Far Manager is a text-mode file and archive manager for Windows, built in C++ under a BSD-3-Clause licence, aimed at users and administrators who prefer a keyboard-driven console interface for file operations and who want to extend the tool through plugins.

What it is

Far Manager is a program for managing files and archives in Windows operating systems. It works in text mode and provides a simple and intuitive interface for performing most everyday file tasks: viewing files and directories, editing, copying, and renaming files, and many other actions. The interface is multi-language and easily configurable, and file system navigation is made easier through color highlighting and sort groups. The project is written in C++ and is developed in the open on GitHub, with builds running through AppVeyor and Azure Pipelines for Visual Studio, GCC, and Clang toolchains.

The concrete problem Far Manager solves is the need for a fast, low-overhead way to browse, inspect, and manipulate files and archives without leaving a text console, combined with the desire to grow that capability beyond what ships by default. Rather than baking every feature into the core executable, Far Manager delegates them to external DLL modules — plugins — reached through a documented set of interfaces called the Plugins API. This means archive support, an FTP client, a temporary panel, and a network browser are all implemented as plugins included in the standard distribution, so the core stays focused on file handling while functionality is added where it belongs.

Key capabilities

• Runs in text mode with a multi-language, easily configurable interface for viewing, editing, copying, and renaming files and directories.
• Provides color highlighting and sort groups to make file system navigation faster to read.
• Loads external DLL modules — plugins — through the documented Plugins API at api.farmanager.com, allowing third parties to add new functionality.
• Ships with plugins for archive handling, including 7-zip support, plus an FTP client, a temporary panel, and a network browser in the standard distribution.
• Includes a file editor and command-line interaction as part of its core file-handling workflow.
• Incorporates Colorer for syntax-aware file viewing and editing, as reflected in the project's topic tags.
• Builds across three compilers — Visual Studio, GCC, and Clang — with continuous integration status published via AppVeyor and Azure Pipelines badges.

Who uses it and how

• Windows users and administrators who work primarily in a console and want to browse, edit, copy, and rename files without a graphical file manager.
• Power users who assemble their own toolset by installing plugins through the Plugins API, adding archive handling, FTP transfer, or network browsing as needed.
• Contributors and maintainers who build the C++ source with Visual Studio, GCC, or Clang and track changes through the AppVeyor and Azure Pipelines dashboards.
• Multilingual environments, since the interface is available in multiple languages and README translations are published in Polish and Russian alongside English.
• People who report issues and coordinate on the dedicated support forum, bug tracker at bugs.farmanager.com, and the English and Russian developer mailing lists.

Getting started

Far Manager's source code is hosted at github.com/FarGroup/FarManager and builds with Visual Studio, GCC, or Clang, with CI results visible on the project's AppVeyor and Azure Pipelines pages; the project homepage at farmanager.com is the starting point for releases and documentation.

How it compares

No list of paid products it replaces is provided in the available facts, and no comparable tools are named there either, so Far Manager stands alone in this registry as a BSD-3-Clause, C++ text-mode file and archive manager for Windows whose functionality is extended through plugins rather than shipped as a fixed feature set.

When to use it — and when not

The plugin architecture means the exact capability set depends on which DLL modules you install and keep working, so a user who wants everything in one binary should check what the standard distribution actually bundles. It is a Windows, text-mode tool with a console-oriented interface, so people who need a graphical file manager or a non-Windows platform should look elsewhere. On the practical side, the project carries 156 open issues at the time of listing, and there is no evidence in these facts of a packaged installer, container image, or hosted option — prospective users should expect to obtain a build from the project's own distribution channels and consult the forums or bug tracker for support.