user, consider using one of the GUI based Windows file manager software mentioned in this article.
Conclusion: If you don’t like the Windows Explorer tool, download and use one of the file manager software mentioned above. The programs provide plenty of options. They’re customizable, lightweight and user-friendly. You can use them on Windows 10, XP, 7, Vista, 8.1 or 8 OS.
Also read: Best file manager for Android
Nice collection but I want to mention this one: http://www.winzip.com/win/en/learn/file-management.html. Winzip is the best tool in my opinion.