The best Files alternatives
8 tools that do a similar job to Files, 8 of them open source. Each entry says what it does and who it suits, so you can pick the one that fits instead of the most famous.
- 1
DevToys
Open source · MIT · ★ 32.2k
A desktop bundle of small tools for everyday developer tasks like encoding, formatting and converting.
Best for: Developers who often decode, encode, or format small pieces of data; People who prefer not to paste data into unknown online websites
- 2
Calculator
Open source · MIT · ★ 31.1k
The Windows Calculator app source code, the one that ships pre-installed with Windows.
Best for: Windows 11 users who want to read or modify the built-in calculator; Developers studying how a XAML and UWP desktop app is structured
- 3
PowerToys
Open source · MIT · ★ 140k
A set of Windows utilities for customizing the desktop and speeding up everyday tasks.
Best for: Windows users who want more control over window layout and multi-monitor setups; People who rename many files at once or want quick text transformations
- 4
UniGetUI
Open source · MIT · ★ 26.8k
A single window to install, update and remove software from many package managers.
Best for: Windows users who already use WinGet, Scoop or Chocolatey and want one place to manage them; People who find command-line package managers unfamiliar but still want their software kept up to date
- 5
Notepads
Open source · MIT · ★ 10.3k
A lightweight Windows text editor with tabs, Markdown preview, and a diff viewer.
Best for: People who want a simple, modern replacement for Windows Notepad; Users who edit notes or config files and want tabs and session restore
- 6
Yazi
Open source · MIT · ★ 43.2k
Terminal file manager written in Rust, using asynchronous I/O for speed.
Best for: People who already spend time in a terminal and want a faster way to browse folders; Developers who want file previews, Git status, and integration with tools like ripgrep, fd, fzf, and zoxide
- 7
superfile
Open source · MIT · ★ 24k
A terminal file manager written in Go, with a modern look and a TUI interface.
Best for: People who spend a lot of time in the terminal and want a visual file browser there; Linux and macOS users, which the README lists as supported systems
- 8
Windows Terminal
Open source · MIT · ★ 105k
The modern Windows terminal app, plus the original Windows console host, in one repository.
Best for: Windows users who work in the command line every day and want tabs and rich text; Developers who run PowerShell, Command Prompt and WSL side by side
How we pick: tools in the same category that solve the same problem, projects that name each other as alternatives, and open-source projects that describe themselves as an alternative to Files. We don't take payment for placement.