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The best-looking File Explorer alternative just got a curvy new update
By Sean Endicott,
5 days ago
What you need to know
Files, a third-party file management app on Windows 11, just received an update to version 3.5.
The update changes the app's design to feature rounded corners and adds several new features.
Among the additions are the option to hide the toolbar and the option to edit a file in Notepad by using the right click context menu.
Files is a third-party file management app available on Windows. The app has been on our radar for years and earned praise for its attractive design and feature set that often beats Microsoft's own File Explorer. Many of the features you see in File Explorer today, such as tabs, shipped first in Files. The third-party app just received an update to version 3.5 that adds more rounded corners and several new features.
The bump to version 3.5 is not massive, but it does bring some welcome changes to the app. The content area of Files is now separated from the status bar, toolbar, and preview pane. With that split comes the addition of some more rounded corners. Previously, only the top-left corner of the content area was rounded.
The change is subtle, but it makes it easier to distinguish between different portions of the app. The update also adds several actions and options, including the ability to right-click an item and Edit that document in Notepad. You can also hide the toolbar within the app starting with v3.5.
The app's developer outlines all of the changes on GitHub , and I have also listed them below.
This third-party file management app is gorgeous. It also packs in many features that are not available in Microsoft's official File Explorer on Windows 11. The latest update makes it easier to distinguish between different parts of the apps, adds some curves, and brings in several new features and options.
Files v3.5: What's changed
Updated the design with rounded corners
Added an action to switch focus between panes
Added an "Edit in notepad" option to the right click context menu
Added a setting to configure the "Open in ide" button on the status bar
Added support for "Thin acrylic" system backdrop
Added support for running AHK files as admin
Added support for hiding the toolbar
Added support for displaying the total duration when selecting multiple video files
Added support for closing the left pane in Dual Pane mode
Added a network locations widget to the home page
Hovering over items in OneDrive locations will now display a tooltip detailing the file’s current sync status
Hovering over images will now display the dimensions in a tooltip
Selecting a batch (.bat) file display an "Edit in Notepad" option on the toolbar
Opening the log location will now close the Settings Dialog when Files is the default file manager
Fixed crash that would occur when two paths were entered from the command line
Fixed crash that would occur when ungrouping from zoomed out view
Fixed an issue where a resize cursor was incorrectly shown at titlebar edges when Files was maximized
Fixed an issue where empty folders could not be compressed into an archive
Fixed an issue where it didn't work to switch between panes using a touch screen
Fixed an issue where text on the Actions page wasn't responsive on smaller screens
Fixed an issue where the focus was changed when quickly switching between tabs
Fixed an issue with launching programs from the Address Bar
Fixed an issue where search results would stop loading after switching between tabs
Fixed an issue where the Toolbar didn't display properly in High Contrast
Fixed an issue in Column View where the chevron didn't support High Contrast
Fixed an issue where the Files logo was displayed incorrectly in High Contrast
Fixed an issue where the app could crash when changing the theme
Fixed an issue where entering certain commands into the Address Bar would change the format
Fixed an issue with Nutstore cloud drive detection
Fixed an issue where certain keys couldn't be mapped to Actions
Fixed an issue where setting the desktop wallpaper didn't work on multiple monitors
Fixed an issue where changing icons didn't work when admin access was required
Fixed an issue with deleting items from zip files
Fixed a potential crash when trying to locate the Libraries folder
Fixed a potential crash when clicking items in the Quick Access widget
Fixed a potential crash from occurring when deleting items
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