Freeware Tools: Ant Commander 3.2

Ant Commander is a fully configurable file manager. Several file systems are suported: file, zip, ftp, and webdav. Several kinds of panels are available: directory table; directory tree, text editor, image viewer, html viewer, and command line. You can configure the menu, the toolbars, the panels, the actions. And more: skinnable, OS independant, bookmarks, historic, external plug-ins, a lot of file operations. Running the application brings up a pretty intuitive interface, with no shiny visual elements implemented to distract you or create confusion.

A proper file management can significantly reduce the time needed to find work items or documents of interest, or simply helps you avoid desktop clogging.

There is a large variety of dedicated applications in this regard, even though Windows comes with such an implemented, but simple feature. One example is Ant Commander, which aims to deliver the proper means to quickly find and manage your files.

Customization is well-implemented, with the possibility to choose from several themes, as well as customize nearly every aspect of the application, ranging from window positioning and sizing, to arranging functions and menus or even import custom external commands.

By default, the main window is split in two panels so you can easily compare and move files. However, functionality leaves a little something to be desired and in order for this not to be difficult, some time needs to be spend with customization options.

The explorer panel serves as a means of fast navigation through contents of your hard disk drive, with little details provided other that enlisted directories and a few file formats. Even though the application lets you move or copy files, these features don't properly function while in the explorer view.

However, they become fully functional when switching to the commander tab. It's advisable to spend most time in this tab for more management options. Drag and drop from one panel to the other is supported. This comes in handy since the application lets you split the main window in as many panels as you want, or even completely detach them from the main window.