"A wolf in sheep's clothing, what a file manager!" — undisclosed customer

Power at your fingertips — no PhD required!

There are many file managers out there. What makes xplorer² stand out from the pack?

Every competent explorer replacement offers more or less the same set of commands, alleviating the inadequacies of the basic windows explorer model. The crucial issue is how this extra functionality is presented and made available to you, the user. xplorer² has a clean minimalistic user interface that is instantly familiar, so you can start using its basic functionality straight away. The only give-away that this isn't windows explorer will be the lack of irritation on a daily basis!

xplorer² does not unnecessarily duplicate functionality that is already offered by Windows, it merely integrates with it, so there are less unfamiliar concepts to deal with and learn. So it won't offer its own video player, it just embeds windows media player, and so on.

Even its advanced command set is easy to master. xplorer² works with the minimum possible number of concepts and modes of operation. Whether you are browsing a folder, file search results or even looking for duplicate files, you are working in the same window type with the same number of basic and extended commands.

Last but not least, xplorer² is small, stable, robust and very fast at what it does. Without any comparative speed/efficiency tests it is hard to make any definite claims but we would be amazed if you found another file manager that read folders or searched for text faster!

Overview of features

It is hard to believe that so much functionality was squeezed in an executable sized circa 600 kB, but it is nevertheless true!

• Shell namespace explorer
  xplorer² will browse and manage all your folders including virtual ones folders like zipfolders, webfolders, even FTP, as long as these services are available in your system. If you extend your shell namespace with new folder types, xplorer² will read them too, in a familiar tree/view window format. snapshot
   
• Tabbed dual-pane interface
  Can't decide between dual pane and tabbed browsing? No worries, xplorer² does them all. The traditional dual-pane format, handy for comparisons and file transfers, is augmented so that each pane can hold more than one folder. Hopping from one folder to another is just a tab click away. snapshot
   
• Instant preview of files
  xplorer² can preview most text, graphics, audio/video, and html & office documents — and does so in nearly all folder types including zipfolders etc. Wherever it finds file-like content it offers file-like access! snapshot
   
• View & edit text files
  xplorer² collaborates with our companion editor² offering no-frills — yet useful — text viewing and editing, in a variety of formats (RTF, unicode, UTF8 etc). You can also associate your own external editor of choice. snapshot
   
• Extended file information
  On top of the usual names, sizes & dates, xplorer² can access extended file information like comments, version information, picture data etc, as supported by your Windows OS (shell column handlers). It even has useful columns of its own like file checksum, 8.3 names etc. If you install any custom column handlers they will be integrated too! snapshot
   
• Search for files everywhere, using arbitrary criteria
  The search engine is the most powerful in the market this side of $70! xplorer² can search in all folder types including zipfolders etc, and the criteria can include each and every bit of extended file information combined in boolean hyperfilters. If you want to find files that contain some keyword in their comment, and are owned by a particular user, and are songs by an artist formerly known as prince, then look no further! When you search for contained text, the previewer panel will show you the text hilighted in context too. snapshot
   
• Manage files from many folders simultaneously
  xplorer² has a special kind of window called scrap container where you can place files from many folders and deal with them all at once — like the find files result list, except that you control what goes in. You can save and reload scrap lists, organizing your content regardless of its physical location. You can even browse folders flat, recursively including all their subfolders! snapshot
   
• Compare and synchronize folders
  In dual pane mode xplorer² can show the contents of 2 folders in a single window, ideal for comparing and synchronizing content. Using scrap containers you can compare folder hierarchies, too. snapshot
   
• Discover and cleanup duplicate files
  xplorer² can check a local hierarchy (or even all your folders) for identical files and mark them ready for inspection and eventually deletion, releasing your valuable disk space. snapshot
   
• Execute DOS commands and scripts
  When file management calls for more advanced external commands, xplorer² will oblige with its template-based user menu system. You just provide a command template and it is automatically applied to all selected files. Thus you can achieve mass renaming and so much more. snapshot
   
• Customizable user interface
  There are plenty of adjustable options to bring xplorer² in line with your needs and tastes, from how many panels you see, which commands appear on toolbars, all the way to how many decimal points you want for file sizes. You can arrange the user interface to be as simple or as complex as you like. snapshot
   
• Help and assistance where you need it
  In addition to a comprehensive help file, daily tips & tricks etc, xplorer² has a tooltip (balloon help) system that guides you through the more complex steps of command arguments without disturbing your workflow. snapshot
   
• Individual folder settings
  You can instruct xplorer² to show particular folders in fixed view modes, e.g. MyPictures in thumbnail mode, WinNT in detailed mode including a version column etc. You can also save window layouts to be reused for all folders that e.g. have visual content you want to preview.
   
• Visual filters and selection engine
  xplorer² helps you manage large folders easily, first controlling which items are visible — with a variety of wildcard and other filters, and then selecting the items you want to act upon with precision. There are too many selection techniques to list, including hyperfilter-based that allow you to select e.g. all items with "science" in their comments!
   
• Advanced file management
  Except for the basic drag-drop, context menu, copy, delete, rename etc, xplorer² has a palette of advanced file management commands like split-merge, shred, set comments, touch dates, paste subfolders or hard links, etc.
   
• Robust file transfers
  xplorer² can handle many parallel background file transfers offering fine control over confirmations, error handling etc. You can copy large amounts of files with ease and peace of mind.
   
• Export folder listings
  Whatever you see in xplorer² can be exported as text for printing, e-mailing, pasting in other programs, etc. You can also export statistics for whole folder hierarchies, in detailed tree-like fashion.
   
• Maxed-out usability
  Mostly and foremostly xplorer² is meant to be used day in and day out with maximum efficiency and minimum frustration. Its keyboard and mouse shortcuts, histories for most input fields, path autocompletion and many other small details, work together to offer you a comfortable and productive experience!