The BEST File Manager for Windows


Works with and greatly enhances:

Windows 11, 10

Windows 8, 7, Vista, XP

Servers 2003 and later


Starting at just $50 for home use and $69 for a business license (and a business two-pack for just $99!)

What's New / What's Up

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Version 4: the future

Major new tools, significant upgrades to current components and faster folder listings.


  • Find and rename problem files: bad paths, illegal characters, Linux & iOS (Mac) characters.
  • Check files and folders for compliance with different file systems e.g., NTFS, Fat-16, Fat-32, eFat, CDs, iOS, Linux and custom.
    Know if the files are right before you copy.
  • Delete files no matter their length or how they are named.
  • Powerful renaming with RegEx e.g. change 'Romeo Smith' into 'Smith, Romeo' and much more.
  • Lightening fast directory listing no matter how large the folder.
  • Detailed reports for copy errors.
  • Variable text size for views and dialogs.
  • and many more improvements and fixes..

 

See the V4 preview here.

Update May 2017

A May 2017 Microsft security update for Windows 10 conflicted with a major routine in FileBoss resulting in FileBoss not starting on some Windows 10 systems.

Versions V3.101 and later, fix the problem. You can read more about this at the page
Windows Creators Conflict.

 

Advanced Searching

Advanced Searching

Advanced searching combines all the options of the other, more specialized search routines and adds templates.

While this routine can be convenient it is usually easier to use one of the specialized Find routines that are on the same menu.

Links to the simple but powerful specialized find routines are on the right.

Open the Advanced Search dialog

  • Menu item for the Advanced Search routineSelect Find > Advanced File Search... or (Alt+A,Z) from the main menu to open the dialog where you can specify exactly which files you want to find.
  • If one or more folders are selected in the contents (right-hand) window those folders will be automatically entered into the Paths field of the find dialog.
  • If no folders are selected in the contents window then the current folder will be entered into the Paths field.
    (Of course you can change the paths at any time.)
  • FileBoss remembers what has been searched in the past even when it has been closed and then started again so you can always select a previous entry using the drop down list.

Click image for full size view

Find files by pattern matching

Hint: You can limit your search (and thus speed it up and make its results more meaningful) by specifying one or more folders to search instead of just a whole drive. You can also, in the Patterns field, specify only certain files to search file such as *.doc ; *.jpg ; *.jpeg ; *.html ; *.htm.

  • Click OK to search and create a Virtual Folder of all matching files

Advanced options for finding files

Saving & Using Templates

Templates allow you to save the current settings in the dialog as a named group that can be selected and reused later. (FileBoss stores and remembers the Templates even when the program is closed.)

To save the current settings as a named template click the Template button.

To use a template simply select it from the drop down list (click the down arrow to the left of the field).

Searching for Text

Specifies text which must be in a file in order for it to be included in the file set. Text searches in FileBoss can be very simple or very sophisticated depending on your needs.

Text Search

When checked text search is active.

Set

Opens a dialog where you can define what text to search for and how the search should be conducted. The options range from a simple search to sophisticated expression searching.

Including Files by Attributes

All

All files will be considered for inclusion regardless of their attributes. When this button is selected the attribute options below it will be grayed and will not be used.

Match Any

All files will be considered for inclusion regardless of their attributes. When this button is selected the attribute options below it will be grayed and will not be used.

Match All

All files will be considered for inclusion regardless of their attributes. When this button is selected the attribute options below it will be grayed and will not be used.

Excluding Files by Attributes

Select any file attributes for files that you want FileBoss to exclude from the search.

Normally the only useful attributes to check are the System and Hidden attributes. But the others are included for the rare times that they are needed. 

Limiting Search by File Sizes

When Limit by Size is checked FileBoss will only include files that fall between the From and To sizes, inclusive. Make both entries the same to only return files of a specific size.

E.g. entering '0' for both fields will only return files of zero length.

This field only affects files not folders which as far as Windows is concerned always have a size of 0.

Unlimited Sizes

To specify an unlimited size for files (i.e. up to any amount) enter -1 or 'Zillions' into the 'To' field of the Sizes area. (Actually, to specify an unlimited size you can enter Zillions or any other term as long as it is not a number, e.g. 'I Love FileBoss')

Megabytes & Kilobytes

In addition, M, MB, Megs, KB and K (in any case) can follow a number to signify megabytes or kilobytes as desired. But note that these numbers will be translated into bytes when they are redisplayed.

Easy Reading

Commas can be used in numbers if it makes you feel better.

Limit Search by File times

Click image for full size view
Specifying relative times for finding files

Limit Search by Name & Path Lengths

 

More about entering multiple paths and patterns

 

Both the paths and file patterns fields can accept either simple entries, e.g.

C\Data\My Data and *.bmp or very complex strings that specify not only what to include but also what to exclude from a, most typically, search.

For instance both can specify multiple objects such as

C\Data\My Data ; D:\Backup\MyData

and

*.bmp ; *.gif ; *.png ; *.jpeg ; *.jpg 

For a complete description of these fields either right-click the mouse over the fields for context help from within FileBoss or see Advanced Paths & Patterns.