A dual-pane file manager with Vim-style modal hotkeys, built with Svelte and Wails for cross-platform desktop use.
Modal File Manager is a cross-platform desktop file manager that uses Vim-style modal hotkeys for keyboard-driven file navigation and operations. It solves the problem of inefficient, mouse-heavy file management by providing a configurable, dual-pane interface with extensible modes and keybindings.
Developers and power users familiar with Vim/Neovim who want a keyboard-centric file manager with similar modal workflows and high customizability.
It offers a unique, extensible modal keyboard system unlike traditional file managers, combined with a modern web-tech stack (Svelte/Wails) for performance and cross-platform compatibility.
A file manager built using Svelte and Wails. It has hotkeys that are modal just like Vim and NeoVim.
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Implements modal hotkeys (Normal, Insert, Visual modes) for keyboard-centric navigation and file operations, directly mirroring Vim's workflow for developers familiar with modal editing.
Supports adding new modes, keymaps, and features via extensions and themes, with a built-in GitHub importer for downloading community extensions, as highlighted in the README's extension ecosystem.
Offers side-by-side file panels with internal drag-and-drop, a command prompt for direct commands, and a minimal, fully themeable UI that reduces clutter.
Built with modern web technologies (Svelte and Wails) for performance, and the author is actively working on macOS, Linux, and Windows support, with regular updates and a roadmap.
Cannot drag and drop files to other programs due to web technology limitations admitted in the README, and depends on external CLI tools like trash-cli for trash functionality, adding setup complexity.
Acknowledged as beta software with untested Linux builds, incomplete Windows support, and features like file watchers not working, making it unreliable for production use.
Requires familiarity with Vim-style modal editing and configuration through JSON files or extensions, which can be daunting for users not versed in modal keyboards or custom scripting.
Currently has only a handful of extensions and themes available, limiting out-of-the-box functionality compared to mature file managers, as seen in the sparse list provided.
Modal File Manager is an open-source alternative to the following products: