# File managers with a built-in terminal

> Which file managers have a real terminal, a subshell, or only a command line — and why it matters. cwdio, Midnight Commander, Far, Total Commander and more.

- Canonical: https://cwdio.com/compare/file-managers-with-built-in-terminal/
- Updated: 2026-08-16
- Product: Cwdio File Manager (cwdio) — https://cwdio.com

Three different things get called "a file manager with a terminal": a **command line** (one input box that
runs a command in the current folder), a **subshell** or console (the file manager lives on top of a real
shell), and an **embedded terminal** (a full PTY inside a graphical file manager). Only the last can also do
the thing that saves the most keystrokes — keep the shell and the panel on the same folder in both
directions — and today that is what cwdio does. Below is what each well-known tool actually gives you.

## The table

| Product | Kind of terminal | Follows the panel? | Panel follows the shell? | Platform | Licence / source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **cwdio** | Embedded terminals (PowerShell, cmd, bash, WSL, Git Bash; SSH shell on SFTP), plus a command line | Yes | Yes (OSC 7 shell integration) | 64-bit Windows 10/11 | Free in beta; private source; no telemetry |
| Midnight Commander | Subshell under the text-mode panels | Yes (the subshell runs in the panel's folder) | See its documentation | Unix-like; WSL on Windows | GPL, open source |
| Far Manager | It *is* a console program; command line under the panels | Yes | Command line runs in the panel's folder | Windows | BSD-3-Clause, open source |
| Total Commander | Command line under the panels | Runs in the current folder | No | Windows | Shareware, closed |
| Double Commander | Command line under the panels | Runs in the current folder | No | Cross-platform | Free, open source |
| FreeCommander XE | No embedded terminal | — | — | Windows | 32-bit freeware; 64-bit paid access |
| Windows File Explorer | "Open in Terminal" launches Windows Terminal separately | Opens in the folder once | No | Windows | Part of Windows |
| ranger / nnn / lf / yazi (TUI) | The file manager runs *inside* your terminal | n/a (they are the terminal's foreground program) | n/a | Unix-first; WSL on Windows | Open source |

Directory Opus, XYplorer, OneCommander, Files and fman do not embed a terminal, based on their sites and
repositories as read on 2026-08-15; each is covered on its own [comparison page](/compare/).

## What "follows" means in practice

With an embedded, synced terminal you stop typing paths. In cwdio: open the terminal with <kbd>Ctrl+&#96;</kbd>
and it is already in the panel's folder; double-click into `src` and the prompt is in `src`; type
`cd ../tests` and the panel is in `tests`; press <kbd>Ctrl+Enter</kbd> and the cursor file's name lands on
the command line. Each pane can have its own terminal, and on an SFTP connection the terminal is a real SSH
shell that stays in step with the remote panel. If a command is running, cwdio does not interrupt it with a
`cd`; the sync resumes when the shell is idle. Full details: [terminal sync](/features/terminal-sync/).

Midnight Commander gets close from the other side: the panels sit on a subshell, so commands run where you
are, and the classic <kbd>Ctrl+O</kbd> flips between panels and the shell. Far Manager goes further still —
it is a console program, so there is no boundary to cross, at the cost of being text-mode. Total Commander
and Double Commander give you a command line that runs in the current folder, which is enough for a quick
`git status` but is not a shell you live in.

## The tools, one paragraph each

**cwdio** — a graphical dual-pane file manager for Windows with embedded terminals and two-way working-directory
sync; the terminal group has a profile picker that discovers PowerShell, Windows PowerShell, cmd, every WSL
distribution, Git Bash and Visual Studio developer shells the way Windows Terminal does. Also: verified
transfers with a journaled queue, git in the list, previews, archives, SFTP as folders, batch undo. Free in
beta, no telemetry. [Every feature](/features/).

**Midnight Commander** — the free-software, text-mode two-panel manager with a subshell, internal viewer,
editor and diff, running on any console or over ssh. [cwdio vs Midnight Commander](/compare/midnight-commander/).

**Far Manager** — open source, text-mode, plugin-driven; the file manager as a console program.
[cwdio vs Far Manager](/compare/far-manager/).

**Total Commander** — the orthodox reference with a command line under the panels and FTP/FTPS built in.
[cwdio vs Total Commander](/compare/total-commander/).

**Double Commander** — free, open source, cross-platform, with a command line and Total Commander plug-ins.
[cwdio vs Double Commander](/compare/double-commander/).

**FreeCommander XE** — the veteran free dual-panel manager; no embedded terminal.
[cwdio vs FreeCommander](/compare/freecommander/).

**Windows File Explorer** — Open in Terminal launches Windows Terminal separately.
[cwdio vs Windows Explorer](/compare/windows-explorer/).

**Terminal-native managers (ranger, nnn, lf, yazi)** — the inverse design: the file manager runs inside your
shell. Excellent on Linux and macOS; on Windows they live in WSL, where cwdio's per-distribution terminal
profiles can host them.

## Last checked

2026-08-15: midnight-commander.org, the FarGroup/FarManager repository, ghisler.com, doublecmd.sourceforge.io,
freecommander.com, and the vendor sites of the products listed as having no embedded terminal. cwdio's own
behaviour is documented on [terminal sync](/features/terminal-sync/).

## Frequently asked questions

**What is the difference between a command line and a built-in terminal?** A command line is a single input box that runs one command in the current folder and shows the output somewhere else, or not at all. A built-in terminal is a full PTY inside the file manager — a real shell with a prompt, history, colours and interactive programs. A subshell, Midnight Commander's word, is a terminal that the panels sit on top of. cwdio embeds full terminals and keeps them in the panel's folder in both directions.

**Which file manager keeps the terminal in sync with the current folder?** cwdio does it in both directions: navigate the panel and the shell cd's; type cd in the shell and the panel follows, using OSC 7 shell integration for PowerShell, cmd, bash, WSL and Git Bash, and over SSH on SFTP connections. Midnight Commander's subshell runs in the panel's folder; Far Manager is the console itself. Command-line-only tools run each command in the current folder but do not move the panel when the shell moves.

**Does Windows Explorer have a built-in terminal?** No. Its Open in Terminal item launches Windows Terminal as a separate window in the current folder; the two do not stay in sync afterwards.

**What about terminal-native file managers like ranger, nnn, lf or yazi?** They invert the question: the file manager runs inside your terminal rather than a terminal inside the file manager. They are Unix-first and, on Windows, usually run inside WSL — which cwdio can host, since it has a terminal profile per WSL distribution.