Download
Free during the beta, no account. Current version 0.1.5 (3 September 2026). A per-user installer that updates itself, or a portable zip that installs nothing. 64-bit Windows 10 and 11. SHA-256 checksums for every file.
Installer · recommended
No administrator prompt — it goes into your own profile. Checks for updates in the background and
installs them on the next restart. Adds cwdio as a terminal command, so
cwdio . opens the folder you are standing in. Uninstall from Windows Settings like any
other app.
Portable · zip
Unzip anywhere, run cwdio.exe, delete the folder to remove it. Does not auto-update;
it shows a quiet notice when a new version exists and Help ▸ Check for updates links
to it.
cwdio-win32-x64-portable.zip
On first run Windows shows "Windows protected your PC". That is SmartScreen noting that cwdio is not yet code-signed and is too new to have built a reputation — it is not a malware detection. Click More info, then Run anyway. Every new independent Windows app gets the same prompt until a signing certificate has accrued reputation, which is on the 1.0 list.
Every release publishes SHA256SUMS.txt. Compare the hash of what you downloaded with the
line for that file — in PowerShell:
Get-FileHash .\CwdioFileManagerSetup.exe -Algorithm SHA256If the hashes match, the file you have is the file we built. The checksums file is uploaded by the same release workflow that builds the binaries.
Installer build: Windows Settings ▸ Apps ▸ cwdio ▸ Uninstall. Portable build: delete the folder.
Settings and logs live under %AppData%\@cwdio\desktop if you want a truly clean removal.
New here? Getting started takes about three minutes. Coming from another file manager? The shortcut table will look familiar.
Yes — every feature, for the whole beta, with no account. Use it now and you are a Founding User: it stays free for you forever, even after 1.0 introduces paid tiers for new individuals and businesses.
The installer is per-user (no admin) and updates itself in the background. The portable zip installs nothing and updates nothing — unzip it, run it, delete it. Both are the same app, and both have Help ▸ Check for updates.
Because cwdio is new and not yet code-signed, SmartScreen shows “Windows protected your PC”. It is not a virus alert — Windows simply has not seen this file often enough to recognise it, and every new independent app gets the same treatment until it does. Click More info, then Run anyway. Every release publishes SHA-256 checksums if you would rather verify the file first, and a signing certificate is on the 1.0 list, which removes the prompt for good.
No. The installer puts cwdio in your own user profile and never shows a UAC prompt; the portable build runs from wherever you unzip it. The app runs with exactly the permissions you already have — no more.
The installer build checks for a new version shortly after launch and then every few hours, downloads it in the background and applies it on the next restart, with a Restart now / Later choice. The portable build never changes itself: it shows a passive notice when a newer version exists, and Help ▸ Check for updates on either build tells you whether you are current, out of date, or — if it could not reach the update information — that it does not know.
Installer build: Windows Settings ▸ Apps ▸ cwdio ▸ Uninstall, like any other app. Portable build: delete the folder. Settings and logs live under %AppData%\@cwdio\desktop if you want to remove those too. Nothing else is left behind, and nothing needs administrator rights.
Every release publishes SHA256SUMS.txt alongside the binaries. In PowerShell, run Get-FileHash on the file you downloaded with -Algorithm SHA256 and compare the result with the line for that file. If they match, the file you have is the file the release workflow built.
Windows 10 and Windows 11, 64-bit. macOS and Linux are not released yet.