Getting started

Here you will find links to demo videos and some short tutorials (internet connection required) that will get you going with the basic file management tasks in xplorer². You will find even more useful information if you take the online tour, browse the weekly blog and the product information page.

• Get familiar with xplorer² GUI
  All display panes can be resized and turned on/off to suit your browsing habits
• Using the Ribbon UI
  You can have a ribbon toolbar or a traditional menu to manage xplorer² commands. The ribbon takes a little more space but organizes the commands more intuitively
• Work with folder tabs
  The tabbed interface is ideal for showing many folders simultaneously and copy files from one to another. Folder groups can be saved too
• Docked or floating panels
  Utility panes like the tree and quickviewer can be docked to any window side, or even be floating and completely detached
• Autohiding panels
  To claim more space without hiding dockable panels like the tree, switch them to autohide mode using their pin button
• Column browsing mode
  Miller columns mode is like tabbed browsing, only you can see all the folders you browse simultaneously side by side. This mode is popular in Mac computers.
• Rich file attributes
  In detailed view mode you can choose from more than 300 pieces of information to show. Coupled with the Details pane and infobars you have absolute control over file attributes.
• Browse your folders
  There are many ways to locate folders quickly using breadcrumbs, the drivebar and bookmarks (favorite folders)
• Manage bookmarks and launch programs
  The mini-scrap pane is very flexible and can be used to store folders (bookmarks) and favorite programs
• Quick access list
  Organize your most frequently used folders in a mini-tree for quick access
• Show only the files you want
  You can see files that match wildcards conveniently with autofilters and quick filters. Focus your attention to the part of the folder you need.
• Select and filter as you type
  Use the multi-purpose tool next to the addressbar to select, filter and search for keywords.
• Color tag files and folders
  Permanently color mark items in any folder to make them stand out and find them quickly
• Find files as you type  NEW 
  Find local filenames and use them fluently with popup minisearch
• Preview PDF and office documents
  PDF and other complex document types can be previewed in thumbnail (first page), or in plain text mode. You can even have exact (activeX) preview without opening the associated program
• Peek preview
  Use both mouse buttons to see a large draft preview of the item under the mouse cursor
• Review file metadata
  Detailed view mode supports extra information columns. For music folders you can select ID3 tag columns to see details like bitrate, artist etc.
• Tag or comment pictures
  Set comments for all types of files, including pictures and videos, to remember what they are about.
• Change file properties intuitively
  Edit many properties by clicking on the file details as you see them in the folder. Just like using a spreadsheet!
• Basic file management
  Create folders, copy/paste files and drag-drop with the right mouse button
• Build up selections with ease
  Sticky selection mode and the miniscrap pane help you select items without worrying about losing them
• Find keywords in documents
  xplorer² has a powerful search engine where you control minute details like where to search, what kind of documents to look for and their individual properties.
• Find files modified recently
  Find some files that were modified in the last day and contain some text (keyword). Preview the search results highlighting the matching keywords
• Clean up your hard disk to free space
  Use folder size statistics to discover the large folders on your hard disk and cleanup duplicate files.
• Basic folder synchronization
  Dual pane view is perfect for comparing and synchronizing folders with similar content
• Compare folder hierarchies
  Compare and synchronize deep folder hierarchies with mirror browsing and scrolling
• Print folder listings
  What you see in any pane can be exported as text; one possible use is to print folder contents
• Customize toolbar icons
  You can add any command with an icon on any toolbar, including bookmarks. Here you can also choose a custom folder icon
• Change key bindings
  Change F5 key to refresh folders like in windows explorer
• Path autocompletion in the addressbar
  You can save a lot of typing with the intelligent autocompletion from folder history, bookmarks and environmental variables.
• Set custom views for some folders
  If you want all your picture folders to show in thumbnail mode you can break the default viewing mode
• Arrange items in groups
  Grouping complements simple item sorting e.g. by Name or by Date modified. You can collapse and expand groups, even define your own custom categories.
• Work within zipfolders
  Compressed ZIP archives are dealt as any other folder. You can add/remove files and preview content without extracting the files
• Attach files to Hotmail
  Sending attachments via internet email isn't as easy as drag-drop to Outlook but xplorer² has some helpful tricks
• Drag-drop everywhere
  All display elements are drag-drop aware featuring drag-scrolling and spring loaded tabs and folders
• Change the GUI language
  xplorer² is translated in many languages, you can select yours during installation
• Share files with other people
  If you want to make pictures and music available to other users on your computer or local network use the folder sharing options
• Custom folder icons
  If you have many attached hard disks or if you want to highlight some special folders, set a distinct icon to tell them apart.
• Backup or transfer your settings
  If you are changing computers, you can get your xplorer² settings (bookmarks, keyboard assignments etc) to your new PC
• How can I undo file operations?
  xplorer² doesn't have an undo command but for the most dangerous operations (e.g. accidental drag/drops) help is at hand
• Keyboard shortcuts
  Almost anything in xplorer² has a keyboard accelerator, here are a few "hidden" keyboard commands

Advanced topics

• Work with many folders at once
  All xplorer² commands can be applied to a single or many selected items. Using Browse flat and search commands you can work with files in multiple folders.
• Automate tasks with macros
  A simple scripting language controlling mouse and keyboard helps with your frequently repeated file management operations.
• Work with window layouts
  One window style won't suit all your file management work. Switch toolbar and pane arrangement using window layouts
• Where is that command?
  xplorer² has lots of menus; if you don't remember where is the command you are after, search for it using the command finder tool.
• Split and join large files
  If you want to send a large file by email it's best you cut it in smaller pieces first
• Permanently destroy files
  Even deleted files can be recovered. To permanently erase sensitive documents use the Shred command
• Browsing network folders
  You can access resources on your local network computers using UNC paths
• Work around UAC
  Windows vista and later throw UAC confirmation prompts every other second but you silence them running xplorer² in administrator mode.
• Start external tools and pass files as arguments
  You can start external tools (even MSDOS commands) typing their name in the addressbar and optionally pass some of the browsed files as arguments
• Overwrite control when copying
  xplorer² has a robust copy engine that can automatically overwrite only files that are newer, which behaves like a backup.
• File version control with TSVN
  xplorer² collaborates with the popular Tortoise SVN versioning system showing icon overlays and integrating status information in detailed view mode
• How big are my files?
  xplorer² knows about all factors that affect file storage, including sector sizes, compressed files and even alternate data streams (ADS)
• Rename MP3 files using their ID3 tags
  The mass rename feature can add any part of the file metadata to the filename, e.g. track number from ID3 attributes
• Advanced mass renaming
  Use search and replace modes to rename filenames like a text editor. Using regular expressions you can rearrange parts of the name.
• Color code filenames
  You can choose the colors of your files according to their extension or from complex attributes
• Search for keywords google-like
  Use the optional boolean logic operators with search keywords to search your desktop files like you search the internet
• Use folder junctions to rearrange your folders
  If your C:\ partition is getting too crowded you can move large folders to other locations without breaking programs like Outlook
• Encrypt your files to protect sensitive data
  Encrypting a folder makes sure that your documents will be for your eyes only
• Copy files with filters
  Use wildcards and other rules to exclude temporary files while copying a folder
• Delete only matching files
  Do you want to delete all the DESKTOP.INI files under a folder and nothing else? Use robust deletion with filters.
• Recover accidentally deleted files
  If you have deleted some document and you can't find it in the recycle bin, you can still get it back if you act quickly
• Advanced file management scripts
  For really complex file operations that xplorer² can't do, use the windows scripting host, the modern version of DOS batch files
• Advanced copy/paste
  There are some useful commands under Edit > Paste special menu for advanced operations, e.g. paste only subfolder structure, hard links and folder junctions

NOTE: Some of the features above are only available for xplorer² professional, e.g. menu commands marked with [P]. The professional version has a free 21-day trial.