Status: public beta
Copy and move do not work yet
F5 (copy) and F6 (move / rename) are missing in this release. Both are destructive operations, and before they go out they have to be properly tested. Until then those keys do nothing.
Deleting, on the other hand, does work — to the recycle bin (F8, Del) and permanently (Shift+F8, Shift+Del). Use it deliberately: a permanent delete cannot be undone.
Everything else — browsing, viewing, selecting, sorting, creating folders — can be used without worry. If you mainly want a manager for finding your way around drives and peeking into files, it already does the job.
Beta means beta. It is here because even in this state it saves me time on service jobs every day, but until copying is finished, treat it as a tool for looking around, not for moving data.
What it does
Two panels side by side, each with a drive selector showing free space, a path and a file list. The columns are Name | Ext | Size | Date | Attr, with the extension split from the name the way you are used to. Directories are bold and sorted to the top, hidden and system files dimmed, selected files in red. Clicking a column header sorts; clicking again reverses the direction.
The active panel is the one with the blue path, and Tab switches between them. At the bottom sit a status line for messages and a strip of function keys, so you do not have to remember them.
One MHCommander.exe, no installer, no registry writes. The Dark mode switch in the top right repaints the whole window including the bars and buttons, not just the file panels; dark is the default.
Keys
| Key | What it does | State |
|---|---|---|
| Tab | Switches the active panel | works |
| Enter | Enters a directory, runs a file | works |
| Backspace | One directory up | works |
| Space | Selects and deselects an item | works |
| Insert | Selects and moves the cursor down | works |
| * | Inverts the selection | works |
| Alt+F1 / Alt+F2 | Drive selector for the left / right panel | works |
| Ctrl+R, F2 | Reloads the panel | works |
| Ctrl+U | Swaps the panels | works |
| Ctrl+← | Opens the active path in the other panel | works |
| F3 | Views a file — text, or a binary in hex | works |
| F4 | Opens the file in Notepad | works |
| F5 | Copy | missing |
| F6 | Move and rename | missing |
| F7 | New directory | works |
| F8, Del | Delete to the recycle bin | works |
| Shift+F8, Shift+Del | Delete permanently | works |
| Ctrl+H | Show and hide hidden files | works |
| F10 | Quit | works |
What comes next
Copy (F5)
A dialog with the target path, progress on a worker thread and a prompt before overwriting.
Move and rename (F6)
A move within a drive, a copy and delete across drives.
Remembered settings
View mode, hidden files, panel split and the last paths survive a restart.
Command line below the panels
The way Total Commander has it.
Quick find and filter
Typing straight in the panel, path history and bookmarks.
Requirements
- Windows 10 or Windows 11 (64-bit).
- .NET Framework 4.8, part of Windows 10 since 1903 and of Windows 11.
- The interface is in English.
- While it is in beta, use it on data you can afford to lose — mainly because of the delete.