HiFile

HiFile is a pretty cool tool for managing files on your Mac. While the basic Finder is okay, it might not cut it if you’re someone who loves to dig into all the details of your files. HiFile is a classic dual-pane file manager designed to boost your productivity without being too complicated.

User-Friendly Experience

This app keeps things simple and easy to learn, even if you've never used a dual-pane system before. The layout feels familiar, but you don’t need prior experience to get started. Everything is laid out in a way that makes sense, and the interface is nice and clean—no clutter here!

Getting Started with HiFile

When you first open HiFile, there’s a handy tutorial that walks you through its main features. Once you go through that, everything else becomes super straightforward. You can resize both panes, add multiple tabs to each one, create bookmarks, and even view hidden files—all thanks to easily accessible buttons and hotkeys.

Keyboard Shortcuts for Efficiency

If you're into keyboard shortcuts (and who isn't?), you'll love how HiFile lets you control many features this way! For example, hit Space to see recently used folders and type in the name of any directory quickly. There are tons of shortcuts available, and most can be customized!

Hotkeys Might Take Some Getting Used To

Now, Mac users might find some hotkeys unfamiliar—for instance, F2 for renaming or F3 for previewing items. You can change these around; however, you can't rebind Space from its folder navigation function like many expect from macOS.

Built-In File Viewer and Archiver

HiFile comes with its own viewer for images and text files but doesn’t support as many file types as Apple’s Quick Look does. Unfortunately, you can't use Quick Look with this app either.

Advanced Features

The built-in archiver in HiFile works great since it supports more formats compared to the default archive utility on macOS. Plus, it has an advanced filtering tool, a search function for quick access, a folder synchronizer feature, and even a duplicate finder! You can start typing in any folder to filter items instantly—how cool is that?

A Smooth Transition from Finder

Overall, HiFile stands out as a solid file manager that offers an easy switch from Finder. It could use more macOS-specific tweaks like rebinding Space or using Quick Look directly—but aside from those small details, it’s got an impressively intuitive design with a gentle learning curve.