Windows dual pane file browser

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Replace Genius: find and replace text in Excel and Word files,…. How to easily transcribe audio or video recordings into text update. Most of these third party file managers can be set to replace Explorer as your default app, though we recommend testing them thoroughly first. PC running slow? We've also featured the best free PC optimization tools. Total Commander formerly File Commander has been around for 25 years, and its developer lives by the maxim 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it'.

It's not flashy and uses a classic design with two vertical panels, but each update introduces modern additions like support for cloud storage services and native Windows 10 features.

Total Commander is a great choice for transferring large volumes of files thanks to its background process manager, which lets you check progress, pause and resume transfers, and set a speed limit. Its interface is uncluttered for fast navigation, it offers customizable keyboard shortcuts, and there's a built-in file archiving tool for creating and extracting archives in all the most common formats.

Total Commander is also expandable via plugins. Optional features include the ability to sort images by size, search for text strings within PDFs, and edit music metadata without opening any other applications. Total Commander is distributed as shareware; you can try it free and share the EXE file with others, but after 30 days you're prompted to buy a license. The payment process is a little unusual, and it might take a couple of days to receive your key, but the wait is worthwhile.

Like Total Commander, Directory Opus is as premium file manager — and it shows, and comes a very close second in this list. It has an attractive icon-led interface that's busier than Total Commander's, but can be pared down using the various customization options.

This is where Directory Opus really shines — pretty much every aspect of its operation can be tweaked and tuned to suit your needs. It's extremely fast too, using multi-threading for faster processing and enabling you to queue and manage operations. There are various useful features, such as multi-pane opening and tabbed browsing, as well as quickly filter or sort your files and folders. There are two versions of Directory Opus, Light and Pro.

Both make managing your files far easier, but Pro is worth the extra outlay thanks the the ability to replace File Explorer — for everything, or just specific folders. Directory Opus Pro isn't just a file manager, it also serves as an FTP client and file compression tool. Its interface is customizable interface than that of its lower-priced counterpart, it offers integrated metadata editing, and it can save complex search terms as macros for future use.

You can try both versions free for 30 days. You can tag a file either with the right-click menu or with the folder's top menu. Just remember to click Enter after creating a new tag, before you click "add tags. Like in One Commander, you can create a note as a tiny file within the folder that can be viewed in the app, using the sidebar. With the same sidebar you can view all of the tags you've created and view all of the files that have any tag by clicking on it.

The sidebar also lets you quickly switch between dark and light themes. The main problem with TagSpaces is that it doesn't map your drives automatically. If a file isn't on your desktop or within a folder such as Documents or Downloads, you'll need to add its location manually to access it. As a non-Windows-specific app, it will show you the temporary versions of document you didn't save, which Windows doesn't show. The app doesn't rely on the Windows clipboard either, which means you can't use the cut, copy or paste actions independently of each other, and need to use the combined "copy or move" function through the top or right-click menu.

Also, as the app doesn't assume you have a mouse, you can't choose several files by dragging the cursor. If you want to choose more than one file at once, you should either use the list view with checkboxes in the top folder menu, or use Ctrl or Shift. In Settings, you can make changes to the app's default colors and key bindings. If you buy one of the Pro versions , you'll have access to more features, such as geotags, adding descriptions to files and changing each folder's background color.

What do you get by paying for a file explorer? XYplorer's day trial version is probably the best way to find out. This portable app doesn't hide its best features within menus, but shows you almost everything you need on its top toolbar, which you can customize by right-clicking on it. Those features include a dual-pane mode, a dark mode, a touchscreen mode; instant marking of files or folders that were created or modified recently, empty dirs, or files that have overly long names; different column layouts that are more suitable for folders with different types of files; showing how many files of each format the folder has; filtering files of certain types, sizes or ages; and a list of recently viewed locations.

In the top menu, under "panes," you can choose between horizontal and vertical panes. In the same menu, under "tags," you can add color labels or verbal tags to the selected files. The configuration menu also has many options regarding fonts, colors and style. The app's site has an active script-exchange forum , where you can find user-generated scripts you may want to use. Files The open-source Files app is basically what Windows 11's File Explorer should have been: the design is consistent with Windows 11's more polished UI, it supports tabs and panes, and its settings menu is way more user-friendly.