Discover the Microsoft alternatives to the File Explorer for Windows 10

File explorer is one of the intrinsic features of Windows since version 1 and Microsoft has been evolving it on each release making it better and more power full.

Now with Windows 10, Microsoft offers two alternatives to the file explorer that you can use to manage your files in your system effectively or simply to have fun.

Let’s check how they look like.

Windows File Manager – The Past

This blast from the past replaced by the File Explorer was originally released with Windows 3.1 and is available again to all supported versions of Windows.

Released as an open source version the code is available and maintained on GitHub, for all Windows 10 users it can be downloaded directly from the app store.

Visually it looks similar to the original version apart from the operating system different window frames. The menus are the same of the original version and the buttons have the same retro icons. Microsoft have added a few extra features to like the delete and shared folders buttons that were not available in the original version.

The classic File Manager is not for everyone but I’m sure if you are old enough to have used Windows 3.x you will have fun playing with it, if you have never used it before give it a try to see how much things have evolved in the last 30 years.

Files UWP (beta) – The Future

Files UWP is the future of the Files Explorer app and even though it’s still in its early stages you can already download it from the App Store.

The new File Explorer was built using the fluent design making it fully integrated with the modern apps of Windows.

One of the features that I love in this app and will certainly caught your eye as well is the possibility to open files as tabs, this makes me feel much more productive.

If you are looking for new experiences and don’t mind a bug or two, give it a try! 🙂


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I've been working with Microsoft Technologies over the last ten years, mainly focused on creating collaboration and productivity solutions that drive the adoption of Microsoft Modern Workplace.