See the AI proof
Independent by design
Vertical or horizontal panes, separate tabs, history, sorting, and view modes.
Windows 11 / Local-first / Human + AI
The Windows file manager built for humans and AI.
A serious Explorer replacement for people who have outgrown File Explorer.
Browse, search, analyze, and move files at speed. Give your AI the same live folders you see, with read-first permissions and previewed, journaled, recoverable changes.
54.7xlower median search latency*
28 toolstyped local MCP surface
Preview + undorecoverable file changes
One workspace / two operators
You stay in control. Your AI stops guessing.
- 01SeeYour AI receives the active pane, tabs, selection, and authorized roots as structured context.
- 02UnderstandIt can use indexed search, checksums, duplicates, comparisons, and disk analysis instead of parsing shell text.
- 03Act safelyWrites require a current plan and one-use token, then run through Explore Better's journal, recovery, and undo.
54.7xfilename search
9.8 ms vs 536.1 ms
9.8 ms vs 536.1 ms
6.2xdisk analysis
72.3 ms vs 445.4 ms
72.3 ms vs 445.4 ms
4.5xduplicate search
130.4 ms vs 580.5 ms
130.4 ms vs 580.5 ms
* Median of three runs on the same deterministic Windows fixture. MCP uses the running Explore Better host; the PowerShell baseline includes fresh process startup. A warm persistent shell may be faster. Method and raw evidence.
01 / Per-tab terminal
The shell is already in the right folder.
Every file tab can own a real Windows terminal. Open it only when needed, keep the process alive while switching tabs, and work without rebuilding paths by hand.
- Real ConPTY sessionsPowerShell 7, Windows PowerShell, or Command Prompt rendered through xterm.js.
- One session per file tabIndependent output, profile, selection, scroll position, and resizable drawer height.
- Folder-aware, never intrusiveNew shells start in the tab folder and follow navigation only while the prompt is idle.
- Narrow elevationOpen one administrator terminal through UAC without elevating the file manager or backend.
Ctrl + ` toggles the active pane terminal. Both pane terminals can stay open together.
02 / Local MCP AI Bridge
Give AI file tools, not a pile of terminal text.
Explore Better exposes its live panes, indexes, Analyzer, comparisons, and recoverable operation system as typed local MCP tools for Codex, Claude, Cursor, VS Code, and other stdio clients.
- Read-first profilesAuthorize exact folders and tools per client; revoke a profile without changing the rest.
- Structured contextActive tabs, visible selection, indexed discovery, checksums, duplicates, disk analysis, and jobs.
- Preview before writesWrite profiles must plan first, then use a short-lived one-use token bound to current filesystem signatures.
- Local security boundaryStdio sidecar, authenticated same-user named pipe, bounded messages, and no shell or terminal control.
28typed tools in the complete contract
5.3 msmeasured bridge p95
14.1 MBmeasured sidecar RSS
03 / The workspace
Two panes. No waiting around.
Work across folders without opening a pile of windows. Each pane keeps its own tabs, history, filters, layout, and selection state.
Built for selection
Compare, filter, label, queue, rename, and transfer without losing context.
Everything is reachable
Navigator, command center, favorites, aliases, layouts, hotkeys, and scripting.
04 / One tool, many jobs
Stay inside the flow.
Switch the view below to inspect real screens from the current Windows build.
05 / Size Analyzer
See where every byte went.
Scan a folder or volume, compare logical and allocated size, then move through a nested treemap from broad folders down to individual files.
True allocation
Exact Win32 allocated bytes with cluster-size context.
Nested drilldown
Click from a volume to a folder, then open the result in a pane.
Warm in 9.3 ms
Cached 10,000-entry Analyzer verification on the current test machine.
06 / Measured, not imagined
Large folders stay usable.
Windowed loading and virtualization keep the visible work small, even when the directory is not.
100,000entries in the verified fixture
403.3 msmedian first visible window
45 rowsrendered for the first window
1.22 smedian full hydration
Windows test fixture, three measured repetitions. Results vary by machine, volume, security software, and directory contents.
07 / Operations
Fast should never mean reckless.
Copy, move, overwrite, and sync operations are staged, journaled, and recoverable after interruption.
- 01PlanPreview targets and conflicts
- 02StageBuild beside the destination
- 03CommitAtomically promote completed work
- 04RecoverResume, restore, or keep destination
Transactional operations
Sibling staging, backups, durable journal phases, cancellation, pause, resume, and deterministic recovery.
Search and index
Folder indexes, background content search, labels, saved searches, and responsive foreground work.
Workspace memory
Layouts, tab groups, pane snapshots, favorites, aliases, labels, selection sets, and file baskets.
Native Windows provider
A bundled normal-user Go helper handles fast Win32 listing and exact allocated-size lookup.
Desktop, not a web wrapper
Packaged Electron app, native shell entry points, auto-update feed, drag and drop, and Windows shortcuts.
Preview and compare
Built-in viewers, checksums, duplicate finding, folder comparison, labels, collections, and explicit sync plans keep decisions inspectable.
08 / Explorer integration
Make it the default. Change your mind later.
Explore Better can handle normal folder and drive opens, folder backgrounds, and file-location commands for your Windows account. No administrator access is required.
Exact backup of existing shell handlers- One-click Restore Previous action
- Optional Win+E helper, off by default
- Windows Explorer remains installed
Download / verify / run
Know exactly
what you’re running.
The current build is a public preview distributed directly through GitHub. The app is real, the source is public, and the release hash is published—but the installer does not yet have a publicly trusted Authenticode certificate.
Unsigned public preview
Windows will show “Unknown publisher” on first run.
Download Explore Better v0.2.1
Windows x64 / 107.7 MB / Per-user installer / GitHub Release
Verify before opening
SHA256SUMS.txt
Get-FileHash .\ExploreBetter-0.2.1-x64-setup.exe -Algorithm SHA256
f99de8735176cfc333a093f984b9855a3f93c17ab39548f4590302e4be7c0a61
What should I expect from SmartScreen?
Windows may open a “Windows protected your PC” dialog naming this installer and listing the publisher as unknown. Confirm the filename and SHA-256 above before deciding whether to use More info and Run anyway. Never disable SmartScreen globally.