Kexplorer — Multi-Tabbed Windows Explorer

New in 2026: Kexplorer.Modern

Kexplorer.Modern was introduced in the first half of 2026 as the new version of Kexplorer.

• Tighter integration with WSL and Docker
• Windows Services tab is split with dedicated Docker Containers status
• Completed terminal session tabs: PowerShell, Cmd, and Linux Bash

Start here: Kexplorer.Modern/README.md

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A high-performance, multi-tabbed file explorer for Windows developers. New to this project? Start with Kexplorer Modern — the cutting-edge .NET 8 WPF version built for developers who use Windows, WSL, Docker, and remote systems.

Disclaimer: Kexplorer is opinionated to how I work. Feel free to fork your own copy and add your own handling for certain file types.

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🚀 Kexplorer Modern (Recommended)

Kexplorer.Modern/ — A complete modern rewrite targeting .NET 8 and WPF.

Why Kexplorer Modern?

• Advanced hybrid environment support — Windows + WSL + Docker in one unified interface
• Modern async architecture — Built on async/await with true background work queues—no UI freezes
• Sophisticated plugin system — Easily extensible with attribute-based capability declarations
• Better performance — Lazy-loading trees, per-tab work queues, proper CancellationToken support
• Actively developed — Ongoing phases for AI integration, MCP server, and plugin marketplace

Quick Start (Kexplorer Modern)

cd Kexplorer.Modern
dotnet build
dotnet run --project Kexplorer.UI

See Kexplorer.Modern/README.md for the modern overview and requirements. See Kexplorer.Modern/Kexplorer.UI/README.md for full UI documentation.

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📖 Historical Context — Kexplorer Legacy

Kexplorer is a Multi-Tabbed Windows Explorer alternative I started back in 2004. The legacy version (in the /Kexplorer directory) is a Windows Forms application that introduced:

Original Design Goals (Still Valid)

As a programmer working with hundreds of files across drives and network shares, I needed to solve Windows Explorer's key productivity drawbacks:

1. Multi-Tabbed Interface — TreeView of folders on left, detailed file grid on right. Work with multiple locations without opening separate windows.

2. Multi-Threaded Responsiveness — File system loading runs on background worker threads. No more 30-60 second freeze-ups when right-clicking files.

3. Custom Context Menus — Fast, focused context menus without bloated icons.

4. Services Tab — Stop/start/restart Windows services in a tab instead of Control Panel.

5. Extensible Scripting Framework — Integrate custom tools:

   • Zip/Unzip files with workflow support
   • Quick path copy (full name or filename only)
   • XML/XSLT transforms
   • XML validation
   • Windows grep integration
   • Rename, delete, make directory operations

6. Passive File Monitoring — No automatic refresh (prevents Explorer freezes). Explicit F5 refresh only.

7. No Drag-and-Drop — By design. Too many accidental file moves in high-volume environments.

Legacy Project Structure

Kexplorer/                      — Legacy Windows Forms application
├── Kexplorer.csproj          — Main project file
├── src/                        — Core controllers, nodes, work units (20 files)
├── res/                        — Windows Forms UI dialogs (11 files)
├── services/src/               — Windows service management (9 files)
├── scripting/src/              — Script system infrastructure (12 files)
└── scripts/src/                — Built-in scripts (45+ files)

Legacy Features

• KExplorerControl — Main controller orchestrating UI and work pipelines
• Pipeline System — Background work queue with priority handling
• KExplorerNode — Tree node model for file system
• Script Manager — Reflection-based plugin discovery and execution
• FTP Support — Browse FTP sites in tabs alongside Windows folders
• Session Persistence — Saves tabs and window state across sessions

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🔄 Migrating from Legacy to Modern

All core functionality from the legacy version is being ported to Kexplorer Modern:

Feature	Legacy	Modern	Status
Multi-tabbed explorer	✅	✅	Complete
Tree + Grid split panel	✅	✅	Complete
Services management	✅	✅	Complete
File/folder plugins	✅	✅	Complete (10 core plugins)
Launcher service	✅	✅	Modernized to JSON
Session persistence	✅	✅	Complete
WSL support	❌	✅	New in Modern
Docker integration	❌	✅	New in Modern
Async architecture	❌	✅	New in Modern
Modern UI (WPF)	❌	✅	New in Modern

Migration tracking: See Kexplorer.Modern/MIGRATION_NOTES.md

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📂 Repository Structure

Kexplorer/
├── README.md                    — This file
├── Kexplorer/                   — Legacy Windows Forms application
│   ├── Kexplorer.csproj
│   ├── src/                     — Core logic
│   ├── res/                     — UI forms and dialogs
│   └── scripts/                 — Custom script implementations
│
├── Kexplorer.Modern/            — Modern .NET 8 WPF rewrite (RECOMMENDED)
│   ├── Kexplorer.Modern.sln
│   ├── Kexplorer.Core/          — Domain models, work queue, plugins
│   ├── Kexplorer.UI/            — WPF application (start here!)
│   ├── Kexplorer.Plugins/       — Built-in plugins
│   ├── Kexplorer.Core.Tests/    — Test suite
│   ├── Kexplorer.MCP/           — MCP server (Phase 3)
│   ├── Kexplorer.AI/            — AI features (Phase 3)
│   ├── Kexplorer.UI/README.md   — Comprehensive UI documentation
│   └── MIGRATION_NOTES.md       — Detailed phase status
│
└── specifications/              — Design specifications
    ├── 01-Modern-Refresh.md     — Full Kexplorer Modern spec
    └── 03-bugs-and-enhancements/