Explore Better Download

Windows 11 / Local-first / Read-only by default

Your files.
Shared context.

Browse, search, analyze, and move files at speed—then let Codex work in the exact pane and folder already open.

No pasted paths. No terminal scraping. No guessing which window you meant.

See Explore Better in Action Download the Preview
Open source Per-user install No admin for normal use Exact folder permissions
  1. 01Find it
  2. 02See what is huge
  3. 03Preview the move
  4. 04Open a shell here
  5. 05Ask AI here

One Windows workspace / Files + terminal + AI

Find it. Fix it. Keep moving.

Stop losing your place between tools.

Search across drives, expose wasted space, preview file moves, open a real terminal, and give Codex the exact working folder—without rebuilding context.

Your files stay local
Replace the Explorer window pile. Fast navigation, storage insight, safe operations, terminals, and AI in one workspace.
Download for Windows

A better file manager before the AI even arrives

Stay in the flow.

Replace the pile of Explorer windows, path rebuilding, separate disk tools, and blind file operations with one inspectable workspace.

01 / Navigate

Two panes. One decision.

Keep source and destination visible, with independent tabs, filters, history, selection, and layouts.

Explore Better dual-pane workspace
02 / Understand

Find what is eating the drive.

Move from total volume usage to the exact file with logical and allocated bytes kept distinct.

Explore Better nested disk map and size analyzer
03 / Act

Know what happens before it happens.

Preview conflicts, stage work safely, recover after interruption, and keep undo evidence.

PlanStageCommitRecover
04 / Build

A real shell, already in the right folder.

Every file tab can own a persistent ConPTY terminal. Open it when needed; stop rebuilding paths by hand.

Explore Better with a live PowerShell terminal beneath the active file pane

One workspace / two operators

Your AI sees the folder you mean.

Explore Better turns the visible pane, tabs, selection, and authorized roots into structured local context. Your AI can find, inspect, compare, and reveal files without being handed a general-purpose shell.

  • Read-only firstStart with discovery and analysis. Writes stay absent until you explicitly add them.
  • Exact rootsEach client receives its own folders, tools, limits, and revocable profile.
  • Visible resultsThe AI can reveal its answer back in the pane you are already looking at.
Connect Codex Inspect the proof
Real run Read-only profile
You

Find the launch README in the folder I have open and show it here.

  1. 01
    Get Live ContextActive pane, open tabs, selection, authorized root
    9 ms
  2. 02
    Search FilesREADME.md / 18 fixture entries scanned
    51 ms
  3. 03
    Reveal in Explore BetterREADME.md shown in the active left pane
    36 ms
Found and revealed—without a pasted path.

Measured on the same Windows fixture

Fast where waiting breaks thought.

The app does not make the model think faster. It makes the file work around the model immediate, structured, and bounded.

54.7×

Filename Search

9.8 ms through the running host versus 536.1 ms for a fresh PowerShell baseline.

4.5×

Duplicate Analysis

130.4 ms to group content duplicates versus 580.5 ms for the comparison pipeline.

6.2×

Disk Analysis

72.3 ms through the Analyzer path versus 445.4 ms for the comparison script.

100,000

Entry Fixture

403.3 ms median to the first visible window while rendering only the work on screen.

Benchmarks are evidence, not universal speed claims. A warm persistent shell may be faster than the fresh PowerShell baseline; hardware, volume, security software, and directory contents also change results.

Read the method and raw evidence

Local should still mean controlled

Power without the blank cheque.

No shell through MCP

The AI Bridge exposes file-manager tools, not arbitrary command execution or terminal control.

Folder-scoped profiles

Authorize only the roots a client needs, then revoke that profile without disturbing the others.

Preview, journal, recover

Write access requires a current plan and one-use token before it reaches the recoverable operation queue.

Download / verify / run

Try the workspace
from the demo.

Explore Better is a free, open-source public preview distributed through GitHub. The installer hash is published, normal use needs no administrator access, and Windows Explorer remains available.

  • Local-first Windows app
  • Read-only AI profile recommended first
  • Exact backups before client configuration changes
  • Reversible Explorer integration
Unsigned public preview Windows will show “Unknown publisher” on first run.
Download Explore Better v0.2.3

Windows x64 / 107.7 MiB / Per-user installer / GitHub Release

Verify before opening SHA256SUMS.txt
Get-FileHash .\ExploreBetter-0.2.3-x64-setup.exe -Algorithm SHA256
Run from the folder containing the installer
fc785fdaadda047f203946d916cf63306ee7db54b088ff94da5eec66ea72464b
Expected SHA-256
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.

Release Details Connect an AI Client Source at v0.2.3