After a week of daily use I removed Microsoft’s File Explorer from my taskbar and pinned the third‑party
Files app instead — not because Explorer “broke,” but because Files delivered three small, practical changes that together saved time and stopped annoying context switches. The switch was driven by three straightforward features: richer theming (including custom backgrounds and Mica/Acrylic backdrops), a real dual‑pane view (vertical or horizontal) that removes the need to snap multiple windows, and an integrated
tagging system that makes finding files by context (not just name or folder) effortless. These are the exact improvements the XDA reviewer highlighted when they described why they “didn’t go back” to Explorer, and they capture why Files has become the daily driver for many power users.
Background / Overview
Windows’ built‑in File Explorer covers the basics very well: folder browsing, search, OneDrive status overlays and the newly added tabs. But it remains conservative by design, focusing on compatibility and stability rather than rapid feature innovation. The Files app — a community‑driven, open‑source file manager maintained by the Files Community — intentionally targets the usability gaps left by Explorer: split views, richer previews, theming, and file metadata tools such as tags. The project publishes releases on GitHub and distributes through the Microsoft Store and official downloads; a Store purchase helps support development but the source and preview builds are available publicly. Files has matured quickly. Recent releases added custom backgrounds and backdrop materials (Mica, Mica Alt, Acrylic), a dual‑pane mode with vertical or horizontal orientations, and an extensible tagging system — the exact features that make it attractive as a daily alternative. At the same time, reviewers and communities consistently note trade‑offs around performance in specific scenarios (large network shares, heavy preview plugins), and that’s an important part of the decision to migrate.
Why the three features matter (the case for switching)
1) Theming and custom backgrounds: design that reduces friction
Customization is often dismissed as “cosmetic,” but it has concrete productivity effects: an interface that’s visually legible and tuned to your workspace reduces mental friction when you scan folders for the right file.
- Files supports multiple theme options and a Backdrop material selection (Mica Alt, Mica, Acrylic). That means you can choose the transparency/texture you prefer: Mica provides a subtle, wallpaper‑derived backdrop; Acrylic gives a frosted‑glass effect that is more visually pronounced. The app also lets you upload a background image for the file area and adjust opacity — a feature added in recent 3.x releases.
- Theming goes beyond aesthetics: Files respects system accent colors but exposes a palette of custom theme colors and per‑area configuration (sidebar, address bar, file area). Users can quickly set a color or image that helps them visually separate projects — for example, a green backdrop for personal folders and a blue backdrop for work — and that visual cue speeds recognition. Official release notes and the appearance docs explain the settings and advanced options for power users.
Windows File Explorer provides only light/dark modes and limited accent integration; there is no built‑in way to apply custom background imagery or select between Mica/Acrylic materials per window. That gap is one reason many reviewers feel Files “owns” the personalization story.
2) Dual‑pane (split view): single‑window multitasking that actually works
If you frequently copy, compare, or merge folders, dual‑pane mode isn’t a luxury — it’s a workflow multiplier.
- Files offers a configurable dual‑pane mode that can be enabled in Settings and set as the default. You can choose vertical or horizontal split, resize the divider, double‑click to reset pane width, and the panes act as independent navigable areas. That dramatically reduces the need to open two Explorer windows and use Snap Layouts to approximate the same effect.
- Historically, Explorer users relied on tabs (recently added to Explorer) or opened multiple windows and used OS window management to place them side by side. Tabs are useful but they don’t replace a true split view where both trees are visible and interactive at the same time. Files treats the split as a first‑class mode — each pane keeps its own address, view settings and can open independent previews.
The result is fewer context switches and faster drag‑and‑drop. For photographers, designers, and anyone who migrates large bundles of assets, dual‑pane mode is the single feature that most users point to when they say “I can’t go back.” Community posts and changelogs emphasize dual‑pane as a major productivity win.
3) Tags: organize by context, not just folder hierarchy
Folder hierarchies are great, but they’re rigid. Tags allow a single file to be discoverable across multiple logical categories.
- Files supports a colorized tagging system: right‑click a file or folder to add tags; tags are visible in the UI and can be used as quick filters on the home/widget area. You can assign multiple tags to an item (for example, Important + Photos + ProjectX) and then find the file by any of those tags. The tag palette is customizable and supports renaming and mass assignment/removal.
- This tag model makes it easy to work across projects without rearranging directory structures. In practice the combination of tags, the home widgets and quick filters lets you assemble an ad‑hoc “virtual folder” view for recurring tasks. That’s a powerful organizational shortcut many professionals appreciate.
How Files implements these features — verification and notes
- Custom backgrounds and Backdrop Material (Mica/Mica Alt/Acrylic) are implemented in Files and exposed through Settings > Appearance; the project blog and docs list the configuration steps and the specific v3.4 (custom backgrounds) and earlier 2.5 (Acrylic/Mica) updates that added or restored these capabilities. These change logs and documentation confirm the featureset and explain gaps introduced during platform migrations (UWP → WinAppSDK).
- Dual‑pane arrived as a headline feature in Files 3.x releases and the app now offers both vertical and horizontal orientations. Review coverage and changelogs (including Windows Central and the Files blog) describe the addition and the expected workflow benefits. Testers also note you can toggle dual‑pane on/off and use keyboard shortcuts to switch pane focus, which makes it keyboard‑friendly.
- Tagging is documented in Files’ docs and confirmed by independent hands‑on writeups. The tags widget and drag‑and‑drop tag assignment were explicitly mentioned in recent release notes and community tutorials; they are implemented as first‑party features, not as an add‑on.
Where a claim exists in one place but not another, that claim is flagged. For example, an assertion that a specific Files release “improved folder loading speed by 167%” appears in secondary coverage of a release—those performance numbers should be treated cautiously until reproduced on a representative machine and workload, because the app’s performance is highly dependent on hardware, simultaneous indexing, and whether you’re accessing local drives, SSDs, or NAS volumes. I could not find an independent benchmark replicating that exact percentage, so treat single‑site performance claims as optimistic without local testing.
Strengths: where Files outclasses Explorer
- Task flow wins: Dual‑pane, tags, and robust previews reduce clicks and mouse travel for common tasks (compare, move, find). Many reviewers report measurable time savings on repetitive workflows.
- Customization and comfort: Theming and backdrop choices let users optimize legibility and workspace cues, which reduces cognitive load during long file sessions. Files exposes settings Explorer does not.
- Feature velocity: Files is community‑driven and iterates quickly — features such as Listary integration, custom keyboard mapping, preview improvements, and archive handling (7‑Zip integration) have arrived in months rather than years. This agility pays off for users who want new capabilities now.
- Portability of settings and extensibility: Files offers import/export for settings and supports extensions/integrations for search and previews; community plugins and GitHub contributions broaden real‑world utility.
Risks and limitations — where caution is required
- Performance on large or networked collections: Multiple reports and forum threads indicate Files can become sluggish when rendering thumbnails for very large folders, or when indexing/unpacking many archives, and it’s more susceptible to slowdowns with heavy preview plugins enabled. If your daily work involves many thousands of files on slow NAS mounts, test Files on a copy of the workload first.
- Integration edge cases: Replacing Explorer as the “default” file manager changes how some OS dialogs behave. Not all system dialogs (for example, certain Open/Save dialogs or USB device prompts) will necessarily route to a third‑party manager; some integrations are still tied to the system File Explorer. Community posts document inconsistencies. Keep Explorer available as a fallback.
- Security and trust model: Files is open‑source and community supported, which is generally positive for transparency. However, installing anything that integrates deeply into shell actions or registers as a default requires care: install from the official channels (official site, GitHub releases, Microsoft Store) and avoid repackaged binaries. Back up settings and create a system restore point if you plan to replace Explorer system‑wide.
- Compatibility and stability: Third‑party apps occasionally break on Windows updates or expose odd behavior with legacy apps that assume Explorer’s semantics. Community reports suggest having a recovery plan (remove default registration or re‑register Explorer) and testing critical workflows before committing.
Practical steps: how to evaluate Files safely (a step‑by‑step plan)
- Install Files from the official download page or the Microsoft Store (or use the GitHub release if you prefer). If you choose the Store version, note that the project allows sponsorship; the Store edition may be a paid app while source builds are free.
- Run Files side‑by‑side with File Explorer for at least a week. Recreate your common tasks: copy between folders, tag files, run your typical previews and archives. Confirm there are no unexpected slowdowns.
- Test dual‑pane with realistic data. If you rely on large network shares, run copy/compare jobs against those shares and monitor CPU/IO. Toggle preview plugins off to test raw navigation vs. preview‑heavy use.
- Try the tagging system on a subset of files. Create a tag taxonomy that mirrors your workflow (e.g., ProjectX, Photos, Important) and assign tags to a sample corpus. Verify search and the tags widget return expected items.
- If you want Files to replace Explorer, use Files’ “Set Files as default” setting and then validate common OS behaviors (Win+E, Open/Save dialogs you use). Keep a restore point or the commands to reset defaults handy. Do not assume the replacement will be flawless in every edge case.
Real‑world trade‑offs: who should switch (and who should wait)
- Switch now if: you frequently move files between folders, need a modern preview/metadata workflow, and accept the small risk of occasional performance issues on very large or networked datasets. Power users, content creators, and IT professionals who regularly reorganize asset libraries will benefit most.
- Wait or test more if: your primary workflow depends on legacy enterprise integrations, you work exclusively on slow NAS volumes with tens of thousands of items, or you must guarantee flawless behavior for mission‑critical automation where any explorer behavior change is unacceptable. In those cases, Files is excellent as a side‑by‑side tool but may not yet be a drop‑in replacement.
Short checklist — matching Files features to user goals
- Need faster drag‑and‑drop and fewer windows? Enable Dual‑pane.
- Want to find files by concept rather than folder? Use Tags and the Tags widget.
- Want a pleasant, customizable workspace? Set a background image and choose Mica or Acrylic in Appearance.
- Want to keep File Explorer as a fallback while testing? Run both apps and avoid switching default handlers until you’ve validated workflows.
Conclusion
Files isn’t a replacement for File Explorer because Explorer is “broken” — it’s an alternative because it deliberately exposes modern solutions to long‑running workflow friction:
visual customization that aids recognition,
a real dual‑pane mode that removes window juggling, and
a flexible tagging system that surfaces files by context. Those changes are small individually but additive in daily use; they are the same reasons the XDA reviewer “didn’t go back” and why many in the Windows community have adopted Files for project work.
That said, Files carries realistic trade‑offs: performance can vary with large or networked datasets, system integration isn’t identical to Explorer’s, and replacing the system default requires caution. The practical approach is to test Files on the workflows that matter to you, keep Explorer as a fallback, and only move to a default replacement once you’re confident the app handles your real‑world demands. For many users, Files provides a measurable productivity boost; for a smaller subset with enterprise constraints or high‑volume NAS workloads, it’s best approached as a powerful companion rather than an immediate full replacement.
Source: XDA
3 reasons why I swapped Windows File Explorer for the Files app