The Files app—a third-party file manager that has steadily won over Windows 10 and Windows 11 users—shipped version 4.2 in early July 2026, delivering a native tree view sidebar, faster dual-pane workflows, toolbar-based “Open With” controls, and a long list of metadata and safety improvements. The release addresses several top-voted feature requests and refines the app’s core navigation experience without abandoning the familiar multi-pane design that made it a go-to replacement for File Explorer.

What changed in Files 4.2

Tree View finally arrives

The most visible addition is a tree view pane that displays folders and subfolders in an expandable hierarchy, much like Windows File Explorer’s classic navigation pane. You can now toggle between the existing column view and the new tree view via a button in the sidebar header. Drilling down into nested directories no longer requires opening multiple columns or losing context; a single click expands a branch, and the main pane updates accordingly. For users who organize deep project folders or server shares, this alone eliminates dozens of extra clicks per session.

Dual-pane gets perceptibly faster

Files has always supported side-by-side panes, but switching between them often came with a small redraw delay. Version 4.2 reworks the pane-switching logic so that toggling focus—via keyboard shortcut or mouse—feels instantaneous. In our testing, the active pane now highlights immediately, and file operations like copy or move no longer stall while the inactive pane wakes. Behind the scenes, the team optimized how the app holds pane state in memory, which benefits machines with limited RAM as well.

“Open With” moves to the toolbar

Instead of digging through a right-click context menu, you can now assign a default opener or pick an app directly from the toolbar. A new dropdown next to the “Open” button shows recently used programs and a list of suggested applications. IT admins and users who routinely open XML files in Notepad++ and PDFs in a specific browser will appreciate the one-click workflow. The toolbar control is also available when multiple files are selected, letting you batch-open them in a single action.

Safer rename behavior

Accidental file renames—especially when extensions get stripped—were a frequent complaint. Files 4.2 introduces a modal rename dialog that, by default, highlights only the filename stem, leaving the extension untouched unless you manually expand the selection. A confirmation prompt appears if you try to change or remove an extension, and the app now warns when you’re about to rename a file in a way that would break its association. These changes apply across single-file renames, bulk renames, and in-place editing.

Metadata editing gets a dedicated panel

A new metadata inspector sits in the details pane, letting you edit title, tags, ratings, and other properties for images, music, and documents without opening a separate properties window. You can modify metadata for multiple files at once—for example, setting a common author field for a batch of PDFs. The panel updates live, and changes are written directly to the file system, making it a practical tool for digital asset management right inside the file manager.

What the 4.2 update means for you

For everyday home users

The tree view makes navigating large photo libraries or downloads folders less cumbersome. Instead of clicking through breadcrumbs or dozens of columns, you can collapse seasonal folders and jump directly to the one you want. The “Open With” toolbar control surfaces your favorite apps more quickly than the Windows context menu, and the rename guard prevents accidentally breaking file associations—an issue that still trips up casual users in File Explorer.

For IT admins and power users

Faster dual-pane switching and the metadata panel turn Files into a more viable tool for server-side administration. You can now edit tags on a directory of log files or set owner metadata on a group of documents without launching a separate bulk-rename utility. The tree view, crucially, works across network shares and mapped drives, maintaining expand state between restarts, so admins who manage folder hierarchies across the LAN get the same navigational speed as local browsing.

For developers and creators

If your workflow involves opening the same set of files in different editors—say, an HTML template in VS Code and a stylesheet in a CSS compressor—the new toolbar “Open With” eliminates the right-click delay. When combined with the dual-pane view, you can keep one pane on the raw assets and the other on an export folder, moving files back and forth without ever touching File Explorer. The metadata inspector also reads EXIF and XMP data natively, so photographers can add copyright information directly.

How we got here

Files started as an open-source project in 2018 with the goal of modernizing the Windows file management experience while respecting the OS’s design language. It gained traction thanks to a fluent UI, tab support, and dual-pane layout—features Microsoft has been slow to bring to File Explorer. Over the years, community feedback consistently pointed to three missing pieces: a native tree view, faster pane switching, and safer rename handling. Each made the feature-request leaderboard multiple times.

The 4.x milestone was originally set to overhaul the app’s internals for performance; the tree view was planned for 4.1 but slipped as the developers focused on squashing memory leaks and improving compatibility with Windows 11’s snap layouts. By early 2026, nightly builds began showing the tree view and toolbar “Open With,” and the public preview gathered over 3,000 reports that shaped the final release. The July 2026 stable push marks the first time the entire feature set is available through the Microsoft Store, winget, and the project’s own installer.

What to do now

Get the update

  • Microsoft Store users: Open the Microsoft Store, click Library, and check for updates. Files should update automatically if you have auto-updates enabled; otherwise, hit the update button next to Files.
  • winget users: Open Terminal and run winget upgrade FilesCommunity.Files to pull version 4.2.
  • Classic installer: Download the latest .msixbundle from files.community and install it over your existing copy. The installer preserves all settings.

First things to configure after updating

  1. Enable tree view: Open the sidebar (View → Sidebar) and click the tree icon next to the sidebar header. You can also toggle it via Ctrl+Shift+E.
  2. Pin the toolbar “Open With”: Right-click the toolbar, choose Customize, and add the “Open With” button if it’s not already visible. You can reorder it for easiest reach.
  3. Adjust rename protection: Go to Settings → Files and Folders. Under Rename, choose whether to always show the extension, hide it, or prompt only when you attempt a change. The default “Highlight name only” is a good start.
  4. Explore the metadata panel: Enable the details pane (View → Details Pane) and click any supported file (photos, music, Office documents). The editable fields appear at the bottom. You can select multiple files and edit a field once—just be careful because changes are applied immediately.
  5. Try dual-pane with keyboard shortcuts: If you’ve never used dual-pane, hit Ctrl+Shift+P to open a second pane, then use Ctrl+Tab to swap focus. With 4.2, the focus swap is nearly instant.

How to provide feedback or report bugs

The Files team uses GitHub for issue tracking. If you encounter a bug, search the issues page before filing a new report. When reporting, include your Windows version, Files version (Help → About), and clear steps to reproduce. Feature requests are tracked separately on the feature board, where the community votes on what to tackle next.

What to watch next

The Files roadmap hints at deeper shell integration, including replaceable context menus for Windows 11 and a plugin API that would let third parties write extensions for cloud storage providers. Microsoft’s own File Explorer is also evolving—tabs arrived in Windows 11 22H2, and a redesigned “Gallery” view is rumored for the 24H2 update. The competition will likely push both projects forward, but Files’ open-source nature means features like tree view and metadata editing can iterate faster than Windows Insider builds. For now, version 4.2 gives Windows users a polished, secure file manager that feels tailor-made for the power-user workflows File Explorer still struggles to support.