File Explorer Alternatives for Mac

File Explorer is not available for Mac but there are plenty of alternatives that runs on macOS with similar functionality. The best Mac alternative is Double Commander, which is both free and Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 100 alternatives to File Explorer and many of them are available for Mac so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Mac alternatives to File Explorer are XnView MP, GNOME Files, Thunar and ForkLift.

File Explorer alternatives are mainly File Managers but may also be FTP Clients or Image Viewers. Filter by these if you want a narrower list of alternatives or looking for a specific functionality of File Explorer.

File Explorer alternatives page was last updated

File Explorer

221

Free • Proprietary
File Manager

File Explorer is a file manager application that is included with releases of the Microsoft Windows operating system from...

More about File Explorer

Double Commander
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
File Manager
File Sync Tool
Windows
Linux
BSD
Mac
127 Double Commander alternatives
Double Commander is a cross-platform open source file manager with two panels side by side. It is inspired by Total Commander and features some new ideas.
- - 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.
Suggest and vote on features
Double Commander Features
1. Batch Rename FilesDouble Commander supports renaming of different types of files or data in large batches.
2. Extensible by Plugins/ExtensionsDouble Commander can be extended with add-ons, plugins and extensions.
3. PortableDouble Commander can be used from a USB stick or similar with no prior installation.
4. Ad-freeDouble Commander doesn't contain any form of external advertising.
5. Dark ModeDouble Commander supports dark mode for comfortable usage in low light conditions.
Dual Pane Support
Configurable
Two-panel file manager
Folder Sync
TC plug-in's support
Multiplatform
Multiple Files Renaming
Support for Keyboard Shortcuts
Multi-tabs
Plug-ins
Comments about Double Commander as a Alternative to File Explorer
Most users think Double Commander is a great File Explorer alternative.
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•
1

not contain columns for video settings (video length)
Negative comment•
-8

Why 2 windows in one? I just want a directory tree with a pane showing the contents of that directory.
Negative comment•
-78
XnView MP
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free Personal • Proprietary
Image Viewer
Photo Manager
Mac
Windows
Linux
127 XnView MP alternatives
XnViewMP is a free software to view, organise, convert graphics and photos files or to create slide show, contact sheet, HTML pages.
Suggest and vote on features
XnView MP Features
1. Batch EditingXnView MP allows you to select multiple items (tasks, files, images etc) and edit their properties all at once.
2. Ad-freeXnView MP doesn't contain any form of external advertising.
3. Works OfflineXnView MP can be used without the need to connect to the internet.
4. PortableXnView MP can be used from a USB stick or similar with no prior installation.
5. Batch Rename FilesXnView MP supports renaming of different types of files or data in large batches.
Media library
Batch image manipulation
Thumbnails
Sorting by tags
Batch processing
Multi Platform
Photo effects
Cross-Platform
EXIF Editing
Watermark images
Comments about XnView MP as a Alternative to File Explorer
This alternative is disputed. XnView MP is still a legitimate File Explorer alternative, but it might have issues that some users think are important.
XnView MP is good for photos not a for files
Negative comment•
0

This isn't a file explorer, it's a photo viewer
Negative comment•
0

It's for photos. It works well for photos.
Negative comment•
1
GNOME Files
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
File Manager
Mac
Linux
MacPorts
XQuartz
58 GNOME Files alternatives
GNOME Files, formerly known as Nautilus, is the official file manager for the GNOME desktop, giving the user a simple way to navigate and manage its files.
Suggest and vote on features
GNOME Files Features
1. LightweightGNOME Files consumes less device resources compared to similar apps.
2. Dark ModeGNOME Files supports dark mode for comfortable usage in low light conditions.
3. Extensible by Plugins/ExtensionsGNOME Files can be extended with add-ons, plugins and extensions.
Tabbed interface
Favorites
Bookmarks
Thumbnails
Support for FTP
Comments about GNOME Files as a Alternative to File Explorer
Some users think GNOME Files is a great File Explorer alternative, some don't.
Many missing features like open as admin.
Negative comment•
0

Not available for Windows
Negative comment•
0

This is not for windows, and cannot replace a windows file manager.
Negative comment•
-1

nautilus is for linux. file explorer is for windows
Negative comment•
2
Thunar
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
File Manager
File Renamer
File Search Utility
Mac
Linux
BSD
Xfce
MacPorts
XQuartz
79 Thunar alternatives
Thunar is a modern file manager for the Xfce Desktop Environment. Thunar has been designed from the ground up to be fast and easy-to-use. Its user interface is clean, intuitive, and customizable. Thunar is fast and responsive with a good start up time and directory load time.
Suggest and vote on features
Thunar Features
1. Extensible by Plugins/ExtensionsThunar can be extended with add-ons, plugins and extensions.
2. Ad-freeThunar doesn't contain any form of external advertising.
3. No registration requiredYou can use most of the features in Thunar without registration.
4. Live PreviewInstantly see what your files and documents look like as you create them.
5. LightweightThunar consumes less device resources compared to similar apps.
6. Works OfflineThunar can be used without the need to connect to the internet.
7. Dark ModeThunar supports dark mode for comfortable usage in low light conditions.
8. Batch Rename FilesThunar supports renaming of different types of files or data in large batches.
9. File TaggingThunar can organize and highlight your files with tags and labels.
Support for Keyboard Shortcuts
Custom Actions
Integrated Search
Auto-delete files
Thumbnail preview
Thumbnails
Built-in viewer
Opinions about Thunar as a Alternative to File Explorer
Most users think Thunar is a great File Explorer alternative.
ForkLift
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Freemium • Proprietary
File Manager
FTP Client
File Sync Tool
Mac
109 ForkLift alternatives
The most advanced dual pane file manager and file transfer client for macOS.
Suggest and vote on features
ForkLift Features
1. Dark ModeForkLift supports dark mode for comfortable usage in low light conditions.
2. Command line interfaceForkLift either have CLI support or is a CLI-only app.
3. Live PreviewInstantly see what your files and documents look like as you create them.
Dual Pane Support
Mount FTP drives
Support for SFTP
Support for FTP
Mounting drives
Miller columns
Favorites
Directory sync
Integrated File Sharing
Support for Keyboard Shortcuts
Spacedrive
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
File Manager
Mac
Windows
Linux
55 Spacedrive alternatives
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.
Suggest and vote on features
Spacedrive Features
1. LightweightSpacedrive consumes less device resources compared to similar apps.
Filesystem
Rust
muCommander
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
File Manager
Mac
Windows
Linux
Online
BSD
Java
102 muCommander alternatives
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...).
- - muCommander is the most popular Web-based alternative to File Explorer.
Suggest and vote on features
muCommander Features
1. Dark ModemuCommander supports dark mode for comfortable usage in low light conditions.
2. No registration requiredYou can use most of the features in muCommander without registration.
3. PortablemuCommander can be used from a USB stick or similar with no prior installation.
Dual Pane Support
SSH
Comments about muCommander as a Alternative to File Explorer
Some users think muCommander is a great File Explorer alternative, some don't.
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•
-8
fman
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Freemium • Proprietary
File Manager
Mac
Windows
Linux
101 fman alternatives
The most modern dual-pane file manager. For Windows, Mac and Linux.
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fman Features
1. Extensible by Plugins/Extensionsfman can be extended with add-ons, plugins and extensions.
Plugin API
Dual Pane Support
Keyboard Shortcuts
Commander One
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Freemium • Proprietary
File Manager
FTP Client
Mac
80 Commander One alternatives
Commander One is dual-pane file manager for OS X created in Swift, which enables you to manage your files in the best possible way.
Suggest and vote on features
Commander One Features
Miller columns
Search-in-files
Dual Pane Support
Mounting drives
Support for SFTP
Export to PDF
Support for FTP
Comments about Commander One as a Alternative to File Explorer
pros, cons and recent comments
Is there a choice for single-pane? Or would that be Commander Two?
Negative comment•
-5
Finder
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Proprietary
File Manager
Mac
134 Finder alternatives
The Finder is the first thing that you see when your Mac finishes starting up. It opens automatically and stays open as you use other apps. It includes the Finder menu bar at the top of the screen and the desktop below that.
Suggest and vote on features
Finder Features
WebDAV Support
Miller columns
Support for FTP