Two panes, total clarity
See source and destination together. Navigate, compare, copy and organize without losing your place.
FileManager 6.0Built on pure WinAPI technology
Your files.
At full speed.
The ultra-fast two-pane file manager for people who want to see more, move faster and stay in control.
C:C:\Work50.4 GB ▾
NameSizeDateTime
..DIR08.08.202622:14
DocumentsDIR08.08.202620:54
DownloadsDIR08.08.202618:30
ProjectsDIR07.08.202609:42
ArchiveDIR04.08.202612:18
invoice-august.pdf284
KB03.08.202615:07
Downloads · Ready
C:C:\Backup50.4 GB ▾
NameSizeDateTime
..DIR08.08.202622:14
BackupDIR08.08.202621:03
DesignDIR07.08.202619:26
ReleaseDIR07.08.202608:11
ScreenshotsDIR05.08.202616:44
readme.txt12
KB02.08.202610:02
Release · Ready
C:\Work>
When your work spans thousands of files across drives, network shares and archives
FileManager puts source and destination side by side, with native speed and nothing in between.
GPL-2.0
free & open source on GitHub
Works with the places your files live
- NTFS
- ReFS
- FAT
- SMB shares
- FTP & FTPS
- 7-Zip
- RAR
- HEIF
- WebP
- AVIF
The file manager, reconsidered.
FileManager keeps the classic two-panel workflow and tunes it for today, so you can see both sides at once, move files with confidence and reach every location — local drives, network shares, archives and FTP — from one focused workspace.
Everything in its place,
four ways.
What's inside
Native speed, no baggage
A pure WinAPI application with asynchronous icon loading, per-monitor DPI awareness and optimized local file operations.
File operations you can trust
Copy, move and overwrite run through durable commit boundaries and a recoverable journal, with protection for cross-volume moves.
Archives, networks & FTP
Open archives with 7-Zip, work across network shares and transfer over FTP or FTPS with resumable, transactional downloads.
Under the hood
Windows,
down to the metal.
FileManager is built directly on the Windows API—no heavyweight UI framework between you and your files.
1 MBoptimized local I/O buffer
32 + 64bit builds supported
UTF-16Unicode names and long paths, end to end
GPLopen source, ready to inspect
About the name
Why should a file manager command? It should serve.
In 1997 two friends asked why every file manager was called a Commander. The answer was Servant Salamander. FileManager is built on Open Salamander, its open-source descendant, and carries the same idea forward.
- 1997Servant Salamander released as freeware
- 2001First shareware release
- 2007Renamed Altap Salamander 2.5
- 2019Altap Salamander 4.0 becomes freeware
- 2023Open-sourced as Open Salamander 5.0
- 2026FileManager 6.0 line
FAQ
Is FileManager really free?
Yes. FileManager is open source under the GPL-2.0 licence. The source code, issue tracker and every release live on GitHub.
Where does FileManager come from?
It is based on Open Salamander, the open-sourced descendant of Servant Salamander, first released as freeware in 1997. FileManager continues that line with the 6.0 release series.
What if a copy or move is interrupted?
File operations use durable commit boundaries and a recoverable journal. At the next start, FileManager resumes or removes a temporary file only when its recorded identity and content still match; anything ambiguous is kept and listed for manual recovery.
How do I stay up to date?
Shortly after startup, FileManager checks GitHub for a newer release. When one exists, the title bar shows “(update available)” and Help → Download update opens the releases page.
Put your files
in their place.
Download the latest 6.0 build
from GitHub releases.
Released continuously
Every push to main builds a versioned installer and publishes a GitHub release.
For Windows · x86 and x64 · Free & open source