**Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
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 free to use and once you download and install it, you can use it alongside File Explorer and even configure it to be the main file management application for Windows. 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 otherwise this article would be extremely long!
Once you run OneCommander the first time, you will see a familiar view with a 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 File Explorer. There are also a variety of options to choose from when right clicking on a tab such as close other tabs and open in File Explorer.
At the bottom left, you can click on the window layout button to change how many windows are shown and where they are placed.
The image below shows the standard dual view.
The next image shows the columns dual view.
Over on the left, you will also have a History group that will show you recently accessed folders. This can be disabled by clicking on the ellipsis (…) and choosing remove history pane if you do not want to see it. You can also clear the history from here as well.
The New group button is used to create a custom group that you can add your folders to. You can then click the + button while in a folder that you want to add to the group to have it added. You can then move folders up and down the list and remove them as needed.
Clicking on the columns navigation button will add another view to the top of OneCommander showing you the 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 go to a previous folder.
When viewing your files and folders in details view, you will see various information that you normally do not see when using File Explorer. The colored dots can be added to categorize files and folders, and you can also search by these categories and colors to easily find all the files and folders assigned to that category.
The colored boxes show the date modified for the file or folder but it’s not an exact number but rather there to give you an idea of how old the file or folder is. The very right hand column shows the size of the files, and you can also configure OneCommander to show folder sizes as well. You can set File Explorer to show folder sizes as well using the Windhawk Windows customization app.
Right clicking on a file or folder will give you similar options to what you would see in File Explorer plus some unique options such as new folder from selection, create file template and regenerate thumbnail.
Clicking on the three horizontal lines at the upper left of the app will give you some additional options and features that you might find handy. This is also where you can configure the settings for OneCommander.
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 in the OneCommander app. These tasks can be configured using a simple workflow, which reduces the need for manual intervention and can save time on tasks like file renaming, moving, copying, or deleting based on specific criteria.
The Taskmaster feature in the is a task automation tool that can help you automate repetitive or complex tasks within the app. It functions similarly to workflows or macros, allowing you to create, schedule, and manage a series of actions to be executed automatically.
If you do decide to check out the settings, you will see that there are plenty of configuration options you can change to really customize 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.
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 also create personalized workflows and automate a variety of actions related to file management, such as renaming, moving, or organizing files, as well as interacting with the system in more advanced ways.
As you can see, there is a lot to the OneCommander app, making it a great alternative to the default File Explorer app. If you want to make OneCommander the default file manager for Windows, you can do so from the Advanced section of the settings.
For additional training resources, check out our online IT training courses.
