Files: A Modern, Open Source Windows File Manager
files-community/Files
Files is a modern, open source file manager for Windows that gives file-system power users an alternative to File Explorer. It's genuinely good for everyday browsing, file tagging, and tabbed multitasking — reach for it if you want Fluent-design theming under active, public development; skip it if you need the stock Explorer's guaranteed stability for work you can't risk having change under you.
What is Files?
Files is an open source file manager for Windows, built with WinUI and the Windows App SDK as an alternative to File Explorer for Windows 10 and 11 users. It's developed in the open on GitHub, written in C# under the MIT license, with feature decisions shaped by user feedback and community bug reports. It bundles file tags, tabbed multitasking, and integrations the README describes as deeper than the stock Explorer offers.
Core Features for File Organization
- ✓Tabbed multitasking — browse multiple folders in one window instead of stacking separate File Explorer windows.
- ✓File tags — label files and folders so you can organize by tag instead of relying only on folder hierarchy.
- ✓Deep integrations with Windows — the README doesn't itemize which hooks these are, so treat the claim as a point worth checking yourself rather than a fixed feature list.
- ✓Fluent Design interface — built on WinUI and XAML, not a skin bolted onto an older WinForms-style shell.
- ✓A preview channel alongside stable — install the preview build next to the stable release to try new features early while keeping a stable daily driver.
- ✓Community-shaped roadmap — feature decisions come from user feedback and GitHub bug reports rather than a closed Microsoft backlog, part of why issues get tagged 'good-first-issue' for new contributors.
- ✓Built in C# and open-sourced under the MIT license, maintained by the open-source community rather than a single vendor.
Installing Files on Windows
The README points to two installation paths: buying Files through the Microsoft Store, or grabbing the free classic installer from GitHub — the project asks that you consider paying for the Store version if you use the free installer, since that's part of how the community-driven project funds its work. A preview build can run side by side with the stable release if you want early access to new features. If you'd rather build from source than install a binary, the README doesn't lay out the steps directly — it points to a separate documentation site instead.
Who is Files For?
Files is for Windows 10 and 11 users who spend enough time in the file system that File Explorer's limits start to itch — people who want tabs, file tags, and Fluent-design theming without switching to a heavier third-party shell replacement. It also suits contributors who want to work on a C#/WinUI desktop app in the open, since the project keeps a task board of issues sorted by size and tags easy ones 'good-first-issue' for newcomers. It's a weaker fit if you just want the file manager that shipped with Windows to stay exactly as it is and never think about it again.
Strengths
- ✓Open development — the roadmap and the bug list are both public, shaped by community feedback instead of a closed Microsoft backlog.
- ✓File tags and tabbed multitasking that the stock File Explorer doesn't offer out of the box.
- ✓A Fluent Design interface built natively on WinUI/Windows App SDK, not a reskinned legacy shell.
- ✓MIT license, so you can read, modify, and redistribute the source freely.
- ✓A low-friction path for new contributors, via a task board and issues tagged 'good-first-issue'.
Current Considerations for Files Users
- △Windows-only — there's no macOS or Linux build; the repo's topics list only windows, windows-10, and windows-11.
- △Funding depends on community purchases — the README nudges the free-installer crowd to pay through the Microsoft Store, so upkeep leans on that revenue rather than a vendor support contract.
- △Building from source isn't documented in the repo itself — you have to leave GitHub for a separate documentation site to get the steps.
- △A preview channel runs alongside stable, which means 'stable' doesn't mean every feature is finished — some things only exist in preview.
- △The README's claim of 'deep integrations' isn't itemized, so you can't verify from the repo alone what that actually covers before installing.
Exploring Other File Managers
Common Questions About Files
Files' classic installer on GitHub is free to download; the README asks people who take that free route to consider paying for Files through the Microsoft Store instead, since that purchase is how the community-driven project funds its work.
Files is released under the MIT license, so anyone can read, modify, and redistribute the source code, including for commercial use, as long as the license notice stays intact.
To contribute to Files, open a GitHub issue stating your intent before filing a pull request, follow the project's contributing guidelines, and check the task board where open issues are sorted by size and priority — issues tagged 'good-first-issue' are meant for newcomers.
Files targets both Windows 10 and Windows 11 — the GitHub repo lists windows-10 and windows-11 among its topics, and the app is built on the Windows App SDK, which supports both versions.
Unlike the closed, built-in Windows File Explorer, Files is open source, developed publicly on GitHub with a community-driven feature roadmap, and adds file tags plus a Fluent Design interface that the stock Explorer doesn't offer out of the box.
Files is built primarily in C#, using the Windows App SDK and WinUI framework for its Fluent Design interface — the GitHub repo lists C# as the primary language and XAML for the UI markup.
The problem it solves
Windows ships File Explorer as a fixed, closed piece of the OS — you can't file an issue against it, and Microsoft alone decides what it does and when. Files exists because a slice of Windows power users wanted a file manager whose feature list and bug list are both public: something built with file tags and Fluent-design theming from the start, developed on GitHub where anyone can open an issue or send a pull request instead of just shouting feedback into the OS void.
Best use cases
- •Tagging project folders and downloads so you can filter by tag instead of remembering which of a dozen similarly named folders holds what you need.
- •Running several folder locations side by side in tabs during a big file cleanup or reorganization instead of juggling separate Explorer windows.
- •Reading or contributing to a real, shipping Windows App SDK / WinUI desktop app in C# instead of a toy sample project.
- •Trying new file-manager features early by running the preview build next to your stable, daily-driver install.