For most people, chances are the built-in File Explorer on Windows 11 is everything they need. It does the job of managing files completely fine, after all. However, when you realize that there are a ton of alternative options out there, you quickly start to realize they offer features and improvements that make the experience so much better.

At one point or another, I've tested at least eight File Explorer replacements, some paid and some free. But out of all those, there's one that stands head and shoulders above everything else: File Pilot. With its incredible performance, modern design, and productivity-focused features, this is the file manager to get. It's free during the beta period, though you'll have to pay up for the final version.

It looks modern

A sorely-missed feature in a lot of these

As much as there are some great file managers out there, I've noticed that a lot of people's favorites have a UI that feels out of place on modern PCs. I know many will argue that looks don't matter, but when an app reminds me of an operating system from 15 years ago (or more), it's hard for me to take pleasure in using it. Thankfully, there are some exceptions, including Files, OneCommander, and of course, File Pilot.

File Pilot doesn't try to adhere to Windows 11 design principles, but I don't think that's a requirement. The clean, sleek look of the File Pilot UI still feels decidedly modern, and it's wonderful to look at. It also has a few different themes to choose from, so you can make it look how you prefer, but each theme still feels modern.

It also helps that File Pilot has buttery-smooth animations that make the whole experience feel that much more natural. Everything comes together perfectly here. This is an app I want to use, not just have to.

It's incredibly fast

Do everything in an instant

When you've only used File Explorer, it's easy to think it's as fast as you'd want it to be, but File Pilot truly makes it apparent how much more speed you can get. Everything in this file manager loads incredibly quickly, and it makes it so much easier to jump into a folder and manage your files. File Pilot isn't afraid to use your CPU, so when you open a large folder, you might hear the fan spin up a bit, but that means everything happens nearly instantly.

You truly feel it in day-to-day use, but for me, it became especially apparent when I was gathering up all my photos to upload to my self-hosted Immich server. I had loaded up a folder with hundreds of RAW photos, each about 25MB in size. File Explorer struggled to load everything and eventually froze outright, making it unusable, but this wasn't a problem for File Pilot. It still took a bit longer to load, of course, but it pushed through and functioned perfectly once everything was up and running.

That sense of speed permeates nearly everything you do in File Pilot. Opening folders and menus is instant, and using the Commands panel to look for specific actions is also incredibly fast. But to me, one of the coolest things is being able to use the slider to change the size of thumbnails and seeing the app respond smoothly to every minute change. It's incredible how smooth it all feels, and it makes for such a great experience.

The only area where speed is potentially compromised is opening the context menu, because File Pilot still needs to poll Windows for the available context menu options, and Windows is slow to respond. So in this case, menus won't always be significantly faster than in File Explorer, but they also certainly aren't slower.

Perfect for productivity

It's all about making the most of your space

Windows 11 may have finally added tabs to File Explorer, but File Pilot goes above and beyond to provide the best experience for managing files across multiple folders. Of course, it also supports multiple tabs, but more importantly, it also supports panes, which are completely customizable. You don't have just two or even four panes for managing your files — you can create as many as you want.

At any given moment, you can choose to split one of your currently open panes vertically or horizontally, adding another pane next to it so you can explore a different folder at the same time. There's virtually no limit to how many panes you can have, as long as they fit on your screen. Each pane also has its dedicated set of tabs, so you can juggle even more folders and files at any given time. If you want to get things done quickly, File Pilot is the way to go.

There are other speed-focused features, too. The Commands panel is one I've already mentioned, where you can very quickly use your keyboard to search for specific actions if you don't remember the assigned keyboard shortcuts, such as creating a new pane. But there's also a search bar that can make it very easy to find a file or folder anywhere on your PC. It's a very fast search tool that's way more responsive than Windows Search, so you can quickly jump to a different location.

Some extra goodies, too

Easier bulk renaming and previews

Finally, it's worth noting that File Pilot also has some nice extra features that make it feel polished in ways that File Explorer sometimes doesn't. For instance, renaming files in bulk is something File Explorer can do, but there's no visual indicator that it's possible. When you select multiple files and choose Rename, only one of the files has an editable text field, though all the files are updated when you press Enter.

File Pilot offers more clarity here. When you select multiple files to rename, the name of all the files is updated in real time to reflect what you're typing, so you clearly see that it's working.

Another benefit I appreciate in File Pilot is the Preview pane and how easy it is to use. It's kind of similar to macOS Preview, where you can press Space while any file is selected to open a preview of it, but here, it opens in a pane inside the same window. File Pilot can't offer detailed previews of a ton of file types (yet, at least), but for the ones it supports, it works very well, and it's easy to use.

Where's the Arm version?

The missing piece

The only thing that's stopping File Pilot from being everything I want it to be is the lack of a version designed for Arm PCs. The app usually runs and it's still very fast, but it's also apparent it's not native. And when I'm using Parallels on macOS, File Pilot usually just doesn't work.

Arm support isn't something that can just be thrown to the side these days. Some of the very best Windows laptops are powered by Arm chipsets, and it's ridiculous that they don't get supported. File Pilot is certianly not alone in this, and it's harder to criticize the work of a single developer when many larger apps do the same, but still, I want an Arm version of File Pilot.

Is it worth buying?

With all of its greatness, it's very easy to recommend File Pilot right now while it's in beta, but that's also because it's free. The final version is paid, and at $50 for one year of updates, it's not exactly cheap, with that increasing to $250 if you want lifetime updates and priority support. You can get 20% off that price if you buy it during the beta phase, but it's still a hefty amount.

For me, especially since I'm no longer using Windows as my main OS, it's hard to justify that kind of price. But the potential to improve your productivity is absolutely apparent, and $50 could be a fairly small investment that makes you more efficient for years to come, so I can see how it would certainly be worth it for a lot of people. Your best bet is to try the beta and see how you feel about it before making the purchase. But you may not want to wait too long seeing as the full release is planned for later this year.