Shimfolder
A light, fast four-pane file manager
Shimfolder is a file manager for Windows. It splits one window into four panes, each with as many tabs as you like, so you can move between folders and sort files in one place. Above all, it is built to be fast: folders open with no wait, and a few letters of a name take you straight to a file among hundreds of thousands.
No install - runs from a single exe · The app's interface is currently in Korean only.
Seeing a warning on first download? That's expected
Shimfolder is made by one person and isn't code-signed, so your browser and Windows each check once before running an unfamiliar program.
- 1Browser — If it says the file isn't commonly downloaded, choose "Keep" (or "Continue") in the downloads list.
- 2Windows — On the blue "Windows protected your PC" screen, click "More info", then "Run anyway".
It only happens the first time - automatic updates don't trigger it.
Screenshots
Made for you if you
- keep several Explorer windows open to shuffle files between them
- often compare or tidy two folders side by side
- are tired of Explorer pausing every time you open a folder
- like to work fast from the keyboard
Features
Four panes and tabs
- Split the window into four panes and see four folders at once. Drag the borders to resize them.
- Open several tabs in each pane. Drag a tab to reorder it or move it to another pane.
- Your panes, tabs and folders come back exactly as you left them.
- The right end of the tab bar shows folder and file counts and total size, plus the count and size of your selection - handy for comparing two folders.
Fast list
- Shimfolder reads folder contents itself, so even big folders open instantly.
- Right-click menus, drag and drop, copy and paste, the Recycle Bin and Properties all work as in Explorer.
- Special places like the Recycle Bin, libraries and phones open in the Explorer view automatically.
Copy or move to another pane (F5 / F6)
- As in Total Commander, F5 copies to another pane and F6 moves. The default target is the pane you used last.
- Copies and moves use Windows' own progress window, conflict prompts and undo.
- When you drag with the mouse, it asks once - move, copy or cancel - before dropping, so folders don't get moved by accident.
File search (Ctrl+P)
- Find files and folders by name under the current folder. Open it from "This PC" to search every drive.
- No index is built ahead of time. Each search scans fresh on several threads and shows matches as soon as they are found.
- Enter opens a folder or selects a file in its folder; Shift+Enter runs the file directly.
Search examples
invoice 2026- — names containing both words
*.pdf, invoice*- — a pattern for the whole name
project\ minutes- — minutes under a project folder
Color labels
- Right-click a file or folder → "Color label" and pick red, orange, green, blue or purple to show its name in that color.
- A tab showing a labeled folder takes on that color too, so important folders are easy to spot.
- Labels are stored only in Shimfolder's settings; the files themselves are not changed.
Address bar
- Click ▾ in the address bar to jump to the desktop, a drive, a parent folder or a subfolder.
- Or type a path and press Enter.
Favorites and launchers
- Keep folders you visit often in Favorites (Ctrl+D to add, Ctrl+B for the menu).
- Launchers (Ctrl+E) open Command Prompt, PowerShell, Windows Settings or Control Panel right in the folder you are looking at. You can add your own programs too.
AI folder setup
- New folder button → "Set up folders with AI...". Describe the purpose, such as "moving house" or "2026 tax return", preview the suggested folder structure, and create it all at once in the current folder.
- Only the purpose you type is sent to the server - never folder paths or file lists. Requires a Shimdesk connection.
Now strip
- A line under the toolbar scrolls weather, air quality, earthquakes, disasters and market prices.
- Hover a cell for details like the hourly forecast or each air pollutant; click to open it in your browser.
- Connect your shimdesk.com account to see today's deadlines too. Right-click to choose the region and which cells to show.
Status bar
- Free space is shown for each drive and turns to a warning color past 90%. Click a drive to go there.
- CPU and memory usage sit at the far right.
Why it's fast
It reads folders itself
File sizes and dates come from the same read as the folder listing, so the disk isn't read twice.
It doesn't wait for icons
Icons are fetched once per extension, and slow ones are prepared in the background so the list appears first.
It avoids places that hang
It doesn't query places that may be slow to answer, like a disconnected network drive.
It batches change notifications
Even when many files change at once, the list isn't re-read every time.
Common shortcuts
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| Ctrl+T / Ctrl+W | New tab / close tab |
| Ctrl+Tab | Switch tab |
| Ctrl+1 ~ 4 | Switch pane |
| Ctrl+L, Alt+D, F4 | Address bar |
| Alt+← / Alt+→ | Back / forward |
| Alt+↑, Backspace | Parent folder |
| Ctrl+R | Refresh |
| Ctrl+P | File search |
| Ctrl+E | Launcher menu |
| Ctrl+H | Show or hide hidden files |
| F2 | Rename |
| F5 / F6 | Copy / move to another pane |
| Ctrl+Shift+N | New folder |
| F1 | Help |
Press F1 in the app (or "About" → "Help") for every shortcut and feature.
Install and updates
No installation
Put Shimfolder.exe in any folder and run it. No runtime or DLLs to install.
Automatic updates
When a new version is out, a "↑ New version" button appears in the toolbar. Click it and Shimfolder downloads the update, swaps itself and reopens your panes and tabs. You can also check via "About" → "Check for updates...".
What's new
See "About" → "Update history...".
Contact
Questions, problems or features you'd like? Send them from the app ("About" → "Contact...") or the contact page below. We'll reply to the email you give - no Shimdesk connection needed.
Contact →