I’m a big fan of replacing stock Windows apps, Paint, Print Screen, Calculator, Notepad and others. There isn’t a thing in Windows that somebody else haven’t done better and offered it for free. In fact, somebody should do a collection of free alternative to native Windows programs. In fact, I believe somebody have already done so, check out Alternativeto.net/.

Today, we will take aim at Windows Explorer and seek to replace it with a much better alternative: Xplorer2.

Xplorer2, a better alternative to Windows Explorer

What does Xplorer2 offer that makes it superior to Windows Explorer? Well, it has a dual-pane interface that makes copying files easy from one directory to another. The tabbed interface also makes it a killer against Windows Explorer. Instead of having ten billion windows open, you now only need to have just one.

Xplorer2 also makes it easy to work with files as it offers a robust filtering and search mechanism allowing you to specify exactly what kind of files you are looking for, accessible easily from the program itself. There is also a huge library of shortcuts available to boost your productivity. The program is free of charge but to unlock some of the more powerful features, you will need to pay money for it. However, the free edition is good enough for everyday purposes and will make you look like an absolute bomb at the office as you deftly navigate from menu to folder and getting to the files you want quickly.

Another alternative would be to install something like Google Desktop and allow you to be able to search directly to the file you want, useful if you are descriptive with your filenames.

Give Xplorer2 a spin and I am sure you will understand why it is so much better than Windows Explorer. It might take some getting used to, especially when you have been working with Windows Explorer all your life, but now you will finally be able to see how totally useless this native Windows app is.