The first iteration of managing your files and folders has been redesigned and released for Windows 10 and Windows 11 users, giving you a useful alternative to Windows Explorer.
File Manager first appeared in 1990 with Windows 3.0, where it was the only way to add, delete, and manage your files and folders. But after the appearance of a graphical user interface and Windows Explorer with Windows 95, it was finally retired in 1999.
But some users loved the control the file manager gave them, and that control is something that seems to be missing or hidden with Windows 11 in Explorer.
With the file manager, almost all functionality could be discovered through an icon at the top of the window or by right-clicking on a folder, but in Windows 11 currently some features, such as the command prompt and "Copy", are displayed via a context menu or in an options menu at the top of the browser window.
Thanks to source code released in 2018, this rewritten version led by Microsoft Azure architect Craig Wittenberg has the ability to drag and drop files into the app, as well as a search function and much more. You can download it from GitHub or directly from the Microsoft Store to use it on your PC and manage your files like it's 1990 all over again.
Analysis: the old is useful again
Using the file manager in 2022 through Windows 11 is, forgive me a sentence, windowing into 1990. While the look and feel of this file manager may seem overwhelming to some users, who may be used to a fancier look for an user. interface, the features it offers are very useful.
Whereas in recent years, with Windows Explorer, you had to go to the taskbar or another application to access some of the functions that exist in a file manager context menu, such as "Run", "Move" o "Go to 'Directory' Each feature can be accessed with a few clicks, and thanks to the tree structure of your files and folders, you get a better overview of where your content is located, as well as how you can manage these files on multiple hard drives, for example.
But it also shows how much computing interfaces and methods have evolved in 30 years. It would be unimaginable now to launch Microsoft Edge via a command line, for example, or use physical media like floppy disks to play God of War in 8K.
Looking at Explorer in Windows 11, there are many things that could be influenced by File Manager. Including different view options to show folders and what they contain more clearly, as well as the ability to cycle through multiple windows in one Explorer window instead of separate windows, would be much more useful than what we have now.
With the next major update to Windows 11, Sun Valley 2, there's always a chance we could see more improvements to Windows Explorer that take everything the file manager still does so well and repackage them for a 2022 audience.