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, Dolphin File Manager and Explorer++.

filter to find the best alternatives

File Explorer alternatives are mainly File Managers, but if you're looking for File Search Utilities or File Archivers you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Open Source, Windows + Open Source, Windows + Free, Windows, Free, Linux and Mac. You can also filter by region, for example EU-based alternatives if you prefer software developed in the European Union. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to File Explorer.
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Alternatives list

  1. Double Commander icon
     605 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.

    136 Double Commander alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
     
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    3
  2. Files icon
     176 likes

    Advanced Windows file manager offers tabbed browsing, dual-pane drag-and-drop, column navigation, built-in archive creation and extraction, file tagging, QuickLook previews, context menu integration, quick search, and customizable appearance for streamlined organization.

    123 Files alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
     
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    5
  3. Spacedrive icon
     161 likes

    Open-source file explorer integrates cloud, local, and offline storage across devices using a secure virtual distributed filesystem in Rust, enabling unified management, file syncing, privacy control, intuitive interface, and ownership without centralized servers.

    83 Spacedrive alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
     
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    1
  4. Usability-focused file manager for KDE desktops offering tabbed and dual-pane browsing, archive support, quick file renaming, filter-based searching, customizable icons, theme adaptation, preview modes, and extensibility with various service integrations.

    82 Dolphin File Manager alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • KDE Plasma
    • Flathub
     
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    3
  5. Explorer++ icon
     114 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.

    94 Explorer++ alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • PortableApps.com
     
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    2
  6. Sigma File Manager is a free, open-source, quickly evolving, modern file manager (explorer / finder) app for Windows and Linux.

    71 Sigma File Manager alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
     
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    1
  7. Far Manager icon
     179 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:

    109 Far Manager alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
     
  8. 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 .

    48 Tablacus Explorer alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
     
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    2
  9. muCommander icon
     125 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...).

    112 muCommander alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • BSD
    • Java
     
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    1
  10. trolCommander icon
     54 likes

    trolCommander - fork of the free and opensource muCommander filemanager.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
     
  11. FileExplorer icon
     5 likes

    File Explorer is a Windows file manager application that has an interface similar to Windows Explorer. However, it browses and indexes folders faster than the default Explorer. It also has many features that are not available in Windows Explorer, such as tabs and bulk file...

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
     
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