Are you looking for a replacement for Windows File Explorer? If so, I would recommend trying the Files app, which is one of the best file managers for Windows 11.
Download and Install the Files App
You can download the Files app either from its official website or from the Microsoft Store. To download it from the official website, go to the download page and click the “Classic Installer” link at the bottom of the window.
Double-click the downloaded app installer file, and click the “Install” button to begin the installation process. In my testing, I found that the app took more than three minutes to complete the installation, which is longer than the time taken for the installation of any other file explorer alternatives I have tested before.
The Files app is a community-driven project; as a result, its Microsoft Store version isn’t free and costs $8. The money won’t get you any extra features in the app—it will just be used to grow and improve it.
Once you have installed the app on your computer, let’s check out some of its best features.
The Files App Has the Best Design
One of the major selling points of the Files app is its design. I’m not saying that the Windows 11 File Explorer design isn’t good, but it looks similar to the Windows 10 File Explorer with some changes made to make it suitable for Windows 11. However, the Files app looks as if it is specially designed for Windows 11. It completely matches the overall theme of Windows 11.
What’s even better about the Files app is that you can customize its look to your preference as well. To do this, you need to click the gear icon in the top-right corner and choose “Appearance” in the Settings window. Here, you can change the theme, background image, and background color of the Files app.
You also have four different options to choose from as the backdrop of the Files app—acrylic, thin acrylic, mica, and mica alt. I really like the thin acrylic backdrop because it adds subtle color shades from the app behind the Files app.
Dual Pane Mode
In Windows 11 File Explorer, you get the multiple tabs mode, which lets you control different locations of the file manager simultaneously—all you need to do is switch tabs to access the other open locations. The dual-pane mode of the Files app is an extended version of the tabs feature that places two different locations of the file manager side-by-side, allowing you to control them simultaneously.
To add the second pane in the Files app, click the tab actions menu icon in the top-left corner, hover over the “Add Pane” option, and choose between a horizontal or vertical pane.
Having more than one window open in the Files app allows you to quickly move files and folders between the two windows.
Compact Overlay
To enable compact overlay in the Files app, click the tab actions menu icon and choose “Enter Compact Overlay.” The Files app window will now stay on top of all the other open apps, making it easier for you to drag and drop files from places like the desktop to one of the locations in the Files app.
Properties Window
When you right-click a folder in the Windows 11 File Explorer and choose the “Properties” option, you are presented with a long list of options that can be overwhelming for some users. The Files app addresses this issue with a simple Properties window. To access the properties window in the Files app, you need to select a folder and click the spanner icon at the top.
The properties window will appear, showing only the necessary details about the selected folder. The General tab shows the basic details about the folder, such as its name, size, and attributes.
The Security tab allows you to manage different permissions for the selected folder. You can access the Customization tab if you want to change the folder icon.
If you have been using your computer for a long time, there’s a possibility that your drives contain hundreds of thousands of files. While you can definitely search for a file quickly by simply entering its name in the search bar, with the tags option in the Files app, you can make searching for a particular type of file even quicker.
The Files app by default offers four tags—Home, Work, Photos, and Important—which you can assign to files depending on their type. I have tagged all my How-To Geek–related documents and photos with the Work tag. To tag a file, you need to right-click it, click “Edit File Tags,” and choose a tag of your choice.
In the left sidebar of the Files app, you will find the Tags section. Click any tag, and the Files app will show all the files and folders that have been assigned that tag.
Interestingly, the Files app also allows you to create custom tags. To do this, go to the Settings window, click the “Tags” option in the left sidebar, and choose “New Tag.” Then, enter a name, select a color for your tag, and click “Create.”
If you want to edit an existing tag, such as change its color, you need to click the “Edit” button next to its name. Similarly, you can click the “Delete” button next to the tag you want to remove from the Files app.
Folder Size
One of the important features that Microsoft is yet to introduce is making its file manager show folder sizes in the size column. You can definitely install third-party applications like Windhawk to force File Explorer to show folder sizes, but that will require some extra effort and space on your computer. The Files app, on the other hand, comes with the ability to show folder sizes in the size column, though it is disabled by default.
To enable it, go to the Files app settings menu, choose “Files & Folders,” and enable the toggle next to “Calculate Folder Sizes.”
The Files app will then display the size of folders in the size column. However, if you have a low-spec PC, I won’t recommend enabling this feature, as it will put extra strain on your computer, which may result in poor overall system performance.
Column View
I recently used my friend’s MacBook, and the thing I liked the most was the Finder app, specifically its ability to show folders in columns. The same layout is available in the Files app as well.
To view a drive in the Column view, click the layout icon in the top bar and choose “Column” from the menu that appears.
The files and folders in the current drive will now be shown in column view. Double-click a folder, and all its contents will be displayed in a new column instead of opening in a new window.
If you want the columns layout to be adapted throughout the Files app, access the Settings window, select the “Layout” option, and choose “Columns” from the Layout Type option. Then enable the toggle next to “Sync layout and sorting preferences across directories.”
A Lot of Customization Options
Most third-party file managers, including the Files app, offer many customization options. Access the Settings window of the Files app, and you will see all the customizations you can make to the app. In the General tab, you can customize things like the app language, change the startup settings, and control what appears in the left sidebar of the Files app.
The Appearance tab, as mentioned above, allows you to change the overall look of the Files app. The Layout tab allows you to control the layout of the files. Switch to the Files & Folders tab, and you will be able to control the behavior of the stored files and folders. You have the option to hide items, show file extensions, and do much more.
You can manage different shortcuts that the Files app supports by accessing the Actions tab.
The Tags tab allows you to manage tags in the Files app. The Developer Tools tab, as you can guess, is especially for developers. If you are a normal user, I would recommend ignoring this tab. Lastly, there’s the Advanced tab, from where you can control some advanced settings of the Files app.
For instance, you can make the Files app launch on system startup by enabling the “Open Files on Windows Startup” toggle. If you want to set the Files app as the default file manager on your computer, you need to turn on the toggle next to “Set Files As the Default File Manager.”
If you uninstall the Files app, the Windows File Manager will automatically be set as your default file manager.
Things the Files App Needs to Improve
The review will be incomplete if I only talk about the positives of the Files app.
The Files app checks most of the boxes of an ideal file explorer, but there are definitely a few areas where the app needs improvement, especially when it comes to its overall speed. Compared to all the other third-party file managers I’ve tested, I found the Files app to be the slowest. In fact, I find it even slower than the Windows 11 File Explorer. The app takes a long time to launch, and sometimes opening folders also takes longer compared to other file managers.
The ability to batch rename files and folders is also missing in the Files app. You will find this feature in most third-party file explorers like File Pilot. Lastly, the app’s split feature allows you to view only two folders at once. I would appreciate the option to view at least four folders simultaneously.
OneCommander, File Pilot, Files, XYPlorer—the list of third-party file explorers is quite long, with each one having its own advantages. When it comes to the Files app, some of its major highlights are its modern design and the ability to tag files and folders. If you think the Files app meets all your expectations, then you can set it as your default file explorer through its Settings window.
