# Explorer++ review: a portable tabbed file manager for Windows > Explorer++ is a GPL-3.0, C++ file manager for Windows that runs from a ZIP archive, keeps tabs and bookmarks, and can store its settings in a config file instead of the registry. It is a good fit if you want a second file manager next to Windows Explorer; it is not a replacement for the shell itself. **derceg/explorerplusplus** — Explorer++ is a lightweight and fast file manager for Windows - Repository: https://github.com/derceg/explorerplusplus - Website: https://explorerplusplus.com - Stars: 3,302 · Forks: 426 - Language: C++ - License: GPL-3.0 - Published: 2026-09-24 · Updated: 2026-09-24 · Language: en - Canonical page: https://hysenlabs.com/projects/derceg-explorerplusplus ## What Explorer++ solves, and who it is for Windows Explorer is a shell component, not a general-purpose file manager. Explorer++ is a separate Win32 application that opens its own windows and does the folder work itself. The README lists the features it adds on top of that baseline: tabbed browsing, bookmarks for tabs, saved directory listings, file filtering, a preview pane, and a search that matches on file name and attributes. Drag and drop works with other applications, including Windows Explorer, so the two can be used side by side. The audience is narrow but real. People who keep several folders open at once and want them in one window. People who move between machines and would rather carry a settings file than re-create their layout. People who need to touch file dates or attributes, or to merge and split files, without opening a separate utility. It is not aimed at users who want a full replacement for the shell: the README never claims to take over desktop, taskbar or shell integration duties. ## Portable mode, tabs and the configuration file The portability claim is the most concrete thing in the README: settings can be saved to the registry or to a configuration file. That single choice decides how the rest of the tool behaves in practice. Registry mode makes Explorer++ behave like a normal installed Windows application, with settings tied to the user profile. Configuration-file mode makes the application self-contained, which is what you want on a USB stick or on a locked-down machine where you cannot write to HKCU. The README does not spell out the exact file name or location of that configuration file, so treat the first run as something to verify rather than assume. Tabs are the other structural feature: the window holds multiple folder views, and tabs can be bookmarked, which is the mechanism behind the saved-location workflow. The display window shows previews of files as they are selected, and view modes cover icon, list, detail, thumbnail and tile. Search runs on name and attributes rather than file contents, which is a meaningful boundary: this is a metadata search, not a full-text indexer. ## Installing Explorer++ and opening a first tab The README points at prebuilt ZIP archives rather than an installer: explorerpp_x86.zip, explorerpp_x64.zip and explorerpp_arm64.zip, all served from download.explorerplusplus.com under the dev/latest path. There is also explorerpp_translations.zip, and the README says a fuller list of builds lives at explorerplusplus.com/builds. Pick the archive that matches your architecture, download it from that link, and extract it. Because the build is a ZIP and not an MSI, nothing is registered with Windows and nothing is added to the Start menu. On first launch you should see the Explorer++ window with a folder tree on the left and a file view on the right; the README describes the interface as customizable, so expect the layout to be rearranged rather than fixed. The second decision is where settings go. The README states the option exists, but it does not document the exact key or file path, so check the settings dialog and the documentation at explorerplusplus.readthedocs.io before you build a deployment around it. If you would rather build it yourself, the repository ships BUILDING.md at the top level, a vcpkg.json manifest, VcpkgCustomPorts/ and VcpkgCustomTriplets/ directories, and a .github/ workflow that runs the build. That is a vcpkg-based C++ toolchain, not a one-command build, and BUILDING.md is the only correct source for the exact steps. ## Where Explorer++ is the wrong tool Search is limited by design. The README says it matches on file name and attributes. There is no claim of content indexing, so if your problem is finding a string inside ten thousand documents, this is not the tool, and the search box will not behave like Windows Search or Everything. Dark mode is the second gap, and it is a gap by omission rather than by statement. The README's feature list does not mention theming at all, and the repository has no theme-related top-level entry. People search for Explorer++ dark mode, but the README does not document a dark theme, so do not plan a rollout around one. The third boundary is the shell itself. Explorer++ is an application you launch. It does not replace the desktop, the taskbar, or the file dialogs that other programs open, and the README makes no such claim. If your goal is to stop Windows Explorer from ever appearing, this project does not address that goal. ## How it compares with Windows Explorer and Total Commander Windows Explorer is the default and costs nothing to adopt, but it is a shell component: tabs arrived late, its behaviour is tied to the OS release, and you cannot carry your configuration to another machine as a file. Explorer++ is a standalone Win32 binary you can extract anywhere, with its own tab model and its own settings. The trade-off is integration: Explorer++ gets drag and drop with other applications, but it does not become the shell. Total Commander is the other comparison worth making, and the difference is structural rather than cosmetic. Total Commander is built around two panes side by side, a keyboard-driven model, and a long-lived plugin ecosystem. Explorer++ is built around tabs and a tree, closer to the modern Explorer layout. If your workflow is copy-left-to-right with the keyboard, the two-pane model is the point and Explorer++ is not imitating it. If your workflow is many folders open at once in one window, tabs are the point. A smaller alternative is to keep Windows Explorer and add a tabbing utility on top of it. That keeps shell integration and adds the missing feature, but it inherits Explorer's behaviour and its update cycle. ## Maintenance, licence and upgrade cost The repository is not archived, and the last push was on 2026-08-20. That is recent activity on the master branch, but it sits next to a release history that is much slower: version-1.4.0 was published on 2024-01-28, after version-1.4.0-beta-2 on 2020-11-01 and version-1.4.0-beta on 2020-05-21. The pattern is a long beta cycle followed by a stable tag, so an upgrade plan should track tags rather than assume frequent releases. The README's download links point at dev/latest builds, which are not the same thing as the tagged 1.4.0 release. The licence is GPL-3.0, and the LICENSE file sits at the top level. For individual use that changes nothing. For redistribution inside a company product, GPL-3.0 carries obligations that a permissive licence does not, and the source is C++ against the Windows API, which means any fork has to be maintained by someone who can build a Win32 application. That is the real upgrade cost here: not the download, but the toolchain. BUILDING.md, vcpkg.json, VcpkgCustomPorts/ and VcpkgCustomTriplets/ together describe a build that depends on vcpkg ports, so a contributor needs vcpkg working before the first compile. None of this is legal advice; read the LICENSE text and, for commercial redistribution, talk to someone qualified. ## Conclusion Adopt Explorer++ if you want a tabbed, portable second file manager on Windows and you are comfortable with a project whose last push was on 2026-08-20 and whose latest stable release is 1.4.0 from 2024-01-28. Do not adopt it expecting a drop-in replacement for the Windows shell, a documented dark theme, or a stable plugin API. Before rolling it out, check the BUILDING.md toolchain, decide whether settings go to the registry or a configuration file, and confirm that the 1.4.0 release binary covers the Windows version you run. ## FAQ ### Is Explorer++ free? Yes. The repository is licensed under GPL-3.0 and the LICENSE file sits at the top level, and the README points at prebuilt ZIP archives for 32-bit, 64-bit and ARM64 Windows. ### What is a good free file manager for Windows 11? Explorer++ is one option: a Win32 file manager with tabs, bookmarks and a portable mode, distributed as a ZIP for x86, x64 and ARM64. The README does not list supported Windows versions, so confirm that the 1.4.0 build runs on your release before committing to it. ### How do I download and run the portable Explorer++ build? Download explorerpp_x64.zip (or the x86 or ARM64 archive) from download.explorerplusplus.com/dev/latest, extract it, and run the executable from the extracted folder. Nothing is registered with Windows, and the README states settings can be saved to the registry or to a configuration file. ### Does Explorer++ have a dark mode? The README's feature list does not mention theming or a dark theme, and the repository has no theme-related top-level entry. The documentation at explorerplusplus.readthedocs.io is the place to check for current appearance options. ### Does Explorer++ replace Windows Explorer? No. Explorer++ is a separate application that opens its own windows and supports drag and drop with other applications, including Windows Explorer. The README makes no claim that it takes over the desktop, taskbar or shell file dialogs. ### How do I build Explorer++ from source? The repository ships BUILDING.md at the top level, along with a vcpkg.json manifest and VcpkgCustomPorts/ and VcpkgCustomTriplets/ directories. BUILDING.md is the authoritative source for the exact steps. ## Sources - [derceg/explorerplusplus on GitHub](https://github.com/derceg/explorerplusplus) - [License: GPL-3.0](https://github.com/derceg/explorerplusplus/blob/master/LICENSE) - [Project website](https://explorerplusplus.com) - [README](https://github.com/derceg/explorerplusplus/blob/master/README.md) - [Releases](https://github.com/derceg/explorerplusplus/releases) --- Hysen Labs editorial analysis, written from the project's own repository and release notes. Cite the canonical page: https://hysenlabs.com/projects/derceg-explorerplusplus