README.md

EdenExplorer

Blazing-fast, open-source file manager for Windows 10/11*.

A next-generation file explorer built with Rust and egui,
focused on performance, efficiency, and modern workflows.

A fast, open-source alternative to Windows File Explorer.

*Users reported no issues on Windows 10, but I'm cautious in declaring official support.

⭐ Support

If you like this FOSS project, consider sponsoring

⚡ Why EdenExplorer?

Windows File Explorer hasn't evolved for modern workflows.

It's slow, inefficient, and built for a different era.

EdenExplorer fixes that.

Powered by direct NT-level filesystem access for maximum performance.

⚡ Lightning-fast performance — minimal overhead
🧠 Efficient by design — Built in Rust for memory safety and speed
🎯 Minimal, modern UI — Clean, distraction-free interface that just works
🔓 100% Free & Open Source — No telemetry, no lock-in, no nonsense
🪶 Lightweight footprint — Uses a fraction of the resources of Explorer
🧰 Built for daily use — Your new go-to file manager for everything

🧩 Built With Modern Technology

🦀 Rust — Safe, fast, and reliable systems programming
🎨 egui — Immediate mode GUI for ultra-responsive interfaces
📦 egui-phosphor — Phosphor icon set for egui
⚙️ NT-level filesystem access — Maximum performance, minimal abstraction

Comparison

Feature	EdenExplorer	FilePilot	Windows Explorer	Files App	Directory Opus	Total Commander	XYplorer	Explorer++	Double Commander
Pricing	✅ Free	❌ Paid	❌ Your Data	✅ Free	❌ Paid	❌ Paid	❌ Paid	✅ Free	✅ Free
Performance	⚡ Fast	⚡ Fast	🐢 Slow	⚡ Fast	⚡ Fast	⚡ Fast	⚡ Fast	⚡ Fast	⚡ Fast
Open Source	✅ Yes	❌ No	❌ No	✅ Yes	❌ No	❌ No	❌ No	✅ Yes	✅ Yes
NT-level access	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	❌ No	❌ No	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	❌ No	❌ No	❌ No
Resource Usage	🪶 Low	🪶 Low	🧱 Heavy	🪶 Low	🧱 Heavy	🪶 Low	🪶 Low	🪶 Low	🪶 Low
Core Technology	🦀 Rust	🦀 Rust	⚙️ C++*	💙 C# / WinUI	⚙️ C++	⚙️ Delphi (Object Pascal)	⚙️ C++*	⚙️ C++	⚙️ Free Pascal (Lazarus)

🚀 Getting Started

Download

Grab the latest release from:
https://github.com/mtucciarone/EdenExplorer/releases

Just download and launch — no installation, no setup.

✨ Features

Core Functionality Lightning-fast GUI that starts at the root of your computer, displaying all drives with comprehensive storage types and detailed information Asynchronous directory scanning for ultra-fast file listing without blocking the UI Intuitive navigation with Back / Forward / Up controls for seamless browsing Smart sidebar with quick access to common folders and customizable favorites Theme & Customization Dark/Light mode switching with instant toggle Advanced theme customization with full color palette editor Customizable startup directory Persistent settings across restarts Search & Filtering Real-time file filtering as you type Fuzzy matching for intelligent results Performance-optimized filtering with cached indices

User Interface & Navigation Tabbed navigation with independent loading states Interactive breadcrumb navigation with inline editing Responsive design across window sizes Modern toolbar with file and folder actions Advanced Features Favorites system with drag-and-drop support Background folder size calculation with progress tracking Context menu operations (cut, copy, paste, rename, delete) Drag and drop files/folders within the viewer Portable device support (iPhone, Android, external devices) Raw/unmounted drive detection (ISO, Linux partitions) System Integration Persistent settings using efficient binary cache Efficient drive space queries with caching Windows API integration Custom executable icon with file association Improved window management Performance Optimizations NT-level filesystem access via direct API calls Background scanning prevents UI freezing Efficient caching for directories and metadata Streaming directory enumeration Low memory footprint Built-in benchmarking system

🗺️ Roadmap

✅ Implemented Features

• Tabbed interface with tab management, tab pinning (automatic restore on startup), and navigation
• Search and filter engine with real-time file indexing
• Dark/Light theme switching with toggle controls
• Comprehensive navigation with back/forward/up controls
• Favorites system with drag-and-drop support
• Favorites management with reset and reorganization capabilities
• Context menu operations (cut, copy, paste, rename, delete)
• Enhanced drive caching with 30-second cache duration for improved UI performance
• Optimized icon caching with metadata-based cache keys and background loading
• Folder size scanning control with user setting to enable/disable performance-heavy operations
• Window size customization with fullscreen, half-screen, and custom dimension modes
• Portable device support for iPhone, Android, and other connected devices
• Raw/unmounted drive detection for ISO sticks and Linux partitions
• Performance benchmarking system with real-time measurement and comparison tools
• Drag and drop files/folders - Move one or more items into folders shown in the item viewer
• Window management improvements with proper maximization bounds and minimum size constraints
• File/Directory filtering - typing characters automatically start filtering items in the item viewer
• Windows environment variables PATH support - Automatically expands Windows PATHs in breadcrumb input
• Drag and drop files into breadcrumb folders and directory tabs
• Enable/Disable Windows shell integration. By enabling, the context menu will populate with default Windows registry context menu items
• New context menu command (Copy Path) with keyboard shortcut of Ctrl+Shift+C
• Column sorting saves across sessions

🚀 Upcoming Features

• Image previews using Spacebar - GPU texture via wgpu / egui_wgpu_backend
• Support network devices
• Drag and drop files from EdenExplorer into Windows objects (Desktop, File Explorer, applications, etc.)
• Enhanced theme customization, such as custom layouts, mix/match UI elements, styles, etc

🐛 Known Bugs

• Hitting "Shift" after already shift-selecting files drops the entire file selection
• Dragging EdenExplorer across multiple monitors causes strange visual glitches

Star History

License

This project is FOSS, released under the MIT License.