The most popular file managers for Windows, Linux, and Mac

Whether you prefer Windows, Linux, or Mac, every operating system comes with a pre-installed file manager. This is a program that displays the contents of data media on your computer and allows you to edit them if necessary. The basic functions of each file manager include nav­i­gat­ing in the file directory and listing, creating, moving, copying, renaming, and deleting folders and files. In addition, the file manager enables you to manage file or directory at­trib­ut­es within the scope of your user rights.

How efficient these steps are depends, among other things, on which program you use to manage your file system. You are not re­strict­ed to the default file manager of your Windows, Linux, or Mac operating system. Over the years, several al­ter­na­tives have been es­tab­lished to make working with folders and files as easy as possible using a cus­tomized user interface and ad­di­tion­al features.

We have compiled a list of the most popular file managers for Windows, Linux, and macOS.

Explorer has been the standard file manager of the Microsoft Windows operating system family since Windows 95. The program provides users with basic functions for managing files and di­rec­to­ries via an organized user interface.

Explorer’s window is divided into two areas. On the left-hand side, you will find your file directory in the form of a tree structure, while the field on the right side is used to display folder contents. If required, a third field, the preview window, can be displayed. In addition, Windows Explorer provides the desktop – the workspace in the back­ground – as well as icons displayed on it, the taskbar, and the start menu.

This means that the explorer’s range of functions is basically suf­fi­cient to pro­fes­sion­al­ly manage your computer’s file system. However, es­pe­cial­ly ex­pe­ri­enced Windows users don’t want to settle for these basic features, and instead choose al­ter­na­tive programs that can do what Windows Explorer doesn’t:

• Multi-window views
• Tabbed browsing
• Access to remote file systems
• Advanced search functions
• Com­par­i­son and syn­croniza­tion of di­rec­to­ries
• Filters, and lots more

In­ter­est­ing al­ter­na­tives to Windows Explorer are the freeware solutions, FreeCom­man­der and Q-Dir, as well as the file managers Speed­Com­man­der and Total Commander, which are available as shareware.

The program’s un­der­ly­ing two-window tech­nol­o­gy enables parallel work in two file windows. Files and di­rec­to­ries are displayed on both sides in a clear tree structure. Ad­di­tion­al file windows can be attached as tabs. As usual with Windows Explorer, you can perform file op­er­a­tions con­ve­nient­ly by dragging and dropping files, using the menu bar or the context menu. Al­ter­na­tive­ly, you can control the program using self-defined shortcuts. Standard op­er­a­tions can therefore be carried out par­tic­u­lar­ly ef­fec­tive­ly. In addition, FreeCom­man­der supports various ad­di­tion­al functions that speed up your workflow. Rename, compare, or syn­chro­nize multiple files at the same time, and filter the file view according to user-defined criteria. The folders and programs you use the most often can be labeled as 'fa­vorites'. The program includes an in­te­grat­ed packing function, a file viewer with preview view (even for archived files), and FTP support. Further archive formats such as RAR or 7z can be im­ple­ment­ed via a plugin. FreeCom­man­der XE 2017 is available to download for free on the provider’s website and can be adapted to the user’s language thanks to the various language files. The developer provides users with com­pre­hen­sive documents. You can also find help in user forums.

In each window of the file manager, you can create up to four tabs and work with up to 16 file folders at the same time. This means that Q-Dir is es­pe­cial­ly suitable for users who want to perform file op­er­a­tions across various hard disks or removable media. As with Windows Explorer, it can be operated via the menu bar, the context menu, or con­ve­nient­ly by drag-and-drop. Key com­bi­na­tions and quick­links are available for standard op­er­a­tions.

Q-Dir offers ad­di­tion­al functions such as image preview and the pos­si­bil­i­ty of attaching folders that are used regularly as favorites. In addition, different file types can be color coded. In com­par­i­son, however, Q-Dir’s func­tion­al range is much smaller than that of other Windows file managers on the market.

Q-Dir can be obtained free of charge from the provider’s website.

The shareware file manager Speed­Com­man­der from Speed­Pro­ject offers a clear two-window view and enables you to manage folder windows as tags. The program is available in 12 different designs based on the Microsoft products Windows XP, MS Office, and Visual Studio. In addition, users can choose between Windows Explorer-style and Norton Commander-style views.

Like other Explorer al­ter­na­tives, Speed­Com­man­der wants to make workflows more efficient. Users benefit from a file repos­i­to­ry for quick access to fre­quent­ly used files, as well as folder and ap­pli­ca­tion favorites. The range of functions also includes an in­te­grat­ed preview mode for more than 80 file formats, functions for si­mul­ta­ne­ous renaming of multiple files, and a text editor with syntax high­light­ing.

The in­te­grat­ed packing program supports 13 archive formats as well as FTP and FTP via SSL protocols. If required, you can access an FTP server with Speed­Com­man­der and manage your files remotely, just like on the local hard disk. FileSync is a syn­chro­niza­tion program for folders and files. Routine tasks can be automated with macros. The tool also provides a macro editor. Users who require ad­di­tion­al functions have the option of im­ple­ment­ing self-written ex­ten­sions as in-process COM servers via an in­te­grat­ed AddIn interface.

In addition to the standard version, the file manager is also available with extended func­tion­al­i­ty in the form of Speed­Com­man­der Pro, but this is fee-based. This includes a burning program for CDs, DVDs, and Blu-rays, a tool for managing image files (ISO/BIN), as well as in­ter­faces to the cloud providers: Dropbox, Google Drive, and OneDrive.

Speed­Com­man­der and Speed­Com­man­der Pro are dis­trib­uted as shareware. Users can test both versions for free without oblig­a­tion for 60 days, and are able to make use of the full range of functions. The full version is available from the provider’s website and comes with a fee.

Total Commander also uses a multi-window view to display two file windows si­mul­ta­ne­ous­ly. The tool’s design is based on Windows Explorer. A menu bar, context menu, and drag-and-drop functions are available for file op­er­a­tions. No ad­di­tion­al programs are required for file archiving and FTP; the tool comes with cor­re­spond­ing functions. It also provides users with a quick view, an advanced search function, and functions for comparing and syn­chro­niz­ing di­rec­to­ries. Favorites, history, and password pro­tec­tion for selected di­rec­to­ries round off the range of functions.

Like Speed­Com­man­der, Total Commander is only available for free in the trial version. After 30 days, an upgrade to the fee-based full version is required.

Al­ter­na­tive file managers offer numerous ad­di­tion­al functions and help speed up workflows when using Windows. We have compared the func­tion­al spectrum of tools presented in this article. Make your choice!

The default file managers available to Linux users depends on which dis­tri­b­u­tion and which desktop en­vi­ron­ment is being used. The following table shows the most popular en­vi­ron­ments for Linux systems and their default file managers.

The programs listed can be installed on any dis­tri­b­u­tion with a simple command line. In addition, the Linux universe offers numerous file managers, some of which offer a much wider range of functions. We introduce you to the popular standard tools Nautilus, Dolphin, Thunar, PCmanFM, and Nemo as well as al­ter­na­tives such as SpaceFM and Krusader.

Nautilus is the standard file manager of the GNOME desktop en­vi­ron­ment and the user interface, Unity, which is used up to version 17.0 on Ubuntu. From version 3.6 onwards, the file manager has been reduced to its basic functions – a decision that caused a great deal of con­tro­ver­sy in the Linux community and led to splits, such as in the Nemo software project. Many Linux users have decided to replace Nautilus with one of the following al­ter­na­tives. In addition to basic file man­age­ment functions, Nautilus offers tabs, image previews, a search function, and access to remote shares via Samba, FTP, SFTP, WebDAV, or SSH. Elements can be displayed as icons (with file preview), in a tile grid or as a list of details. User-defined ex­ten­sions can be in­te­grat­ed via plugin via an in­te­grat­ed interface. Use the following command to install the Nautilus package on Linux:

Dolphin is the default file manager of the desktop en­vi­ron­ment KDE. Dolphin stands out from Nautilus with its bread­crumb-style nav­i­ga­tion bar and display of available storage space. The window view can be split if required. There are also three view modes to choose from: icons, details, and columns. File op­er­a­tions that can be performed with Dolphin include moving, copying, renaming, deleting, managing prop­er­ties and per­mis­sions, as well as selecting files. In addition, the file manager offers functions for hidden files, shortcuts, and access to servers on the network (e.g. Samba, FTP, SSH, or WebDAV). Ad­di­tion­al functions can be in­te­grat­ed via plugin if required. Use the following command to install the Dolphin package:

Thunar, the default file manager of the Linux desktop en­vi­ron­ment Xfce, is similar to Nautilus. The min­i­mal­ist program provides basic functions for local file and directory man­age­ment as well as remote access to remote shares via FTP, SAMBA, WebDAV, and other protocols. A highlight of the software is the menu item 'custom actions', which makes it possible to extend Thunar according to in­di­vid­ual ideas. Users simply add the functions they really need. However, the file manager lacks a multi-window view. Install the file manager on Linux using the following command:

PCMan File Manager, the default file manager of the LXDE desktop en­vi­ron­ment, is a compact al­ter­na­tive to Nautilus, and aims to impress with its speed. The slim program from the Taiwanese software developer, Hong Yen Jee, offers users an interface with up to two file windows, tabbed browsing that allows users to open different file folders in separate tabs, a preview function for images, and a directory view in a tree structure. In addition, PCManFM also manages with non-UTF8 compliant character sets.

Functions for packing and unpacking files are already in­te­grat­ed, as well as remote access to remote file systems. PCManFM differs from other Linux file managers because of its user interface, which was developed according to ac­ces­si­bil­i­ty criteria and therefore takes the needs of people with dis­abil­i­ties into account.

If you want to install PCManFM on your Linux dis­tri­b­u­tion, execute the following command on the terminal:

Nemo, the default file manager of the desktop en­vi­ron­ment, Cinnamon, is a split from Nautilus 3.4, and unlike the source software, which is continued with sig­nif­i­cant­ly reduced func­tion­al­i­ty, Nemo users retain the original features. If required, a two-window view and tabs for managing separate directory views are available. Like Nautilus, Nemo can be extended with numerous plugins. Use the following command to install Nemo on Linux:

The program enables you to display up to four folders in parallel thanks to the multi-window view. File folders can also be attached as tabs. Each window of the user interface can be con­fig­ured in­de­pen­dent­ly from others. The program offers thumb­nails for image and video files, an advanced search function, bookmarks, and an in­te­grat­ed packing function. In the bookmarks menu, you not only link to folders and files, but also to custom commands and ap­pli­ca­tions you run regularly. Remote con­nec­tions to remote networks can be es­tab­lished via NFS, FTP, SMB, and SSH. However, the unique selling point of the file manager is its adapt­abil­i­ty. Almost every menu item can be renamed, hidden, or linked to a custom shortcut. Users who would like to equip SpaceFM with ad­di­tion­al functions will find them on the provider’s site of GitHub. On your Linux dis­tri­b­u­tion, install SpaceFM with the following command:

The file manager offers you a two-column, detailed view of your file system. If desired, you can attach di­rec­to­ries in both windows as tabs. As a KDE ap­pli­ca­tion, Krusader supports all protocols of the virtual file system KDE Input/Output (KIO) including FTP, SMB, and NFS. With the in­te­grat­ed archive manager, you can pack and unpack files and di­rec­to­ries in various archive formats. In addition to the usual basic actions of copying, cutting, deleting, and moving, Krusader offers functions for comparing and syn­chro­niz­ing files and di­rec­to­ries, creating and verifying checksums as well as renaming masses. A file preview, an in­te­grat­ed viewer including editor, and an extended search function round off the range of functions. If required, you can also extend Krusader with custom actions. Krusader also offers a user interface with buttons and menus that you can customize to suit your needs. For the Linux file manager, detailed doc­u­men­ta­tion and a com­pre­hen­sive manual are available. Krusader can be installed con­ve­nient­ly via the terminal of your Linux dis­tri­b­u­tion:

A direct com­par­i­son of the presented programs shows which file manager for Linux best meets your re­quire­ments.

The standard program for managing the file system under macOS is Finder. You can use it to organize files and di­rec­to­ries and display items as icons, in list or column format, and as cover flow. In addition, Finder provides you with the folder 'Desktop', whose contents are displayed in the back­ground of your operating system’s user interface.

Finder is clearly laid out, but just like Windows Explorer, it’s rather weak when it comes to the func­tion­al spectrum. In addition to functions for basic file op­er­a­tions, this includes Spotlight (a limited search function), favorites, color labels, tags for folders and files, a comment function and QuickLook (a preview program). In addition, Air Drop im­ple­ments a WiFi ad hoc service for file exchange between macOS and iOS devices.

This is not enough for many Apple users. Do you long for an al­ter­na­tive to the standard file manager for your Mac? With ForkLift, Path Finder, To­talFind­er, and Commander One, we’ve found four im­pres­sive Finder al­ter­na­tives.

The func­tion­al range of this Finder al­ter­na­tive goes far beyond that of a standard file manager. Syn­chro­niza­tion, mass renaming, file sharing, and archiving are just as possible with ForkLift as remote access to remote file systems and in­te­grat­ing network drives. In addition, data transfer from server to server is supported – as long as these are FXP com­pat­i­ble.

Other software high­lights include tabbed browsing, a favorites manager, advanced search, QuickLook, and an app deleter that enables you to com­plete­ly remove ap­pli­ca­tions from your hard drive. Virtual stacks can be used to combine and manage files from different di­rec­to­ries as if they were in a single folder. Droplers, disklets, and synclets make recurring tasks easier.

ForkLift version 3 is currently only available on the provider’s site. The download comes at a price. However, those in­ter­est­ed can make use of the free trial. In the App Store, Bi­na­ryNights only offers the previous version, ForkLift 2, but this version is free of charge.

Path Finder’s unique selling point is a feature that au­to­mat­i­cal­ly exits the default Mac file manager when you start the program. Users no longer have to run two file managers si­mul­ta­ne­ous­ly. Path Finder is the only Finder al­ter­na­tive that can com­plete­ly replace the macOS standard desktop.

Path Finder’s features include the two-window, Norton Commander-style view, tabs, Quick Look, cover flow, built-in text and image editors, an archive manager, bookmarks, custom shortcuts, filter and sorting functions, a hex editor, and advanced search options.

The biggest flaw in the software, however, is the lack of remote access to remote file systems. An in­te­grat­ed client for FTP, SFTP, or WEBDav, which is part of the standard features of other Finder al­ter­na­tives, isn’t to be found in Path Finder version 7.

To­talFind­er adds a two-window view and tabs to the Mac File Manager. Ad­di­tion­al functions include extended color labels and cut-and-paste via keyboard. 

In our com­par­i­son table con­tain­ing the most popular Finder al­ter­na­tives, we compare all presented programs and ex­ten­sions with the most important functions. Find the right file manager for your Mac!