Pane

Pane 3.1

Free · Installer or portable · Windows File Explorer alternative

Opens the instant you click
4-pane file explorer

Pane is a free file manager you can use instead of the slow Windows File Explorer. Split the window into 1, 2, 3 or 4 panes, copy with F5 and move with F6, and handle SFTP·FTP·NAS, archives and whole-PC search all in one window. A single executable (4.9MB) that reaches the first screen in about 0.08 s.

Ctrl+K report_2026

Copying · 128 MB/sAbout 4 s left

Free Installer or portable Total Commander-style keys Built-in SFTP·FTP·SMB Korean · English

A Windows File Explorer alternative — compared with the built-in Explorer

You open your file explorer dozens of times a day. Pane's goal is to get rid of the "wait a beat" and the "drag windows around".

* Built-in Explorer entries reflect a typical Windows 11 setup and vary with version and installed extensions. Pane figures are our own measurements.

Speed — real measurements

Pane is written in Rust and draws its UI directly with Windows Direct2D. No heavy framework, and remote, archive and encryption features load only on first use, so they never slow down startup. Shorter bars are faster.

* Measured on the developer's PC. Version 2.0 launched in 75–84ms. From 3.1, drawing one frame takes about 7ms (about 30ms in 3.0). Results vary with PC specs, disk and folder size.

From 1 to 4 panes — a dual-pane and quad-pane file manager

Ctrl+1 · 2 · 3 · 4 switches the layout instantly. Three panes come in two shapes — three columns, or "1 left + 2 right" — and every pane can hold multiple tabs.

Search — files, whole PC and commands from one Ctrl+K

Type in the top search box (Ctrl+K) and results from the current folder appear instantly; press Enter to open a whole-PC results list. Results are split into "in this folder" and "whole PC", and you switch with the buttons above them.

SFTP · FTP · NAS like local folders — no separate FTP client needed

Create a site with Ctrl+Shift+O and it's saved under "Remote" in the sidebar; one click connects. Put the server in one pane and your PC in the other, then just drag and drop.

Copy, move and upload progress at a glance

Archives — create and extract with one right-click

A design that fits Windows 11 — 8 themes and font settings

Features that speed up file organizing

Looking for a Total Commander alternative?

If you've used Total Commander, there's nothing to relearn. F5 Copy · F6 Move · F7 New Folder and the other keys work as-is, and turning on Total Commander key mode in Settings adds an F-key bar at the bottom. The interface itself is redrawn in Windows 11 style.

Common shortcuts

Who it's for

Download and how to use

# PowerShell
Get-FileHash .\Pane-Setup-3.1-x64.exe -Algorithm SHA256
Get-FileHash .\Pane-3.1-x64.zip -Algorithm SHA256
Get-FileHash .\Pane-3.1-x64.exe -Algorithm SHA256

# Expected (3.1)
# Pane-Setup-3.1-x64.exe
# fceef941edafae1904ec90db8c61b5f8b1048ff3ad584858f6c8941c9e0dc71f
#
# Pane-3.1-x64.zip
# fd01a62f1039c2ce133e02a1f636a0519ba61eb21d33613b9135aad497506293
#
# Pane-3.1-x64.exe  (same file as Pane.exe inside the ZIP)
# b20bd0cd67eb545b64a16af26893afec77931436a224630b2b04d07de0bc6303

Privacy and what's not there yet

Verified by hand: extracting 7z·RAR4·RAR5·tar.gz·cab; creating 7z with Korean file names round-trips identically; extracting encrypted ZIP (AES·ZipCrypto); FTP·SFTP listing, download, upload, new folder, rename, delete; both folders diff-identical after folder sync; checksums match sha256sum·md5sum; preview (PDF·Word·Excel); themes and 3-pane layout.

FAQ

Is there a free Windows File Explorer alternative?

Yes. Pane is a free file explorer you can use as a Windows File Explorer alternative. It brings 1/2/3/4-pane views with tabs, F5 copy and F6 move, Ctrl+K search, SFTP·FTP·NAS connections, archives and folder sync into one window — and if you like, you can set it as the default file explorer in Settings so opening folders and Win+E launch Pane.

Can Pane replace Total Commander?

Yes. It uses Total Commander-style keys as-is — F3 view, F4 edit, F5 copy, F6 move, F7 new folder, Tab to switch panes, Num+/Num- pattern select — and turning on "Total Commander key mode" in Settings adds an F-key bar at the bottom. FTP·SFTP, archives and folder compare are built in, so there are no plugins to install.

Is Pane really free?

Yes, it's free. No ads, no sign-up or login, and no feature limits.

What's the difference between the installer and the portable version?

The features are identical. The installer (recommended, about 3.4MB) sets Pane up with a wizard, adds it to the Start menu and can be removed from Windows Settings › Apps. The portable version runs as soon as you extract it and launch Pane.exe (about 4.9MB), so you can carry it on a USB stick; to remove it, just delete the folder. If you set Pane as the default file explorer, turn that off in Settings before removing it.

How fast is it?

Measured on the developer's PC: 72–80ms (about 0.08 s) from launch to first screen, 50–130ms for whole-PC search with FastFind, and 17ms to flatten 1,375 files from subfolders. Memory use while running is about 77MB. Built with Rust and Direct2D, there's no heavy framework.

Can it replace my FTP/SFTP client?

Yes. Open SFTP·FTP·FTPS servers like local folders to copy, move, delete, rename and create folders, and upload or download by drag and drop. Open a remote file with F4, save it, and it's uploaded back to the server automatically. Passwords are stored encrypted in Windows Credential Manager, and the connection is blocked if the server key changes.

Can it open a Synology NAS or shared folders?

Yes. With SMB support you can connect to Windows shared folders, NAS devices such as Synology, and Samba — type something like \\NAS in the address bar to list shared folders instantly.

Can I extract 7z and rar without an archiver?

Yes. It opens and extracts zip·7z·rar·tar·gz·cab·iso, and creates zip·7z right from the right-click menu. Password-protected ZIPs extract too. Password-protected 7z and rar aren’t supported by the built-in Windows engine, so from 3.1 Pane extracts them with Jipge PRO if it’s installed on your PC (otherwise 7-Zip or Bandizip).

How do I search my whole PC?

Type in Ctrl+K and press Enter to see whole-PC results. If Youngsam's free file search app FastFind is installed, Pane connects automatically and searches your entire PC in around 0.1 s. Without FastFind, it falls back to regular search.

Can I set it as the default file explorer and switch back later?

Yes. In Settings choose Off / Add to context menu / Default; switching to Off returns you to the original Windows File Explorer. We verified the registry is identical after registering and unregistering.

Where are settings stored? Can I run it from a USB stick?

By default in %APPDATA%\Pane. Create a portable.txt file next to Pane.exe and settings are stored in the program folder, so you can carry it on a USB stick and use the same setup on any PC. Settings export/import (passwords excluded) is available too.

Which versions of Windows does it run on?

It runs on 64-bit Windows 10 and 11. Menus automatically appear in Korean or English to match your Windows language.

Is the "Windows protected your PC" warning safe to ignore?

It appears because Pane is an independently developed app without a code-signing certificate. Click "More info" → "Run anyway". You can first check that the downloaded file's hash matches the SHA-256 value on this page.

What if the Pane window doesn’t appear or closes while starting?

From 3.1, if Pane closes or hangs while starting, the next launch opens in safe mode. It resets the window position and tabs and keeps your previous settings as pane.ini.bak. To open it yourself, use the “Pane Safe Mode” shortcut in the Start menu or Pane.exe --safe. If the saved window position is off-screen (monitor unplugged or resolution changed), Pane opens in the center of the main monitor.

How do I add and organize favorites?

Drag a folder onto the sidebar or the Favorites bar above the panes (Ctrl+Shift+B), or right-click a folder in the file list and choose “Add to Favorites”. Right-click a favorite for Open, New tab, Other pane, Rename, Move up/down and Remove, or drag to reorder. Changes save instantly.

Where do I report a problem?

Youngsam Community is the place to post. If an error occurs, the cause is logged to crash.txt in the settings folder — send it along and we can fix it faster. Clicking "Made by · Youngsam" at the bottom left of the Settings screen brings you straight to this site.

Windows is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation, and Total Commander is a trademark of Ghisler Software GmbH. Pane is not affiliated with either; comparisons are provided for reference only.