Far Manager review
A free, extensible dual-panel manager for keyboard-focused Windows workflows.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Far Manager is a free, open-source file and archive manager for Windows, built primarily for keyboard-driven file management. Its dual file panels support browsing and operating on files and folders, while core commands cover viewing, editing, copying, moving, renaming, searching, and filtering. A configurable multilingual interface adds color highlighting and sort groups, giving users control over how panels present files. It is a strong fit for Windows users who prefer command-oriented navigation and side-by-side work.
The feature set covers common file-management tasks without stopping at basic transfers. Users can select and filter files in panels, rename groups with masks and templates, and work with a built-in text viewer and editor. Archive browsing and management, FTP access, temporary panels, and network browsing are available through DLL-based plugins, with 7-Zip also listed among its integrations. This makes Far Manager more adaptable than a narrowly focused file browser, but archive-related workflows depend on the relevant plugin extensions rather than only the core interface.
Far Manager’s main trade-off is its platform and interaction model. It supports Windows and is designed around a text-mode, keyboard-driven experience, so users seeking a broadly cross-platform manager or a primarily mouse-oriented interface should consider alternatives. For Windows users who value dual panels, batch renaming, filtering, built-in viewing and editing, archive support, and extensibility without a paid plan, Far Manager is a focused choice. Its open-source model and plugin API also suit users who want to extend the manager around their own workflows.
Far Manager pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Dual panels support side-by-side file operations.
- Batch renaming uses masks and templates.
- Open-source plugin API extends archives and FTP access.
- Where it doesn't
- Windows-only platform support limits cross-platform use.
- Text-mode design may not suit mouse-first workflows.
- Archive handling is extended through plugins.
Far Manager fact sheet, pricing and score →
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