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NewNow on Windows, macOS and Linux

The file explorer that keeps up.

A fast file explorer for Windows, macOS and Linux. Big folders open instantly, and you can find any file on your computer just by typing part of its name.

Download Filex

Windows, macOS and Linux · all platforms

Star on GitHub
to find a file among 200,000
<2 ms
No ads, no account, no fees
Free
Your files never leave your computer
Private
Windows, macOS and Linux
3 systems

Built for speed

Every keystroke, answered instantly.

Filex is a real desktop app built for speed, not a website squeezed into a window. It opens in a blink and stays quick, however many files you have.

01 · Search

Instant filename search

Type part of a file's name and it shows up instantly, from anywhere on your computer. Even with 200,000 files, results arrive in under 2 milliseconds, and Filex keeps up as files are added, moved or deleted.

02 · Filters

Filter chips

Narrow a search with chips and mix them with plain text, like invoice ext:pdf modified:today.

03 · Browsing

Huge folders, no lag

Open a folder with hundreds of thousands of files and scroll straight away. Filex only draws the rows you can see.

  • Magic mode

    Describe what you want, like moving or renaming a batch of files, and Filex shows exactly what it will do first. Nothing happens until you confirm.

  • Tags

    Tag files and filter by tag. On macOS, tags sync both ways with Finder.

  • Previews

    Thumbnails and previews for your files. On macOS, press Space for Quick Look.

  • Keyboard-first

    Single-key shortcuts for everything you do often. Press ? to see them all.

  • Make it yours

    Dark, light and OLED themes, accent presets or any hex colour, density settings, and vibrancy on macOS.

  • Safe auto-updates

    Updates install themselves, and each one is verified as genuine before it does.

Install

Up and running in a minute.

One download per platform. After that, Filex keeps itself up to date.

Windows x64

Download installer

Run Filex-<version>-x64.msi. Later updates install silently.

The installer isn't code-signed yet, so SmartScreen warns you once. Click More info, then Run anyway.

macOS Apple Silicon

brew install --cask NayanVR/filex/filex

Installs with Homebrew. Filex keeps itself up to date after that. Then run this so macOS lets Filex open:

xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Filex.app

Filex isn't notarized yet, so macOS blocks it until you run the command above. Or skip it: on first launch, open System Settings → Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway.

Linux x86_64

Download tarball

Extract filex-<version>-linux-x86_64.tar.gz and put filex and filex-indexd together on your PATH, for example:

tar -xzf filex-<version>-linux-x86_64.tar.gz
install -m 755 filex filex-indexd ~/.local/bin/

There's no AppImage or distro package yet.

Privacy

Private by design.

A file explorer sees everything on your disk. Filex keeps it there.

  • The search index never leaves your computer

    Filex builds its list of your files on your computer, and that list stays there.

  • Exactly two kinds of network request

    Optional crash reports that help fix bugs, with file names, folders and searches removed first. And a check for updates. That's it.

  • You're in control

    Crash reports are on by default and you can turn them off in Settings. On Windows, the installer asks first. This website doesn't track you either.

Read the full privacy policy

Stop waiting on your files.

Free and open source, dual-licensed MIT / Apache-2.0. Read the code, report a bug or send a pull request on GitHub.

Download Filex

Windows, macOS and Linux · all platforms