All the shell goodies from windows explorer - none of the hassle! Plus all the features you would expect from a powerful tabbed dual pane file manager, including Omni Finder, a find files module that simply outclasses all known search tools. Don't take our word for it, seeing is believing!

xplorer² is a file and information manager that adheres to the philosophy "efficiency through simplicity". Without reinventing the wheel, it integrates the best features of Windows' shell architecture in a small, resource efficient package that's instantly familiar to work with. But look a little closer and you'll discover a whole new world under the surface that offers power, precision and flexibility, and will boost your everyday productivity no end!

Features

  • All area shell namespace access
  • Shell integrated with drag/drop, context menu etc
  • Automatic sensing of changes in all folders (networked etc)
  • Multithreaded & multi window operation
  • Folder tree panel
  • Dual pane mode (browse 2 folders in one window)
  • Tabbed interface
  • Save and restore tabs (folder groups)
  • Keyboard shortcuts and overall usability
  • Path autocompletion
  • Filtering of item visibility
  • Filtering on arbitrary criteria (hyperfilters)
  • Selection engine for precision marking of files
  • Selection with arbitrary criteria (hyperfilters)
  • Extended filesystem information columns (comments etc)
  • Even more columns (checksum, 8.3 name etc)
  • Multi column sort (using shift+column click)
  • Individual folder settings
  • Window layout saving and management
  • Export folder information as text (for printing etc)
  • Hard links (NTFS)
  • Mass renaming
  • Change file dates (touch)
  • Find text in files
  • Search for multiple keywords with boolean context
  • Search for text in office and PDF documents using filters
  • Search for text using regular expressions
  • Customizable info bars (status bar for each pane)
  • Unicode & file encoding aware
  • Unicode version available
  • Split/Merge/Shred
  • Text/RTF/Hex preview
  • Text editor
  • Graphics & HTML preview
  • Thumbnail view mode
  • Mini and densely packed thumbnails
  • Fuzzy filename matching
  • Multimedia preview (audio & video)
  • Find files with arbitrary criteria
  • Search within archives, FTP, webfolders (webDAV) etc
  • Refine previous search
  • Scrap containers (simultaneously manage many folders)
  • Folder comparison & synchronization
  • Deep synchronization (including subfolders)
  • Script wizard for DOS & win32 text commands
  • Intercept command output in user* friendly console
  • Customizable user command menu
  • Detect duplicate files & cleanup
  • Toolbar customization
  • Add extra toolbars and custom button icons
  • Drivebar for easy access to local drives
  • Detailed breakdown of subfolder disk usage (statistics)
  • Robust background file transfers with optional filters
  • Exact preview of ActiveX documents (office, PDF etc)
  • Custom/skinned system icons (drives etc)
  • Show in groups
  • User defined groups
  • Extended icon overlays (e.g. TortoiseSVN)
  • Color coding of filenames
  • Folder junctions, symbolic links (NTFS)
  • Calculate folder sizes in detailed view
  • Bookmark and quicklaunch panel (mini* scrap/"drop box")
  • Keyboard (hotkey) customization
  • Toolbar skinning
  • Native 64 bit executable

What's New

The popular Everything search tool has a very good search index (especially for basic name/size/date information), but its UI is not for the average Joe user: you can't choose a root path to search from and you must remember the query string syntax if you want to search for sizes, dates and what have you. The new xplorer² solves this problem because all search commands automatically get translated into Everything syntax and you get fast search results in a regular xplorer² scrap container for easy handling!

You need the beta version 1.5a installed and running; the integration is an ultimate edition feature.

Other improvements of note include: (see the changelog for the full list of changes):

  • Templated new items. The menu command Actions > New... lets you create new (empty) files and folders with a twist: using $-tokens you can insert the current date and other variable information in the created items' names (e.g. $d text.log). Especially for new files you get to pick the text file encoding (UTF8 or Unicode), which adds the identification BOM in the text file.
  • More program options on-board. Several options previously available from the external settings editor were moved in Tools > Options menu for easier access.
  • Programmable columns. One extra programmable column is available under Customize menu. Text is no longer being converted to lowercase, so your formatted columns look better. Character case is also preserved for macro commands.