Even with improvements like tabbed browsing in Windows 11 File Explorer, it’s not the most efficient way to manage your files during your workflow. An alternative you might want to consider is Fileside. Not only does it offer a dual-pane view like other alternatives like XYplorer, but it also allows you to create workspaces for whatever you’re working on. You can save your custom layout views and easily access them for each type of project you’re working on.

This is more than just a dual-pane alternative; it enables you to create a multi-pane view of files and folders and includes tabs for easy management and organization. It’s a responsive alternative, with a clean and lightweight UI. It doesn’t replace File Explorer but works alongside it. If you need Windows’ default file manager, it lets you open items directly in Explorer. What’s more, it’s cross-platform and works on Windows and macOS.

Awesome workspace file management

Once installed, it goes right to work to start managing files

This is my first time using Fileside, and once installed, it immediately began creating a default workspace with several directories organized into individual sections. In itself, I could work with the layout it provided. However, numerous customizations are available to optimize your workflow for maximum efficiency. It’s possible to create an unlimited number of views for your directories. You are only limited by how many you can handle and your display’s resolution.

Another spectacular feature is the ability to preview files in any window you’re working in. Select the files you want to preview and press the spacebar. This is a helpful feature when organizing my music and video files. Instead of opening each one in VLC or another media app, it plays them directly in Fileside. It’s also useful for previewing album art. Of course, you can also preview documents, including PDFs, Word, Excel, and other Office files.

Another selling point of this app is the ability to save workspaces. Once you create efficient file view layouts, you can save them, and they will be available in the left sidebar, and you can choose the one you want. Saving your workspace allows you to manage your files more efficiently than with File Explorer, which is getting long in the tooth. You open your workspace and have the directories you need right in front of you and can easily switch between them.

Changing windows and layouts

Customizing and saving layouts is a breeze

Working in File Explorer often requires navigating to the same and different directories. Using the snap feature to display windows side by side is inefficient. The Tabs feature helps, but it’s still slow and time-consuming. However, customizing the layouts of your directory views in Fileside is straightforward, either from the Navigate menu or keyboard shortcuts.

It provides a toolbar on the right that fades in when you mouse over it. It's similar to a flyout-type menu, but doesn't get in the way of viewing file information. Which, by the way, you can also customize. The menu allows you to duplicate a pane to the left or a new row. You can close a pane, or create a new folder or file in the directory. If you end up with too many panes open, you can start over by pressing Ctrl+L or using the Navigate menu. With multiple panes open, it’s easy to transfer files between directories.

Fileside settings and features

Plenty of helpful options for files and folders

This file management app includes several helpful features and settings to customize your experience. When I opened settings, I was excited to see that the option to show hidden files and folders is enabled by default. That’s much easier than changing it in File Explorer options. However, I can leave the setting off while using File Explorer. It’s a cool feature that jumped out to me. But I digress.

You can create layouts that show files and folders for your projects, and once you are happy with them, you can save the layout and name it. Once it’s saved, it creates a button on the left that you can scroll through and select. So, whether you’re managing music or multiple documents, you can switch between your custom layouts with a click.

There is a lot more included, like navigating it entirely from your keyboard. The keyboard controls are straightforward, like Ctrl+F for search, but you can customize shortcuts for all of its functions that work best for you. It allows you to drag and drop files to different folders, undo unwanted changes, and use tabs in each pane to get to the directory you need. Another benefit is that it works with your local drive, external drives, and networked drives.

Fileside might be your new file management app

After using Fileside, I am seriously considering it as my new file manager. In addition to creating multiple tabbed windows for managing file directories, it’s fast. This app is far more responsive than File Explorer. I am talking much faster than File Explorer. It feels responsive, like other alternative apps such as Everything or Listary. It includes an option to open File Explorer from the files if you need it. However, waiting for it to load is slow in comparison to Fileside.

So, instead of opening multiple instances of File Explorer and organizing windows, this app does it for you. Additionally, creating and saving various workspaces provides a more efficient workflow. You can fire it up and have access to all the files you need. So, if you want a multi-pane file management app that has multiple features, including inline file previews, Fileside is worth looking into. It’s free to try, and a license costs $29, covering however many machines you own, whether you’re using Windows, Mac, or both.