Wouldn’t it be great if Windows Explorer allowed tabbing? You know, like firefox, where you press Ctrl+T and it opens up a new browser tab for you without creating another window?

Fortunately, there are two neat little apps that I really like that does just this, only that it’s for one’s file management needs.

I’ve been using this app ever since I was searching for an easier way to transfer and copy/paste files from directory to another.
These apps made my copy-pasting of files so hassle free. Now I don’t have to press Alt+Tab and navigate several explorer windows, or hit backspace several times to paste files. With these apps, I could just open up several tabs and copy, or drag, files from one directory to another!

They are called Free Commander and xplorer2 lite, a great, great windows explorer alternative!

Although there are others, I find these two to be the best.

Free Commander is Free and xplorer2 has a lite version.

Free Commander: Here’s how Free Commander looks:

Some observations:
1 - Ctrl+T : Opens up a new tab
2 - You can click on the empty space beside the tabs to open up a new tab.
3 - Double-clicking on a tab closes it.
4 - You can save your “favorite” directory by going to Folder>Favorites>Edit.
4b - You can open your favorite directory by hitting Ctrl+Shift+1 (or other numbers)
5 - You can click the folder in the Directory Address located directly below the tabs to go back to that folder.

Free Commander is packed with heck a lotta features for you to explore and you’d be surprise that its free!

Download Free Commander here (~2mb).

Xplorer2 Lite: Here’s how Xplorer2 lite looks:

Tips:
1 - Ctrl+Insert opens up a new tab.
2 - You can click on the empty space beside the tabs to open up a new tab.
3 - Double-clicking on a tab closes it. Also done by hitting Ctrl+F4.
4 - To place the folder tabs on top (by default, they are at the bottom), go to Tools>Options>Advanced and check Folder Tabs On Top.
5 - To edit the ftp settings(yes, theres a built-in FTP!), go to Bookmarks>Organize and edit to your ftp settings.
6 - xplorer2’s version of “favorties” is called “Bookmarks”, where you can save your current opened folder for a one-click access via the Bookmarks menu.
7 - You can also click the folder in the Directory Address located directly below the tabs to go back to that folder.

Click here to download xplorer2 lite (~1mb).

So, which should you use?

If I’ve only used these apps for a short time, at first I would definitely say Free Commander, hands down! For a free application, it makes other paid windows explorer alternatives look like a rip off! lol.

But, the funny thing is, though, I find myself much more comfortable using xplorer2 lite. I’ve observed that the response time in opening folders is much faster compared to Free Commander. Maybe its just me? I also find the folder tree in xplorer lite to be a great convenience.

But hey, they are both free and I recommend you try them! It will make your file navigating journeys much shorter and you’re file management a breeze!

I’m not kidding, try them now!

Free Commander, Xplorer2 lite