Total Commander
Shareware dual-pane orthodox file manager for Windows, with an Android version.
Commenters use it every day for keyboard-driven, two-pane file management on Windows and Android,1234 value its lifetime free updates,5 and report it runs well under Wine on Linux, plugins included.6 Complaints are few: it is paid software,7 and one Windows 11 user who tried it still wanted something closer to Explorer with tabs.8
Why people recommend it
Daily driver · 3
Several commenters use it every day and call it critical to how they work.
“I use one of its descendants, Total Commander, every day. It's one of the few applications I actually paid for”
“Total Commander, which I use every day”
Show 1 more
“I use Total Commander for Android on my phone all the time”
Two-pane workflow · 2
The orthodox two-pane layout suits copying files between locations, and its feel is still missed by former users.
“I use Total Commander for Android on my phone all the time”
“I still miss the feel of Total Commander and DOS NC.”
Keyboard productivity · 1
A Windows power user says its shortcuts become second nature and make them more productive.
“I'm not nearly as productive as on multimonitor PC with TotalCommander and Visual Studio where I use all the shortcuts subconsciously.”
Android version · 2
The Android app handles copying between phone storage and bookmarked SFTP remotes.
“I use Total Commander for Android on my phone all the time”
“I'll have to check TC out!”
Free updates · 1
One paid license comes with lifetime free updates.
“I use one of its descendants, Total Commander, every day. It's one of the few applications I actually paid for”
Runs under Wine · 1
A Linux user ran it under Wine for years and says it works perfectly, plugins included.
“TC can be run on Wine absolutely everywhere, I used to do this on Linux for a number of years and it's perfect including plugins”
Caveats and dissent
Paid license · 1
It is one of the few apps one commenter actually paid for.
“I use one of its descendants, Total Commander, every day. It's one of the few applications I actually paid for”
Not Explorer-like · 1
A Windows 11 user tried it but really wants Windows Explorer with tabs.
“Also tried FilePilot and TotalCommander.”
Alternatives exist · 1
On Linux, DoubleCommander is described as a near-direct replacement.
“TC can be run on Wine absolutely everywhere, I used to do this on Linux for a number of years and it's perfect including plugins”
Often compared with
Who recommends it in their own words
Threads where it came up
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Data: total-commander.json. Quotes are verbatim; the verdict and theme labels are written by a model from these comments, and every clause links to its sources.
All comments 9
“I'll have to check TC out!”
“I still miss the feel of Total Commander and DOS NC.”
“I use Total Commander for Android on my phone all the time”
“I use one of its descendants, Total Commander, every day. It's one of the few applications I actually paid for”
“Also tried FilePilot and TotalCommander.”
“I typed `touch filename.txt` in the Total Commander mini-shell”
“TC can be run on Wine absolutely everywhere, I used to do this on Linux for a number of years and it's perfect including plugins”
“Total Commander, which I use every day”
“I'm not nearly as productive as on multimonitor PC with TotalCommander and Visual Studio where I use all the shortcuts subconsciously.”