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 Spacedrive, GNOME Files, Thunar and ForkLift.

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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
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.
132 Double Commander alternatives
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application types
- File Manager
- File Sync Tool
Platforms
- Windows
- Linux
- BSD
- Mac
+1
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
Show all NaN Double Commander features ▾
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

Spacedrive
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.
65 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
Show all NaN Spacedrive features ▾
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

GNOME Files
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.
58 GNOME Files alternatives
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application types
- File Manager
- FTP Client
Platforms
- Mac
- Linux
- GNOME
- MacPorts
- XQuartz
+2
Top GNOME Files Features
1. Tabbed interface
2. Lightweight
3. Dark Mode
4. Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
5. Ad-free
6. Support for Themes
7. No registration required
8. Built-in viewer
9. Batch Rename Files
10. Privacy focused
11. No Tracking
12. Works Offline
Show all NaN GNOME Files features ▾
GNOME Files VS File Explorer
Is GNOME Files a good alternative to File Explorer?
Comments about GNOME Files as an Alternative to File Explorer

ichimitch
Imagine being a Linux user
Positive comment •Oct 29, 2023
0
Guest
nautilus is for linux. file explorer is for windows
Negative comment •May 16, 2020
1
ab1
Many missing features like open as admin.
Negative comment •Jun 15, 2021
0
Guest
This is not for windows, and cannot replace a windows file manager.
Negative comment •Aug 16, 2020
-2
- Some users think GNOME Files is a great File Explorer alternative, some don't.
- GNOME Files is Free and Open SourceFile Explorer is Free and Proprietary
- GNOME Files is Privacy focusedFile Explorer is not according to our users

Thunar
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.
83 Thunar alternatives
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application types
- File Manager
- File Search Utility
Platforms
- Mac
- Linux
- BSD
- Xfce
- MacPorts
- XQuartz
Top Thunar Features
1. Support for Keyboard Shortcuts
2. Lightweight
3. Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
4. Custom Actions
5. Ad-free
6. No registration required
7. Live Preview
8. Works Offline
9. Dark Mode
10. Batch Rename Files
11. File Tagging
12. Built-in viewer
Show all NaN Thunar features ▾
Thunar VS File Explorer
Is Thunar a good alternative to File Explorer?

ForkLift
The most advanced dual pane file manager and file transfer client for macOS.
111 ForkLift alternatives
License model
- Freemium • Proprietary
Application types
- File Manager
- FTP Client
Platforms
- Mac
+9
Top ForkLift Features
1. Dual Pane Support
2. Mount FTP drives
3. Support for SFTP
4. Support for FTP
5. Mounting drives
6. Miller columns
7. Dark Mode
8. Command line interface
9. Live Preview
10. Favorites
11. Directory sync
Show all NaN ForkLift features ▾
ForkLift VS File Explorer
Is ForkLift a good alternative to File Explorer?

muCommander
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
Show all NaN muCommander features ▾
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

Commander One
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.
87 Commander One alternatives
License model
- Freemium • Proprietary
Application types
- File Manager
- File Archiver
Platforms
- Mac
+4
Top Commander One Features
1. AES-256 Encryption
2. Built-in viewer
3. Full-Text Search
4. Cloud Sync
5. Command line interface
6. Support for Themes
7. Ad-free
8. Lightweight
9. File Tagging
10. Dark Mode
11. Search-in-files
12. Miller columns
Show all NaN Commander One features ▾
Commander One VS File Explorer
Is Commander One a good alternative to File Explorer?
Comments about Commander One as an Alternative to File Explorer

RemovedUser
Is there a choice for single-pane? Or would that be Commander Two?
Negative comment •Apr 14, 2018
-5
- Commander One is Freemium and ProprietaryFile Explorer is Free and Proprietary

Finder
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.
139 Finder alternatives
License model
- Free • Proprietary
Application type
- File Manager
Platforms
- Mac
Finder Features
File Tagging
Support for FTP
WebDAV Support
Miller columns
Show all NaN Finder features ▾
+1
Finder VS File Explorer
Is Finder a good alternative to File Explorer?

Path Finder
Path Finder is a standalone Finder replacement that takes the Finder's familiar interface and adds numerous powerful features and interface innovations to help anyone be more productive on macOS.
50 Path Finder alternatives
License model
- Paid • Proprietary
Application types
- File Manager
- File Compressor
Platforms
- Mac
Path Finder Features
1. Batch Rename Files
2. Lightweight
3. Dual Pane Support
4. Miller columns
5. AirDrop Support
6. WebDAV Support
Show all NaN Path Finder features ▾
Path Finder VS File Explorer
Is Path Finder a good alternative to File Explorer?

trolCommander
trolCommander - fork of the free and opensource muCommander filemanager.
65 trolCommander alternatives
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application type
- File Manager
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
+1
trolCommander Features
1. Built-in viewer
2. Lightweight
3. Syntax Highlighting
4. Support for SFTP
5. Built-in terminal emulation
6. Tabbed interface
7. Dual Pane Support
8. Support for FTP
Show all NaN trolCommander features ▾
Discontinued
Last update is from December 29th, 2016.

trolCommander VS File Explorer
Is trolCommander a good alternative to File Explorer?