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7Files: a file browser with powerful filtering functionality

October 27, 2011 By 10 Comments

Do you ever feel like it is sometimes simply too hard to find the files and folders you want in Windows explorer? If so, 7Files is for you.

7Files is a free file browser for Windows that aims to provide a better user experience for working with files and folder.

It looks very similar to Windows’ Explorer, but integrates powerful filtering and desktop search functionality into the file browsing experience, in order to deliver exactly the files and folders you are seek,via the shortest route possible. And somehow, it does a great job and manages to deliver a great user experience.

Two notable devices that enable it to do what it does are ; (1) intelligent filters in the right sidebar (date/type/extension), which are automatically narrowed down to whatever is appropriate to the actual folder that you are browsing; and (2) buttons and favorite folders in the top toolbar that enable you to switch locales quickly.

More notes on this one:

  • Filtering is folder recursive: which means that you could select ‘my computer’ then filter by a file type/extension/or date and every corresponding file on your system will be shown. You can then add subsequent filters to hone in further.
  • Fast: remarkably fast.
  • Apply multiple filters: once you apply a filter (from the sidebar) you can proceed to add another, or filter further by typing in text in the filter box that appears below.
  • Recently used files: can be accessed by entering text straight into the address bar. A dropdown will appear with recently used files. A really neat effect  is that recently used folders are displayed in a slightly larger font/icon size, making them stand out in the list. Also recently used files and folders will have a green dot next to them on the list, which is useful.
  • Add frequently used folder bookmarks: by simply dragging them to the top toolbar.

Wish list: (or how this program can be even better)

  • An exclusion filter: i.e. to be able to filter by ‘Video’ filetype then exclude .MKV extension for example.
  • A quick way to either replace Windows explorer with 7Files as a default file browser (and back again), and/or a right click context menu entry to quickly open a folder/folders with 7File.
  • Optional dual panes: look, I’m a geek, of course I will wish for this ;)
  • Filtering using strings in the path: it doesn’t do this. For example, I select .JPG and typed in ‘wallpaper’ expecting to get all the jpegs in my various wallpaper folders (wallpaper landscape, wallpaper art, etc.); I got no results.
  • Displaying the path in the list of files. At least as a option.

The verdict: this program is extremely intuitive and easy to use, on the one hand, but takes a little bit of getting used to on the other. Users are more used to Windows Explorer, of course, which gives the latter an advantage, but if you put it the energy into getting accustomed to 7File you will likely be rewarded.

What is not immediately apparent is that this program gets rid of ‘searching’ in favor of filtering; first you apply a filter (e.g. .jpg, video, or today) on a folder, drive, or ‘My Computer’, and only then can you filter further by typing something in a filter box.

7Files seems to be using Windows search to do what it does. Which is fine, except that I had hoped when I was first downloading it that it would use the raw Master File Table of the NTFS drive to create it’s index in the manner of desktop search tools like Everything and Quick Search. I have waiting for a long time for an ‘Everything’ clone with advanced filtering functionality; 7Files is not quite it, and is not an ‘Everything’ killer, but it is a very interesting program all the same, and highly recommended.

[Thanks go to reader Panzer for letting me know about this one]

Version Tested: Alpha

Compatibility: Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7. Requires the installation of MS .NET Framework 3.5 (XP and Vista) and Windows Search (XP only).

UPDATE: 7Files has now become FileMind. Download it here, or check out our full review of FileMind.

Go to the program home page to download the latest version (approx. 9 megs).


 
 
 
Samer Kurdi

Samer Kurdi

Has been reviewing software since 2006 when he started Freewaregenius.com
Samer Kurdi

@freewaregenius

October 27, 2011
Samer Kurdi
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  • Panzer

    Contact me via Email is not working.

    • Samer

      @ Panzer: indeed the email service is down. I expect (hope) that it will be up again shortly .. but you already have my email: kurdirama [at] gmail [dot] com

  • Chris

    Thanks! Filtering by file size would be a nice addition. As would displaying folder disk size.

  • http://7files.net Anton

    Samer, thanks for a nice review.

    Let me answer a few questions raised in the article:
    For the first, yes, we do use Windows Search index, but we also create our own index, in order to make results better and more relevant.
    As for the “Filter” which appears at the bottom of the files area – you may access it any time, for example when you are in a folder with lots of files, with pressing Ctrl+F.
    The reason we show filter when user does search is that we think it is simply useful at that moment.

  • Omer M

    Thanks for a nice review Samer. It looks very promising. My only question at this stage is whether it runs any services of its own in the background. In other words, whether it is going to slow my computer down. If it does, it’s a big no for me.

  • jo

    F.A.R.R can use Everything. work fast.

  • http://www.greggdeselms.com Gregg DesElms

    Looks like a perfectly fine and good/nice tool; and I don’t mean for anything I’m about to write to take away from that.

    However, if all one is doing is looking for a file, by its filename (or partial name, using wildcards), then there is nothing — and I mean NOTHING — faster on the planet than the freeware “Everything” (aka “Search Everything”) (freeware) by VoidTools. It doesn’t build an index like normal desktop search tools…

    …er… well… let me clearify: It builds and index of sorts, but it’s not a big, honkin’ (and slow) index of individual file names. Rather, it’s just an index that helps “Everything” more quickly remember disk drives and structures, but not the actual filenames on them. When it comes to finding files by their filenames (or fractions thereof, using wildcards) “Everything” find them super-fast by simply using the very same low-level indexing system which the NTFS file system, itself, uses. Nothing — trust me — could be faster… with or without an index. The “Everything” search tool can find a file quite literally the INSTANT — and by that I mean a fraction of a second — after one finishes (sometimes even before one finishes) typing-in the search query.

    When it comes to simply finding files, by their filenames (or fractions thereof, using wildcards) absolutely nothing on the planet is better/faster than “Everything.” Nothing on the planet.

    The problem, though, with “Everything” is that it doesn’t search for text strings within files. That’s its downside. But many other search tools — many of them freeware — will do that.

    For example, the freeware “SearchMyFiles” tool from NirSoft will do it nicely. Better, still, is the freeware (and admittedly oddly-named) “Agent Ransack” from Mystic Software. Any Windows old-timer, who remembers what the search tool that was built-in to Windows NT (and older versions) looked (and behaved) like will instantly fine something comfortingly familiar about either Nirsoft’s “SearchMyFiles” or Mystic Software’s “Agent Ransack.”

    But beither “SearchMyFiles” or “Agent Ransack” (or pretty much any of the other tools of its type) will find files, themselves, based on a search by filename (or portion thereof using wildcards), as fast as “Everything.” However, either of them will fairly quickly (at least reasonably quickly) find text strings within files which “Everything” cannot do. And both “SearchMyFiles” and “Agent Ransack” can also find just files, based on their names (or portions thereof, using wildcards) as a query… they just can’t find files as fast as “Everything” can find them!

    For me, at least, the killer freeware combination of “Everything” and “Agent Ransack” is all that pretty much anyone needs for pretty much all their searching. If not, then “Everything” remains best for searching by filename (or portions thereof, using wildcards), and Agent Ransack’s (commercial, fee-based) big brother, “File Locator Pro” becomes the killer additional tool if Agent Ransack isn’t quite powerful enough. Nothing in the world, I tell you, can beat the “Everything” plus “File Locator Pro” combination. It truly is best-of-breed.

    But, seriously, even only NirSoft’s freeware “SearchMyFiles” is credible, useful, workable, and fast enough for most people. The complicated tools which build big databases and are always running in the background… ugh…. who needs em?! Just use “Everything” plus either “Agent Ransack” (or “SearchMyFiles”); or, if the latter’s not quite potent enough, then pay for “File Locator Pro” and use THAT with “Everything,” and, trust me, you’ll never look back.

    Hope that helps.

    _________________________________
    Gregg L. DesElms
    Napa, California USA
    gregg at greggdeselms dot com

  • Miss Montenaro

    @ Gregg L. DesElms

    So, tell me, which one do you think is the fastest ? I wasn’t sure if you meant ‘Everything’ as you’ve only mentioned it being the fastest ten times in your post.

  • Kent Dyer

    While not a file manager per se, Nemo Docs does pretty much the same thing.. It is about a 400k Download and does require .Net 4 to be installed.

    HTH,

    Kent

    • Samer

      @ Kent: nice to see you again on these pages ;) . Indeed Nemo Docs is similar in some ways, and of the two is the one I would use. I have written about it in a couple of places on this site.