Explorer++

Most people are not content to stay with the default tools that Microsoft built into the Windows operating system. If you’re among them, then you’re certainly not satisfied with the default file manager, Windows Explorer, and you want to try something else. I suggest you give the David Erceg-developed application Explorer++ a try. This is a free and portable file manager with a tabbed and customizable interface. It will help you manage your files on all your Windows-powered devices.

To get started with Explorer++ you need only get a 578KB archive and extract its contents; you don’t have to click through a setup wizard or go through an installation process. All you have to do is run the executable found in the archive. Of course, this means that Explorer++ is portable. You can put the executable on a USB stick, for example, and take the application with you.

The interface is somewhat similar to Windows Explorer, and this means you will immediately feel at home. At the top there’s the standard File Menu, beneath it there are buttons for various Explorer++ functions, further underneath and to the left there’s the Folders pane, and to the right there’s a tab that displays Computer (or My computer) by default. You can navigate to any location you want, and you can open more tabs if you want to (easily do so with the Ctrl + T keyboard shortcut). While Computer is selected from the Folders pane, in the blue line at the bottom you will see info on your computer, mainly the computer’s name, processor, and RAM memory.

The purpose of any properly good file manager is to help you easily and efficiently manage your data – and the simple truth of the matter is that Explorer++ excels in this regard. From the Folders pane you can easily navigate through your drives and folders. You can open multiple tabs and leave them open to different locations (one tab on C:, another on D:, and so on). From the buttons at the top of the interface, you can easily cut, copy, paste, or delete files; you can also create new folders, search for files, and split files. Advanced users will appreciate that a handy link for the Command Prompt is displayed on the application’s interface.

I mentioned above that you can delete files. There’s something that must be added here. On top of the regular delete option, Explorer++ offers a safe delete option. You can permanently delete files, thus ensuring data recovery tools cannot bring them back to life.

I also mentioned above that if you’re dissatisfied with Windows Explorer, you’re undoubtedly looking for an alternative. If you like the functionality that Explorer++ has to offer, you can set it so it will replace Windows Explorer for filesystem folders or for all folders. To put it simply, you can set it so Explorer++ replaces Windows Explorer.

Explorer++ is a very good alternative to Windows Explorer. This file manager is free, it’s portable, it comes with a customizable tabbed interface, and a long list of useful functions.