Q-Dir 7.5

Think of all the functionality of Windows File Explorer and then take it to the next level by adding to it all those features you always wanted it to have and never understood why Microsoft never came round to implement. That is what Q-Dir offers you for free – a File Explorer with up to four multi-tab windows for you to manage your files and folders in the most flexible and convenient way.

This versatile free utility opens on a four-panel window by default (Quadro-View, as the developer calls it), but you can change its appearance at any time. The program can display one to four panels at a time, and arrange them in various ways (horizontally, vertically, etc.) and sizes. Besides, you can open tabs on each panel (Quad-Pumped), thus multiplying the number of simultaneous file explorers you can work with at a given time. Moreover, you can save your preferred configurations for later use, including not only the way the panels are displayed but also the contents of the panels. You can also define the columns to be displayed, the information that appears in the address and title bars, the colors of the panels and – a great add-on – the colors of the files and folders according to their type.

Apart from all the obvious features that any high-level file explorer should have regarding copying, pasting, moving, or cutting files and folders, Q-Dir offers functions that have been long overdue by Microsoft developers. Among all of them, I will highlight but the two that quickly drew me to this surprising tool. One of them is the option to display the size of a folder on that status bar just by clicking on it. Apparently, it can also display the size and the number of files within the folder in the Size and Type columns, respectively, but I just couldn’t make it work on Windows 10. What I miss more, however, is the possibility of sorting the folders by size, a feature that is there but doesn’t seem to be active, yet. The other top feature that I really like is the Export function – this will let you save to file or send to your clipboard the list of files and folders in the selected location. Alternatively, the Print option will also let you send a similar list to the printer.

Managing your files and folders with Q-Dir is a dream come true for anyone dealing with file management frequently. I can’t but recommend you to install it on your system and carry a portable copy of the program with you at all times – once you start using Q-Dir, you will no longer need to open your Windows File Explorer again.