UltraExplorer

UltraExplorer overhauls the file-browsing experience. Many things will seem similar, yet several key features have radically different work flows from the Microsoft file navigator. It also combines the best aspects of Windows Vista’s Explorer with those from XP, and then throws in a few spices of its own to come up with a delicious meal of file management.

The UltraExplorer interface is that it’s entirely customizable, from the toolbar menu to the various icons, tools, and options that live below. You can permanently hide any of the 17 toolbars and nine windows that come with the program, so you never have to deal with more clutter than is absolutely necessary. Useful features include, but aren’t limited to, an address bar, breadcrumb bar, a temporary scratch pad called the Drop Stack, Dual Views for FTP-style management, user-defined mouse gestures and hot keys, support for Total Commander plug-ins, and the Quick Thumbs and Stretch tools, for quickly resizing icons.

Besides a slightly confusing Options menu, UltraExplorer suffers from two main flaws: The file searching is worse than the native Windows Explorer search, and the app doesn’t autoreplace Windows Explorer. There is a shell extension included so you can use the Window key plus E to launch UltraExplorer, but it’s not the same as having other programs recognize it as the default file browser.

The creator of UltraExplorer has indicated that he’s rewriting the entire code for the program, so hopefully these features will be included in the near future. Until then, UltraExplorer remains a very good but not absolutely necessary replacement.