Open Source File Explorer Alternatives for Windows

There are many alternatives to File Explorer for Windows if you are looking for a replacement. The best open source Windows alternative is Double Commander. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 100 alternatives to File Explorer and many of them are open source and available for Windows so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting open source Windows alternatives to File Explorer are Files, Spacedrive, Explorer++ and QTTabBar.

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File Explorer alternatives are mainly File Managers but may also be File Search Utilities or FTP Clients. Other popular filters includes Windows + Open Source and Windows + Free. Filter by these or use the filter bar below if you want a narrower list of alternatives or looking for a specific functionality of File Explorer.

File Explorer

226

File Manager
Free • Proprietary

File Explorer is a file manager application that is included with releases of the Microsoft Windows operating system from Windows 95 onwards. It is sometimes referred to as the Windows shell, explorer.exe, or simply...

More about File Explorer

File Explorer alternatives page was last updated Jun 23, 2024

Double Commander
548 likes
Open-source file manager with dual-panel interface, inspired by Total Commander. Supports plugin use, advanced search, tabbed browsing, and runs smoothly with background operations. Unicode and multi-platform compatibility enhance its versatility.
133 Double Commander alternatives
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application types
- File Manager
- File Sync Tool
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- BSD
+7
Top Double Commander Features
1. Dual Pane Support
2. Configurable
3. Two-panel file manager
4. Folder Sync
5. TC plug-in's support
6. Batch Rename Files
7. Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
8. File Comparison
9. Multiplatform
10. Portable
11. File Sync
12. Ad-free
Double Commander VS File Explorer
Is Double Commander a good alternative to File Explorer?
Comments about Double Commander as an Alternative to File Explorer

Guest
It tries too hard to be just a Total Commander replacement. Ultimately it feels like a console interface file manager rather than a GUI file manager with a lot of simple mechanisms in modern GUI-based file managers (not just Windows Explorer!) incredibly hard to replicate.
Negative comment •Jul 15, 2022
1
Guest
not contain columns for video settings (video length)
Negative comment •Aug 5, 2018
-12
RemovedUser
Why 2 windows in one? I just want a directory tree with a pane showing the contents of that directory.
Negative comment •Apr 14, 2018
-83
- Most users think Double Commander is a great File Explorer alternative.
- Double Commander is the most popular Windows, Mac & Linux alternative to File Explorer.
- Double Commander is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to File Explorer.
- Double Commander is Free and Open SourceFile Explorer is Free and Proprietary

Files
104 likes
Introducing Files, the ultimate file manager app for Windows. With its sleek and intuitive design, navigating through your files has never been easier. Files features tabs for easy switching between different folders, a column view for quick file browsing, and dual pane support...
117 Files alternatives
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application types
- File Manager
- File Search Utility
Platforms
- Windows
+2
Top Files Features
1. Dark Mode
2. Column View
3. Image Preview
4. Built-in themes
5. Ad-free
6. Dual Pane Support
7. File Archiving
8. Git integration
9. Cloud Sync
10. File Tagging
11. No registration required
12. Privacy focused
Files VS File Explorer
Is Files a good alternative to File Explorer?
Comments about Files as an Alternative to File Explorer

cardinal4
One of the slowest file managers, taking seconds to navigate between directories.

On the plus side, its UI is the closest to Windows Explorer, making it easy to get used to Context Menu navigation, Dropbox on-demand sync, navigational side bar etc.
Positive comment •Nov 29, 2023
1
Kamil Cihan Sipahi
Best file manager solution with best appearance, features and speed
Positive comment •Sep 2, 2022
1
drtech
I like the clean look and feel of the application. In addition, there is a lot of work being done on it (open source community) which is improving performance and adding features regularly.
Positive comment •Jan 9, 2024
0
Guest
Lighweight and simple file explorer + tabbed navigation.
Positive comment •Nov 14, 2021
0
- Almost everyone thinks Files is a great File Explorer alternative.
- Files is Free and Open SourceFile Explorer is Free and Proprietary
- Files is Privacy focusedFile Explorer is not according to our users

Spacedrive
111 likes
Organize files across many devices in one place. From cloud services to offline hard drives, Spacedrive combines the storage capacity and processing power of your devices into one personal distributed cloud, that is both secure and intuitive to use.
66 Spacedrive alternatives
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application types
- File Manager
- File Sync Tool
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
+3
Top Spacedrive Features
1. Filesystem
2. Dark Mode
3. Rust
4. File Tagging
5. Works Offline
6. Ad-free
7. Privacy focused
8. No registration required
9. Git Support
10. Lightweight
11. No Tracking
12. Live Preview
Spacedrive VS File Explorer
Is Spacedrive a good alternative to File Explorer?
Comments about Spacedrive as an Alternative to File Explorer

Guest
Because it lacks a lot of features. For exemple, it doesn't handle network shares.
Negative comment •Jun 23, 2024
0
- Spacedrive is Free and Open SourceFile Explorer is Free and Proprietary
- Spacedrive is Privacy focusedFile Explorer is not according to our users

Explorer++
104 likes
Explorer++ is a free file manager for Windows. Available on Windows XP and above, it features the same familiar interface as Windows Explorer, while introducing several enhancements and improvements for a much richer file browsing experience.
88 Explorer++ alternatives
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application type
- File Manager
Platforms
- Windows
- PortableApps.com
+6
Explorer++ Features
1. Tabbed interface
2. Portable
3. Lightweight
4. Works Offline
5. Ad-free
6. No registration required
7. Dark Mode
8. Built-in viewer
Explorer++ VS File Explorer
Is Explorer++ a good alternative to File Explorer?
Comments about Explorer++ as an Alternative to File Explorer

Guest
Explorer++ has better features than Windows built-in file manager. Xplorer2 and XYplorer are both better than Explorer++.
Positive comment •Sep 24, 2019
1
Guest
I enjoy this Explorer. I would say it's the best Explorer who exist.
Positive comment •May 1, 2022
0
- Almost everyone thinks Explorer++ is a great File Explorer alternative.
- Explorer++ is Free and Open SourceFile Explorer is Free and Proprietary

QTTabBar
175 likes
QTTabBar is an extension for Windows Explorer that brings tabbed browsing to Microsoft's file browser. It comes with a number of nifty features including a favorites function for launching folders and applications, groupings of folders that can be opened together, tooltip...
51 QTTabBar alternatives
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application type
- File Manager
Platforms
- Windows
- Windows Explorer
QTTabBar Features
1. Windows Explorer Extension
2. Tabbed browsing
3. File preview
4. Subfolder menu
5. Extensive customisability
6. Works Offline
QTTabBar VS File Explorer
Is QTTabBar a good alternative to File Explorer?
Comments about QTTabBar as an Alternative to File Explorer

Netverse
Just like the description says, it is an extension, not a file manager.
Negative comment •Feb 19, 2016
4
ichimitch
Sure it may not be a true 'alternative' as it's an extension; not it's own application. However if it's providing the functionality which is prompting users to seek out an alternative in the first place: it belongs on this list.
Positive comment •Oct 29, 2023
0
Brayden Price
This is an extension, a great extension, but not an alternative.
Negative comment •Mar 29, 2021
1
- Most users think QTTabBar is a great File Explorer alternative.
- QTTabBar is Free and Open SourceFile Explorer is Free and Proprietary

Sigma File Manager
24 likes
Sigma File Manager is a free, open-source, quickly evolving, modern file manager (explorer / finder) app for Windows and Linux.
60 Sigma File Manager alternatives
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application types
- File Manager
- File Search Utility
Platforms
- Windows
- Linux
+7
Top Sigma File Manager Features
1. No registration required
2. Ad-free
3. Works Offline
4. Integrated File Sharing
5. Dark Mode
6. No Tracking
7. Support for scripting
8. Privacy focused
9. Support for Themes
10. File Tagging
11. Built-in archiver
12. Group tabs
Sigma File Manager VS File Explorer
Is Sigma File Manager a good alternative to File Explorer?
Comments about Sigma File Manager as an Alternative to File Explorer

Guest
Amazing alternative to explorer.exe sleek and full featured. Certainly worth trying out!
Positive comment •Jun 24, 2023
0
- Sigma File Manager is Free and Open SourceFile Explorer is Free and Proprietary
- Sigma File Manager is Privacy focusedFile Explorer is not according to our users

Tablacus Explorer
35 likes
Tablacus Explorer is a tabbed file manager with Add-on support.

Tabbed interface Add-on support Customizable association, menus, keys, mouse gestures, alias Completely Portable, No installation required Multiple language and Unicode support Open source .
38 Tablacus Explorer alternatives
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application type
- File Manager
Platforms
- Windows
Top Tablacus Explorer Features
1. Tabbed interface
2. Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
3. Portable
4. Dark Mode
5. Lightweight
6. Works Offline
7. Ad-free
8. No Tracking
9. Privacy focused
10. Multiple languages
11. Support for Unicode
Tablacus Explorer VS File Explorer
Is Tablacus Explorer a good alternative to File Explorer?
Comments about Tablacus Explorer as an Alternative to File Explorer

Guest
It has multiple panes to be viewed at the same time. These can be extend to the number desired, by extensions.
Positive comment •Oct 13, 2023
0
Guest
Very customizable and responsive. It has preloaded layouts such as dual pane, four pane, one pane layouts and layouts with tab titles at different places. You can create customized bars, etc. Although not as good as Linux alternatives, it's quite above the average for Windows file managers. However, customization is a bit complicated, it's something for power users.
Positive comment •Nov 2, 2016
2
- Almost everyone thinks Tablacus Explorer is a great File Explorer alternative.
- Tablacus Explorer is Free and Open SourceFile Explorer is Free and Proprietary
- Tablacus Explorer is Privacy focusedFile Explorer is not according to our users

Far Manager
171 likes
Far Manager is a program for managing files and archives in Windows operating systems. Far Manager works in text mode and provides a simple and intuitive interface for performing most of the necessary actions:
101 Far Manager alternatives
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application type
- File Manager
Platforms
- Windows
Far Manager Features
1. Dual Pane Support
2. Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
3. Text mode
4. Build command lines picking files
5. Command line interface
6. QuickLook File Preview
7. Support for Keyboard Shortcuts
8. Console-based
Far Manager VS File Explorer
Is Far Manager a good alternative to File Explorer?

muCommander
122 likes
muCommander is a lightweight, cross-platform file manager with a dual-pane interface. It runs on any operating system with Java support (Mac OS X, Windows, Linux, *BSD, Solaris...).
105 muCommander alternatives
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application type
- File Manager
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Online
- BSD
- Java
Top muCommander Features
1. Dark Mode
2. No registration required
3. No Coding Required
4. Lightweight
5. Works Offline
6. Portable
7. Ad-free
8. Support for Themes
9. Dual Pane Support
10. Java based
11. SSH
muCommander VS File Explorer
Is muCommander a good alternative to File Explorer?
Comments about muCommander as an Alternative to File Explorer

RemovedUser
Forced to have 2 panes open, neither one is wide enough. Open the "tree view" and you've lost a lot of screen real estate. Neither pane follows the tree view either, so there's no point having it.
Negative comment •Apr 14, 2018
-8
- Some users think muCommander is a great File Explorer alternative, some don't.
- muCommander is the most popular Web-based alternative to File Explorer.
- muCommander is Free and Open SourceFile Explorer is Free and Proprietary

Cairo Shell
47 likes
Cairo is a desktop environment for Windows. Its goal is to develop a desktop experience that increases productivity and advances current technology standards.
41 Cairo Shell alternatives
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application type
- Desktop Environment
Platforms
- Windows
Cairo Shell Features
Customizable
+2
Cairo Shell VS File Explorer
Is Cairo Shell a good alternative to File Explorer?