Whether something is "better" depends on how you work, so we checked each claim against the projects' own documentation and Microsoft's. The "Linux-exclusive" label needs some qualification too. One of the three has an experimental Windows build. Another can run on almost any Windows PC as long as you're willing to reboot.
Dolphin: a file manager for power users
Ghosh calls Dolphin the best file manager he has used on any operating system. His favourite feature is split view, which shows two folders side by side so you can compare or move files between them. KDE's own description backs this up. Dolphin offers both tabs and split view, you can drag and drop between panes to copy or move files, and the right-click menu has quick actions to compress, share or duplicate files. You can also add your own actions to that menu.
Some other features KDE documents:
- Three view modes: grid, detailed list and tree, with most behaviour configurable.
- Remote and cloud locations: KDE says Dolphin can show files from many internet cloud services and remote machines as if they were on your desktop. Its extension list includes Google Drive, Amazon S3, Samba sharing and local network browsing.
- Plugins: a Git integration plugin for working with repositories and a Nextcloud plugin for syncing.
- An integrated terminal that runs commands in the current folder. Ghosh says F4 opens it. KDE's app page confirms the terminal exists but doesn't list the shortcut.
Ghosh's examples of custom right-click actions include converting an image with ImageMagick, calculating a SHA-256 checksum, sending a file to a set folder and running any terminal command on a file. He also likes attaching tags, ratings and comments to files, which makes searching and filtering more precise.
About "Linux-exclusive": KDE's Dolphin page lists Windows as a platform and offers nightly Windows installers. KDE labels those builds unstable, made from the latest development branch and meant for testing. Ghosh says the same thing in more direct terms: Dolphin technically runs on Windows, but you shouldn't rely on it day to day. For practical purposes it's a Linux app, and actively maintained. KDE's release list shows version 26.08.2 shipped on October 8, 2026.
In short: if you live in File Explorer and want split panes, custom actions and a built-in terminal in one window, Dolphin is worth a look. Just treat the Windows build as a preview.
Gwenview: viewing, quick edits and side-by-side comparison
Ghosh's argument for Gwenview is about speed. For small jobs, like marking up a screenshot or hiding personal details before sharing, opening GIMP or Photoshop is too much. KDE's feature list supports this:
- Basic editing: rotate, crop, resize, mirror, flip, reduce red-eye, and adjust brightness, contrast or gamma
- Markup: arrows, shapes, text boxes, image stamps and more (Ghosh also mentions number counters and region blurring)
- File actions: copy, move and delete without switching to a file manager
Comparing images is where Gwenview stands out. KDE's manual says View Mode can show several images side by side. You can select multiple images in Browse Mode first, or click the "+" button that appears when you hover over a thumbnail. Each image can be zoomed on its own, or you can sync zoom across all of them with the Synchronize checkbox or Ctrl+Y. Tab and Shift+Tab move between panes.
A separate setting (Settings → Configure Gwenview… → Image View → Zoom mode) decides what happens when you move from one image to the next. "Autofit each image" fits every image to the window. "Keep same zoom and position" gives all images the same zoom level and position. "Per image zoom and position" lets each image remember its own.
Ghosh says synchronization covers panning as well as zoom. The manual we read clearly documents synchronized zoom, but we couldn't confirm synced panning in side-by-side panes.
He also compares Gwenview with the Windows 11 Photos app. In his view, Photos can show images side by side through its filmstrip but can't sync zoom and pan. That comes from his own testing. Microsoft's Photos release notes don't confirm it or rule it out. They do show Photos still changing: a July 2026 Insider build added a redesigned viewer, SVG viewing, saving HEIC files in their original format, and faster launch. Insiders should check the comparison against their own build.
About "Linux-exclusive": KDE's Gwenview page offers only Linux installs, through distribution package managers and Flathub. There's no Windows option, not even a nightly. Ghosh tried running it through WSL and says he "didn't have a great experience."
In short: Gwenview isn't a Photoshop replacement and doesn't try to be. It's a fast viewer with enough editing and markup to handle most everyday screenshot jobs.
GParted: partition moves Windows can't do
GParted is the one Windows readers are most likely to use, and Microsoft's own documentation explains why.
Ghosh's example: a 1TB drive split into a 200GB C:, a 300GB D: and a 500GB E:. You delete E: and want to add its space to C:. Disk Management won't do it because D: is in the way. Microsoft's extend-volume guidance confirms this: the unallocated space must be located immediately after the volume that you want to extend. If there are any other volumes between the volume to extend and the unallocated space, you can't extend the volume. The same page says you can extend a volume only if the volume is formatted with the NTFS or ReFS file system.
Microsoft's suggested fixes are worth knowing. If another volume sits in the gap, you can delete the in-between volume on the disk drive and all files on that volume (after backing it up), use a non-Microsoft disk partitioning application that can move volumes without destroying data, or not proceed with this volume extension and instead create a new separate volume in the unallocated space. GParted is one of those non-Microsoft tools that can move partitions.
You don't need a three-partition setup to hit this. Microsoft's Azure troubleshooting guide covers a very common case: NTFS can extend only into physically adjacent unallocated space. The Windows Recovery partition sits between the OS volume and the new space. This situation prevents the extend operation. Microsoft's fix there is to delete the Recovery partition with DiskPart. Moving it out of the way is the other option. Laptop owners who clone to a bigger SSD often find a recovery partition sitting right where they want C: to grow.
GParted's official feature list covers:
- Creating partition tables (msdos or GPT)
- Creating, moving, copying, resizing, checking, labelling and deleting partitions, and setting new UUIDs
- Toggling partition flags such as boot or hidden
- Aligning partitions to MiB or cylinder boundaries
- Trying to recover data from lost partitions
It works with NTFS, FAT16/FAT32, exFAT, ext2/3/4, Btrfs, XFS and many other file systems. Support varies by file system and operation, though. GParted publishes a matrix for this, and its footnotes say NTFS copies use ntfsclone and XFS can't be shrunk directly (you shrink it by copying). Check the matrix for your file system before you plan a big change.
How Windows users run it: you can't install GParted as a Windows app. GParted's site says it runs on x86-64 PCs with Linux, Windows or Mac OS X by booting from GParted Live media, and needs at least 1GB of RAM for all features. The current stable release is GParted 1.8.1, with Live image 1.8.1-6. Ghosh's options are the same: dual-boot Linux, or write the GParted Live image to a USB stick and boot from it.
Before you move partitions
GParted's homepage says it can resize, copy and move partitions "without data loss". Read that as what the tool is designed to do, not a promise. Microsoft and GParted's own documentation both tell you to back up before changing partitions. A practical checklist, partly based on general experience rather than any single document:
- Make a full backup or disk image of anything you'd miss.
- Find your BitLocker recovery key if the drive is encrypted. Changes made at boot level can trigger a recovery prompt. (This is general advice, not from GParted's documentation.)
- Check GParted's feature matrix to confirm your file system supports the operation you want.
- Be careful with EFI and recovery partitions. Moving the recovery partition is a known fix, but changing boot partitions without a plan can leave the PC unable to start.
- Finish in Windows if you like. Once the free space sits right after C:, Microsoft's Extend Volume wizard in Disk Management can do the last step.
Our take
The column's main claim holds up, with caveats it partly makes itself. "Linux-exclusive" really means three different things here: Dolphin has a testing build for Windows, Gwenview has no Windows version, and GParted reaches Windows PCs through a bootable USB. "Better" is also about specific jobs, not a general ranking.
For WindowsForum readers, GParted is the one worth keeping. Disk Management can't move partitions, and Microsoft's own documentation points users to third-party tools for that. A GParted Live USB in the drawer can save you from a full wipe and reinstall when C: runs out of space.