File System Explorer

Sure enough Windows lets you comfortably browse through files and folders via its File Explorer, but you might not be completely satisfied with it, or simply want to get more details from a directory. As such, File System Explorer comes as a lightweight alternative which makes it easy to view number of files and total size of custom locations.

On the one hand, you’re saved the entire time and effort required to go through a setup process, letting you take the application on a thumb drive in case you want or need to use it on other computers. On the other hand, you need to make sure that .NET Framework is installed on the target computer.

The visual design might not really strike you as appealing, but doesn’t pose any problems with accommodation. Most of the interface space represents the navigation area, while also showing a great deal of information. Column headers can be clicked to quickly apply filters, but there are more options to find items of interest.

You start off in the Computer location, where you can view all fixed and removable drives. Navigation is possible by clicking drives and folders of interest. Sadly, there are no file operation, so all management needs to be done through conventional methods, namely the Windows File Explorer.

There’s a dedicated menu to easily set up filters, thus reducing the scan time, displaying only files of interest to you. However, there are also filters you can customize in term of mask, file type, as well as top level directory mask. The application displays an impressive amount of info, but there’s no possibility to generate reports.

Bottom line is that the default way is not always what you need, but it doesn’t mean all alternatives meet your demands. File System Explorer comes in handy for inspecting size of folders, as well as file count inside directories, but it could have used at least a basic method of generating a report.