Obtain this free Microsoft File Explorer alternative and thank me later

Windows 11 has been out in the marketplace for over 4 years now, and, regardless of Microsoft’s continued efforts at modernizing legacy components of the working system, tons of archaic Windows 95-era UI components nonetheless name themselves dwelling on the platform in 2026.

The truth is, the issue of old-school interface paradigms nestled inside modern Home windows is so pronounced, that my list of surfaces Microsoft desperately needs to rejuvenate hardly scratches the floor. Not solely do these older UI components stick out like a sore thumb with their lack of Fluent 2 Design System and WinUI 3 theming, however in addition they oftentimes fail to respect darkish mode, and so they aren’t very touch-friendly, both.

As ever, it is third-party builders which were selecting up the slack the place Microsoft merely hasn’t. There are a ton of genuinely excellent Fluent-style applications accessible to select from on the Microsoft Retailer, and so they provide us a glimpse of what could possibly be if Redmond had been to significantly reinvest within the consistency of Home windows’ end-user expertise.

Take, for instance, the free and open-source (FOSS) Information App from the Information Group. This Home windows 11 program is a full-blown alternative for File Explorer, and it manages to supply the form of file management experience that default Home windows might solely dream of. Information is not excellent, in fact, nevertheless it certain is an awfully compelling software program resolution if there ever was one.

The Home windows 11 file supervisor Microsoft ought to’ve constructed

A File Explorer various for the fashionable period

The Information App, which is offered on each the Microsoft Retailer and on GitHub, is the proper instance of a Home windows software constructed for the fashionable age of computing. Not like the native File Explorer for Home windows 11, which is held again by many years of legacy baggage, Information is leaner, meaner, extra versatile, and much prettier.

Beginning with the aesthetics, Information embraces fashionable Home windows in a means that you simply’d count on Microsoft to. There’s Mica material blurring, full darkish mode theming, a settings part that is designed to feel and appear like Home windows 11’s personal Settings software, and even the choice so as to add a background picture to spruce up file administration only a bit.

Information can also be versatile — the app’s format responds dynamically and fluidly as its home windows are resized, and all the UI is accessible and neatly organized even when truncated right into a phone-sized window. When in full-screen mode, there are tons of format and merchandise sorting choices to select from, and there are primarily no useful sacrifices right here as a way to obtain the modernized design it is going for.

For energy customers, Information options archival extraction instruments, tabs, a dual-pane format choice, customized keyboard shortcuts, macOS-style coloration tagging, hash comparability, and integration with Microsoft’s personal Command Pallete launcher inside PowerToys. Information does not provide up each final area of interest File Explorer device, which may be a dealbreaker for some, nevertheless it does embody all of the necessities after which some.

The place the Information App falters considerably is in its speediness and stability. Even with a number of years of unbiased improvement beneath its belt, this system is not as zippy and dependable as Microsoft’s personal File Explorer. I reckon a few of that is right down to the truth that File Explorer is deeply rooted throughout the Home windows 11 platform itself, permitting it to benefit from low-level underpinnings that Information merely does not have entry to. That being stated, File Explorer is hardly a velocity champ, both, with Microsoft resorting to preloading it within the background to enhance efficiency.

Even with these efficiency points in thoughts, Information is extremely competent, triumphing each when it comes to its characteristic set and when it comes to its clear, responsive consumer interface design. I hope to see the builders proceed to select away on the software and its overarching stability — if the app beneficial properties essential mass within the PC area, it would simply pressure Microsoft to start out considerably enhancing its personal File Explorer in response.