Explorer++ is a lightweight, fast and completely portable open-source file manager for Windows, written in C++ and licensed under GPL-3.0, aimed at Windows users who want tabbed browsing and more advanced file operations than the built-in File Explorer provides.
What it is
Explorer++ is a native Windows file manager built on the Windows API in C++. It sits in the Windows desktop ecosystem rather than in a server or cross-platform stack: its topics are c-plus-plus, file-manager, windows and windows-api, and it ships builds for 32-bit, 64-bit and ARM64 Windows. The repository is active, with a most recent push dated 28 September 2026, and roughly 3,300 stars and 426 forks.
The specific thing it replaces is Windows Explorer, the file browsing shell bundled with Windows. The problem it solves is the friction of working with several folders at once: Explorer++ adds tabbed browsing and bookmarkable tabs so multiple locations stay open in a single window instead of being spread across separate Explorer windows. It also covers operations the built-in shell handles less conveniently, including merging and splitting files, changing file dates and attributes, saving a directory listing and filtering files. Full drag-and-drop support with other applications, Windows Explorer included, means it can be used alongside the default shell rather than only in place of it.
Key capabilities
- Complete portability, with the option to save settings to the registry or to a configuration file.
- Tabbed browsing for managing multiple folders, with tabs that can be bookmarked.
- A display window showing previews of files as they are selected, plus icon, list, detail, thumbnail and tile view modes.
- Advanced file operations such as merging and splitting, changing file dates and attributes, and saving a directory listing.
- Full drag-and-drop support with other applications, including Windows Explorer.
- Search for files by name and attributes, plus filtering of files in a view.
- Published builds for three architectures — explorerpp_x86.zip, explorerpp_x64.zip and explorerpp_arm64.zip — with translations distributed separately as explorerpp_translations.zip.
Who uses it and how
- Windows users who keep many folders in play at once and prefer them as tabs in one window rather than as separate Explorer windows.
- Users who need a portable tool: with configuration written to a file, it can be carried on removable media and run without a conventional installation.
- Users doing file housekeeping the built-in shell does not cover well, such as merging or splitting files, or adjusting dates and attributes.
- Translators working through the Crowdin project, who edit the file for their language; their work ships as explorerpp_translations.zip.
- Contributors building from source on Windows following BUILDING.md, with documentation published on Read the Docs.
Getting started
Download the appropriate archive from the builds page — explorerpp_x86.zip, explorerpp_x64.zip or explorerpp_arm64.zip — and extract it to run the application. Compilation from source is described in BUILDING.md, and full documentation is available on Read the Docs.
How it compares
The only comparable tool named in the project's own material is Windows Explorer, the file manager shipped with Windows. Explorer++ covers similar ground while adding tabbed browsing, portability through a configuration file and operations such as merging and splitting files that the built-in shell does not offer, and it continues to interoperate with Windows Explorer through drag-and-drop. It is a local desktop file manager rather than a synchronisation or cloud service.
When to use it — and when not to
Choose Explorer++ if you work on Windows and want a fast, tabbed, portable file manager you can run without an installer. Do not choose it if you are not on Windows, since it targets Windows and the Windows API, or if what you need is synchronisation between machines rather than local file management. Those building it should also note that the README itself is brief and defers compilation to BUILDING.md, that the repository carries 253 open issues, and that the GPL-3.0 licence matters if a modified build is to be redistributed.
