If you use Windows, you are familiar with the default file management tool, File Explorer. However, you can do much more than you currently do with this basic tool by adding one of these third-party extensions for Windows File Explorer.
Content
- 1. Mountain Duck: Unified Cloud Management for Windows (and Mac)
- 2. TeraCopy: Say Adios to Copy-Paste Problems in File Explorer
- 3. Icaros: Preview All Your Video Files
- 4. File Converter by Zamzar: Convert Files Directly From Context Menu
- 5. Listary: Ultimate Windows Search File Tool
- 6. Folder Size: Quickly “Size Up” Any Folder in a Separate Pane
- 7. Direct Folders: Access Deeply Nested Folders With Ease
1. Mountain Duck: Unified Cloud Management for Windows (and Mac)
Price: $39
Mountain Duck is a handy app that allows you to mount both server and cloud storage as local volumes in File Explorer. It offers a unified approach to manage multiple cloud services, such as Google Drive, OneDrive, ownCloud, Dropbox, Box, SharePoint, and many others. You can manage them all from a single File Explorer location on your Windows PC. It also works with Finder on macOS.
The app is easy to install and use, though there appears to be a mandatory purchase step that can be bypassed by selecting the free trial option, and it doesn’t require payment information. It seamlessly lets me choose my favorite cloud provider, then connects the account through a sign-in authorization page.
Once the cloud account is synced, you can view the cloud folders and all its files from This PC. Mountain Duck lets you perform any operation on remote files and folders as easily as you can with local files. You can pause or resume syncing your files from the cloud account at any time.
Choose from a wide variety of additional cloud profiles, such as FTP, AWS, Alibaba, BackBlaze, IBM Cloud, IONOS Cloud, Rackspace, Yandex, and Microsoft 365. This is the most extensive coverage I’ve seen for multiple cloud apps, all from the comfort of your laptop’s file explorer.
2. TeraCopy: Say Adios to Copy-Paste Problems in File Explorer
Price: Free with premium option
Moving large or multiple files from one folder to another can be time-consuming and prone to errors. TeraCopy is a utility app for moving and copying files, using dynamic buffer adjustments in the copying process. It creates pending queues with multiple file operations and executes them at the same time. If an error occurs, TeraCopy will skip only the corrupted file instead of terminating the entire transfer process.
The TeraCopy extension for file explorer offers several features to preemptively manage copy-paste errors. For instance, when there are name conflicts, it automatically initiates a “Skip All” function to bypass the file errors. Technically, it uses checksum files and PowerShell scripts to ensure file integrity in destination folders. Additionally, you can bulk-delete files directly from the window.
A Pro license provides advanced features, such as multi-threading and more than two threads for parallel processing of files. You can also select multiple targets for your destination and backup files. Since TeraCopy integrates with the context menu, it can replace the default copy handler in Windows.
FYI: know everything there is about Windows file explorer tabs.
3. Icaros: Preview All Your Video Files
Price: Free
If you often work with video files, Icaros can make that process more user friendly. Often, videos display in File Explorer with just an icon, making it difficult to identify the video extension. This utility is a pack of shell extensions that allow your computer to display thumbnails of any video type in your File Explorer.
Activating this program provides a neat preview, which is helpful if you want to edit video files via software that only supports specific file extensions. It also gives you access to all the video metadata without the need to open individual files.
When you enable Icaros, every video media file reveals thumbnails, allowing you to get a look at the content without actually opening the files. Icaros supports most popular video formats, including MKV, FLV, MOV, AVI, and MP4. It also supports multiple audio formats, such as OGG and FLAC, for quick identification.
4. File Converter by Zamzar: Convert Files Directly From Context Menu
Price: Free with premium option
I find it very tedious to convert files from one extension to another. While many online tools are available, some conversions can be particularly complex. For instance, converting WEBP to JPG requires a different procedure from other image file types. The sheer variety of conversions needed for video and text files can be mind-boggling.
Zamzar is a file conversion utility but also has a little-known file explorer extension for PC users that allows conversion directly from the context menu. We can only hope Windows launches a similar conversion option.
The free plan offers a 50 MB upload limit and up to 25 conversions. Paid plans allow 50 conversions per day and a maximum file size of 200 MB. I find this a major drawback, as large video files cannot be converted easily. To accommodate larger files, you need to upgrade, which is quite expensive, compared to many free online services that convert large files.
FYI: check out these Windows file explorer tips for smooth navigation.
5. Listary: Ultimate Windows Search File Tool
Price: Free with premium option
Listary, one of the oldest Windows utilities, is a classic Windows file explorer add-on that allows you to search your desktop for various files, hidden items, registry entries, and more. The tool offers find-as-you-type search capabilities, listing all items related to your search. You can also use wildcards for closer matches. It supports all regular expressions for perfect search outcomes.
I use Listary’s free version, as it’s more than sufficient for my regular workflow. The search results are actually much faster, compared to what you get with Windows File Explorer. Within milliseconds, everything is neatly laid out.
The software is user-friendly, tabulating results based on various filters, such as documents, videos, audio, and other file categories. A function called “fuzzy matching” ensures only a part of the keyword is needed to get accurate results. With a paid pro version available as a lifetime license, you can use custom filters, index any shared network drives, and more.
6. Folder Size: Quickly “Size Up” Any Folder in a Separate Pane
Price: Free
By default, Windows folders do not display the size of each subfolder, which I find very inconvenient when trying to sort my music files. There are also videos from editing software on my device, and it’s important to be able to sort them by size quickly. Although Windows has this feature, it requires additional clicks to access the preview pane.
As the name suggests, Folder Size is a utility that quickly lets you know the size in KB of every folder and subfolder. The results are visible in a separate pane, as well as near the system tray. You also get a sneak preview of the main subfolders through a pop-up in the top right of any File Explorer window.
The only problem with Folder Size is that the interface feels a bit dated. However, it works perfectly on newer Windows devices, as long as you can have the System tray option turned on. I would, however, recommend turning it off during a PC restart, as there shouldn’t be too many startup apps at this time.
7. Direct Folders: Access Deeply Nested Folders With Ease
Price: Freemium ($24.95 for perpetual)
We often deal with nested folders, and it can be similar to solving a maze. I usually find them a big problem when dealing with GitHub applications, which have a ton of libraries and dependencies. Additionally, when editing video files, it’s difficult to know where some of the file segments have been saved, as Windows lets you view only one folder at a time.
However, that has changed with the Direct Folders utility. From the search button and system tray, you can directly reach a nested folder, no matter how deeply it is buried. Using a Clickswitch feature, you can make a file dialog open directly from a folder inside. A pro version of the software has additional features, but I find the free version more than enough for regular use.
Windows file explorer add-ons can make your file explorer more efficient and productive. If you’re facing issues with Windows file explorer, there are many easy solutions. Do note that you can get more feature benefits with file explorer alternatives.
Image credit: Pexels. All screenshots by Sayak Boral.
Sayak Boral –
Staff Writer
Sayak Boral is a technology writer with over eleven years of experience working in different industries including semiconductors, IoT, enterprise IT, telecommunications OSS/BSS, and network security. He has been writing for MakeTechEasier on a wide range of technical topics including Windows, Android, Internet, Hardware Guides, Browsers, Software Tools, and Product Reviews.
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