Last Updated on August 31, 2026
If you have been using Microsoft Windows on your home or work computer, you most likely have used the File Explorer app to manage your files and folders. File Explorer is generally fine for most people, but if you are a Windows power user, you may want something with some extra functionality. In this article, we will be going over the OneCommander Windows File Explorer alterative file management tool.
OneCommander is completely free to use for basic features. Once you download and install it, you can use it alongside File Explorer right out of the box. You can even configure it to be the main file management application for your entire Windows operating system. We will be going over many of the features but keep in mind that there will still be other features that we will not cover.
Understanding the OneCommander Interface
1. Explore the Main Navigation
Once you run OneCommander the first time, you will see a highly familiar view. You get a solid navigation pane on the left, your main files and folders in the middle, and also a file preview pane on the right. You can also open multiple folders in tabs just like you can with the modern Windows 11 File Explorer.
2. Manage Your Active Tabs
There are a variety of options to choose from when right clicking on a specific folder tab. You can instantly close other tabs to clean up your workspace. You can also force the current directory to open in the default Windows File Explorer if you need a legacy view.
3. Change the Window Layout
At the bottom left of the application window, you can click on the window layout button. This allows you to change exactly how many windows are shown on your screen. You can dictate exactly where they are placed to maximize your daily productivity.
4. Try the Standard Dual View
The image below shows the standard dual view configuration. This splits your screen perfectly down the middle so you can drag and drop files between two different hard drives. It completely eliminates the need to open two separate explorer windows.
5. Switch to Columns Dual View
The next image shows the highly popular columns dual view. This layout stacks your directories in a cascading column format. It makes digging deep into nested folders incredibly fast and visually intuitive.
Managing History and Custom Groups
1. View Your Folder History
Over on the left navigation pane, you will also have a History group. This section will show you recently accessed folders so you can jump back into your current project. This saves you from clicking through five different directory levels every single morning.
2. Customize the History Pane
This history feature can be disabled completely by clicking on the ellipsis (…) icon. Choose the remove history pane option if you do not want to see it cluttering your sidebar. You can also clear the history cache directly from this exact same menu.
3. Create Custom Work Groups
The New group button is used to create a custom group that you can add your specific project folders to. You can then click the + button while in a folder to have it instantly added to the group. You can then move folders up and down the list and remove them as needed.
4. Navigate with the Columns Button
Clicking on the columns navigation button will add another view to the top of OneCommander. This shows you the exact path to the directory that you are currently in. The path for the example below is C:\Users\todds\Documents\Confidential Files. You can then click within any column to jump straight back to a previous folder.
Advanced File Details and Categorization
1. View Hidden File Information
When viewing your files and folders in details view, you will see various information that you normally do not see when using File Explorer. This gives power users immediate access to critical metadata without opening the file properties. It speeds up massive data auditing tasks significantly.
2. Categorize with Colored Dots
The colored dots can be added to securely categorize your files and folders. You can also search your entire hard drive by these specific categories and colors. This makes it incredibly easy to find all the files and folders assigned to a particular client project.
3. Understand Age and Size Metrics
The colored boxes show the date modified for the file or folder. It is not an exact number but rather a visual indicator to give you a rough idea of how old the file or folder actually is. The very right hand column clearly shows the size of the files. You can also configure OneCommander to show exact folder sizes as well.
4. Access Custom Right-Click Options
Right clicking on a file or folder will give you similar options to what you would see in the standard File Explorer. It also adds some highly unique options such as creating a new folder from a selection. You can instantly create a file template or force the system to regenerate a broken thumbnail.
Automation Tools and Program Settings
1. Access the Main Menu
Clicking on the three horizontal lines at the upper left of the app will open the main configuration menu. This gives you some additional options and features that you might find incredibly handy. This is also where you can configure the deep settings for OneCommander.
2. Automate Repetitive Tasks
The File Automator feature is used to help automate repetitive tasks related to file organization and manipulation. It allows users to create and run automated actions for files and folders directly inside the OneCommander app. These tasks can be configured using a simple workflow. This reduces the need for manual intervention and saves time on tasks like file renaming, moving, copying, or deleting based on specific criteria.
3. Schedule Actions with Taskmaster
The Taskmaster feature is a robust task automation tool that can help you automate complex tasks within the app. It functions similarly to advanced workflows or macros. This allows you to create, schedule, and manage a long series of actions to be executed completely automatically.
4. Configure General Settings
If you do decide to check out the settings, you will see that there are plenty of configuration options you can change. You can really customize exactly how OneCommander works. You will also see some settings labeled as PRO meaning they are not available in the free version. The professional version of OneCommander will cost you around $25.
5. Write Custom Scripts
At the upper right corner of OneCommander, you will find the Scripts feature. This allows you to automate tasks and extend the functionality of the application by writing and executing custom scripts. You can create personalized workflows to automate renaming, moving, or organizing files. You can interact with the Windows system in much more advanced ways.
6. Set as Default File Manager
As you can see, there is a lot to the OneCommander app. This makes it a fantastic alternative to the default File Explorer app. If you want to make OneCommander the absolute default file manager for Windows, you can do so easily. Just flip the toggle switch located inside the Advanced section of the settings menu.
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