# Switching from Windows Explorer to cwdio

> From File Explorer to cwdio: two panels, F5/F6 instead of drag, Space to preview, Ctrl+Z for a whole batch, tools Explorer never had. Explorer stays default.

- Canonical: https://cwdio.com/docs/switching-from-windows-explorer/
- Updated: 2026-08-15
- Product: Cwdio File Manager (cwdio) — https://cwdio.com

Coming from Explorer, the first thing you notice is the second panel; the second thing is that you stop
switching windows. cwdio keeps Explorer's keys where they were, adds a handful that make copying and
finding faster, and folds in the tools you used to hunt down separately — a disk-space map, a duplicate
finder, bulk rename, folder compare, previews. Explorer stays your default; nothing is taken over.

## The mental shift: two places at once

Explorer shows one folder. Most file work is *between* two: here and the backup drive, the download and
the project, the phone's photos and the album. cwdio shows both, side by side, and <kbd>Tab</kbd> flips
between them.

- <kbd>F5</kbd> copies the selection to the other panel; <kbd>F6</kbd> moves it. No dragging across
  windows, no wondering where the drop landed.
- Dragging still works, and it is a **real Windows drag**: onto the other panel, onto Explorer, onto any
  app that accepts files. <kbd>Shift</kbd> while dropping moves.
- <kbd>Ctrl+C</kbd> / <kbd>Ctrl+X</kbd> / <kbd>Ctrl+V</kbd> use the **Windows clipboard**, so a copy in
  cwdio pastes in Explorer and Explorer's cut pastes in cwdio as a move.

## Keys you already know

| You press | Explorer | cwdio |
| --- | --- | --- |
| <kbd>Alt+Up</kbd> | Parent folder | Same (also <kbd>Backspace</kbd>) |
| <kbd>Alt+Left</kbd> / <kbd>Alt+Right</kbd> | Back / forward | Same |
| <kbd>Alt+D</kbd> | Edit the address | Same |
| <kbd>Alt+Enter</kbd> | Properties | Same |
| <kbd>F2</kbd> | Rename | Same — and <kbd>Shift+F2</kbd> renames many at once |
| <kbd>Delete</kbd> | To the Recycle Bin | Same; <kbd>Shift+Delete</kbd> permanent, with a stronger confirmation |
| <kbd>Ctrl+H</kbd> | — | Show hidden files |
| <kbd>Ctrl+Z</kbd> | Undo the last action | Undo the last **batch** — a copy, a move, a rename of hundreds of files, an overwrite |

## What Explorer never had

- **<kbd>Space</kbd> to look inside anything** — photos, video, audio, PDF, CSV tables, Markdown, code —
  without opening another program and without changing the file. [Quick Look.](/features/quick-look-preview/)
- **A copy you can trust with 10 GB.** Copies are verified, resume if a drive disconnects, survive closing
  the app, and tell you which file failed instead of stopping halfway. [Transfers.](/features/transfers-and-queue/)
- **Bulk rename with a live preview** (<kbd>Shift+F2</kbd>) — photos can take their date from the camera,
  music its name from the tags; one <kbd>Ctrl+Z</kbd> puts everything back. [Bulk rename.](/features/bulk-rename/)
- **A map of what is eating the disk** (<kbd>Ctrl+Shift+T</kbd>): the biggest folders are the biggest
  blocks; delete from the same screen. [Size map.](/features/size-map/)
- **Duplicates found safely** — genuinely identical files grouped, every copy but one pre-selected, deleted
  to the Recycle Bin. [Duplicate finder.](/features/duplicate-finder/)
- **Compare two folders and sync them**, choosing which side wins, with nothing moving until you say so.
  [Compare and sync.](/features/compare-and-sync/)
- **Search inside files** (<kbd>Ctrl+Shift+F</kbd>) with results you can act on directly.
  [Search.](/features/search/)
- **Archives as folders** — step into a ZIP, 7z, RAR or tar like any folder. [Archives.](/features/archives/)
- **A terminal that is always in the folder you are looking at**, if you want one — and nothing changes if
  you never open it. [Terminal sync.](/features/terminal-sync/)

## Explorer stays your default

cwdio does not register itself as the default file manager, does not change what opens when you double-click
a file, and does not intercept <kbd>Win+E</kbd>. The one integration is optional: **Open in Cwdio File
Manager** in the right-click menu of folders, folder backgrounds and drives — per user, no administrator
rights, and switchable under Tools ▸ Explorer integration. (On Windows 11 it appears under *Show more
options* until the app is code-signed.) A global hotkey, <kbd>Ctrl+Alt+F</kbd> by default, brings the cwdio
window to the front from anywhere.

Prefer to try before committing to anything on disk? The [portable zip](/download/) installs nothing —
unzip, run, delete the folder when done.

## First-week tips

1. Put the folder you are working *from* on the left and the one you are working *to* on the right; then
   <kbd>F5</kbd>.
2. Press <kbd>Space</kbd> instead of double-clicking to see what a file is.
3. When you cannot remember a key, <kbd>Ctrl+Shift+P</kbd> and type what you want.
4. Use <kbd>Ctrl+Z</kbd> freely; a batch you regret is one keystroke from undone.
5. Ignore the terminal until you are curious. Then press <kbd>Ctrl+&#96;</kbd> once and watch it follow you.

## Related

- [cwdio vs Windows Explorer](/compare/windows-explorer/) — the side-by-side comparison.
- [Getting started](/docs/getting-started/)
- [Keyboard shortcuts](/docs/keyboard-shortcuts/)

## Frequently asked questions

**Does cwdio replace Windows Explorer?** It sits beside it. cwdio does not change file associations, does not make itself the default file manager, and does not take over Win+E. Its only Explorer touch is an optional right-click entry, Open in Cwdio File Manager, registered per user and switchable off under Tools ▸ Explorer integration.

**Do my Explorer keys still work?** The ones that matter do: Alt+Up for the parent folder, Alt+Left/Right for back and forward, Alt+D to edit the address, Alt+Enter for properties, Ctrl+C/X/V for the clipboard, F2 rename, Delete to the Recycle Bin, Ctrl+H hidden files. And the clipboard is the Windows clipboard, so copy here and paste in Explorer, or the other way round.

**Can I still drag files?** Yes. Dragging a row is a native Windows drag: drop it on the other panel, on another cwdio window, on Explorer, or on any app that takes files. Shift while dropping moves instead of copies. F5 and F6 are simply faster once the target is the other panel.

**Is it harder to use than Explorer?** It opens as two ordinary folder panels — double-click to open, drag to move, Delete to remove — and you can use it that way indefinitely. Everything more is opt-in and hidden until you go looking; Ctrl+Shift+P lists every command with its shortcut when you do.