My setup for a better file browsing experience on Windows
Summary
-
Search faster with Everything, a lightweight search engine for Windows.
-
Improve workflows with PowerToys, offering utilities such as preview panes and File Locksmith.
-
Automate file organization with File Juggler, delete files securely with Eraser, and improve file browsing with Explorer++.
Even with the addition of tabs, the file browsing experience on Windows remains lackluster. The search is still interrupted. I’m still waiting for bulk renaming, file locks, bookmarks bar or secure delete. The panes have limited file previews and organization is simple. Let’s fix this.
Search anything with everything
The Faster Alternative to Windows File Search
File indexing by default is extremely slow on Windows, and always has been. This is why searching for files in Explorer can take so long. On occasion, I have manually located a file faster than searching in Explorer. That’s why I switched to Everything.
Everything is an incredibly lightweight and fast search engine. Think of it like Spotlight, except for Windows. It can instantly extract any file or folder on your computer. You can refine your search with filters to match file names or formats. There is even an advanced search functionality.
Every time you update or add a file, Everything indexes it immediately. It creates its database within seconds of the first installation and searches for changes in real time. It’s so fast that you don’t even need to complete the query to retrieve a file or folder. It extracts files as you type. No progress bar.
You can even search network folders. Just press the shortcut key (Ctrl+N by default) and start typing.
It takes very few resources to run Everything and it’s completely free. If you have a lot of files on your computer, Everything is essential.
- Processor
-
Ryzen3 3200U
- Chart
-
Radeon Vega 3
- Memory
-
16 GB DDR4
- Storage
-
500 GB SSD
The Beelink SER3 mini PC is the ideal entry-level Windows desktop for small budgets. Featuring a Ryzen 3 3200U processor, this desktop comes with Windows 11 Pro and 16GB of DDR4 RAM. A 500GB SSD comes preinstalled (and is user-upgradable), and you’ll find two HDMI, Ethernet, and four USB-A ports on this compact desktop.
Work faster with PowerToys
The Microsoft app that Microsoft doesn’t tell anyone about
PowerToys is not integrated with Windows, but it is an official Microsoft product. It is a set of utilities designed to improve workflows in Windows. It is installed as a single program and gives you access to a whole library of incredibly useful tools. Let’s take a look at a few of these utilities (there are many more).
If you ever want to pin a window or app on top of everything else, PowerToys lets you do it with a quick shortcut. How about custom window tiling? You can create custom layouts to divide the screen into custom zones using FancyZones.
Preview panes in Windows display the contents of a file without opening it. Unfortunately, this is mostly limited to image previews. With PowerToys, you can preview over 150 file types, including PDFs, source code files, markdowns, and more. If your workflow involves switching between files often, PowerToys can save you time.
Have you ever encountered the error “you cannot delete this file because it is in use by another process?” » You must manually scroll through the list of active processes in Task Manager to find which program is using the file you are trying to modify or delete. This may take time and may not always work. Let the PowerToys File Locksmith utility automatically find and terminate this program for you.
Rename files in bulk with PowerRename. Use the color picker anywhere on your screen or in any app with a keyboard shortcut. Create custom shortcuts. Paste text in any format using Advanced Paste. Resize images on the fly with Image Resizer (launched from right-click context menu). Or instantly launch apps with PowerToys Run. Just press Alt+Space and type the app name (it only indexes apps).
PowerToys is a must-have for experienced users. Plus, it’s free and lightweight.
Clean up messy folders with File Juggler
Automate file organization
Instead of organizing files manually and regularly, you can automate the entire process. With File Juggler, you can set rules to automatically move files into folders. It can also automatically rename, delete and copy files to folders. This way, you won’t have to deal with ever-increasing clutter on your computer.
File Juggler can also read the contents of documents to automatically name them and move them to where they belong based on their contents. It will monitor new documents and organize them as well.
You only need to configure it once. After that, File Juggler will handle all incoming files.
Faster file browsing with Explorer++
Smarter, more customizable file browsing
I love a browser-style bookmarks bar in my File Explorer; This is one of my favorite things about Explorer++. This allows me to quickly favorite locations and access them quickly. I know that pinned folders exist in Windows Explorer, but they are mixed in with the rest of the file tree. A sleek bookmark stands out, and it’s just more practical.
Many alternative file explorers have a bookmarks manager, but I use Explorer++. It has tabbed browsing and a robust bookmarks manager. You can add a directory to your favorites with Ctrl+D as you would in a browser. It then appears on the dedicated bookmarks bar at the top.
Explorer++ also has a few other great options. Consider its “Destroy File” feature. Even after emptying the Trash, your deleted files are not really erased: they can be recovered using data recovery tools. In Explorer++, you can permanently delete files using the “Destory File” button. You can also split or merge files.
Explorer++ is free and lightweight software. Its user interface is also customizable, so you can tailor it to your particular workflow.
Delete files securely with Eraser
Actually delete what you delete
When you delete a file in Windows, it is not the file that is deleted but its index. Think of the index as the table of contents of a book. Even if you delete a chapter from the index, the actual pages of the chapter remain in the book.
Once the reference disappears, the file can possibly be replaced by another one because it is marked as available. However, before it gets overwritten, it is quite easy to restore it. So, if you actually want to erase a file from your hard drive, it must be overwritten. This is what Eraser does.
Eraser is a free utility that deletes files by overwriting them several times. Once you delete a file like this, it is impossible to recover it. In fact, it’s so effective that the U.S. government recommends it for wiping down appliances.
You can delete a file with Eraser from the right-click context menu. However, this may take a little longer than a normal deletion (especially for larger files). You can download Eraser from the official website.
Is there life after File Explorer?
The default file browsing experience in Windows isn’t necessarily “broken”, it’s just not designed to meet the needs of each user. Likewise, my file browsing setup may not appeal to everyone. I encourage you to choose the ideas you would like to steal from me, because a solution tailored to your personal needs will always be ideal.
