SpanFinder
macOS Finder-style Miller Columns file explorer for Windows — multi-tab, split view, 10 themes, keyboard-first, FTP/SFTP
Install / Use
/learn @LumiBearStudio/SpanFinderREADME
<p align="center"> <a href="https://github.com/LumiBearStudio/SpanFinder/stargazers"><img src="https://img.shields.io/github/stars/LumiBearStudio/SpanFinder?style=social" alt="GitHub Stars"></a> </p> <p align="center"> If you find SPAN Finder useful, consider giving it a ⭐ — it helps others discover this project! </p>Navigate folder hierarchies the way they were meant to be navigated. Click a folder, its contents appear in the next column. You always see where you are, where you came from, and where you're going — all at once. No more clicking back and forth.
Why SPAN Finder?
| | Windows Explorer | SPAN Finder | |---|---|---| | Miller Columns | No | Yes — hierarchical multi-column navigation | | Multi-Tab | Windows 11 only (basic) | Full tabs with tear-off, duplication, session restore | | Split View | No | Dual-pane with independent view modes | | Preview Panel | Basic | 10+ file types — images, video, audio, code, hex, fonts, PDF | | Keyboard Navigation | Limited | 150+ features, 30+ shortcuts, type-ahead search, full keyboard-first design | | Batch Rename | No | Regex, prefix/suffix, sequential numbering | | Undo/Redo | Limited | Full operation history (configurable depth) | | Custom Themes | No | 10 themes — Dracula, Tokyo Night, Catppuccin, Gruvbox, Nord, and more | | Git Integration | No | Branch, status, commits at a glance | | Remote Connections | No | FTP, FTPS, SFTP with saved credentials | | Workspaces | No | Save & restore named tab layouts instantly | | Cloud Status | Basic overlay | Real-time sync badges (OneDrive, iCloud, Dropbox) | | Startup Speed | Slow on large directories | Async loading with cancellation — zero lag |
Features
Miller Columns — See Everything at Once
Navigate deep folder hierarchies without losing context. Each column represents one level — click a folder and its contents appear in the next column. You always see where you are and where you came from.
- Draggable column separators for custom widths
- Auto-equalize columns (Ctrl+Shift+=) or auto-fit to content (Ctrl+Shift+-)
- Smooth horizontal scrolling to keep the active column visible
Four View Modes
- Miller Columns (Ctrl+1) — Hierarchical navigation, SPAN Finder's signature
- Details (Ctrl+2) — Sortable table with name, date, type, size columns
- List (Ctrl+3) — Dense multi-column layout for scanning large directories
- Icons (Ctrl+4) — Grid view with 4 size options up to 256x256 thumbnails
Multi-Tab with Full Session Restore
- Open unlimited tabs, each with its own path, view mode, and history
- Tab tear-off: Drag a tab out to create a new window — full state preserved
- Tab duplication: Clone a tab with its exact path and settings
- Session auto-save: Close the app, reopen it — every tab exactly where you left it
Split View — True Dual-Pane
- Side-by-side file browsing with independent navigation per pane
- Each pane can use a different view mode (Miller left, Details right)
- Separate preview panels for each pane
- Drag files between panes for copy/move operations
Preview Panel — Know Before You Open
Press Space for Quick Look (macOS Finder style):
- Images: JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP, WebP, TIFF with resolution and metadata
- Video: MP4, MKV, AVI, MOV, WEBM with playback controls
- Audio: MP3, AAC, M4A with artist, album, duration info
- Text & Code: 30+ extensions with syntax display
- PDF: First page preview
- Fonts: Glyph samples with metadata
- Hex Binary: Raw byte view for developers
- Folders: Size, item count, creation date
- File hash: SHA256 checksum display with one-click copy (opt-in via Settings)
Keyboard-First Design
30+ keyboard shortcuts for users who keep their hands on the keyboard:
| Shortcut | Action | |----------|--------| | Arrow Keys | Navigate columns and items | | Enter | Open folder or execute file | | Space | Toggle preview panel | | Ctrl+L / Alt+D | Edit address bar | | Ctrl+F | Search | | Ctrl+C / X / V | Copy / Cut / Paste | | Ctrl+Z / Y | Undo / Redo | | Ctrl+Shift+N | New folder | | F2 | Rename (batch rename if multi-select) | | Ctrl+T / W | New tab / Close tab | | Ctrl+Tab / Ctrl+Shift+Tab | Cycle tabs forward / backward | | Ctrl+1-4 | Switch view mode | | Ctrl+Shift+E | Toggle split view | | F6 | Switch split view pane | | Ctrl+Shift+S | Save workspace | | Ctrl+Shift+W | Open workspace palette | | Ctrl+Shift+H | Toggle file extensions | | Shift+F10 | Full native shell context menu | | Delete | Move to Recycle Bin |
Themes & Customization
- 10 Themes: Light, Dark, Dracula, Tokyo Night, Catppuccin, Gruvbox, Solarized, Nord, One Dark, Monokai
- 6-Level Row Height and 6-Level Font/Icon Size — independent controls
- 10 Font Options: Segoe UI Variable, Consolas, Cascadia Code/Mono, D2Coding, JetBrains Mono, Fira Code, and more — with CJK fallback font chain
- 3 Icon Packs: Remix Icon, Phosphor Icons, Tabler Icons
- 9 Languages: English, Korean, Japanese, Chinese (Simplified/Traditional), German, Spanish, French, Portuguese
Developer Tools
- Git status badges: Modified, Added, Deleted, Untracked per file
- Hex dump viewer: First 512 bytes in hex + ASCII
- Terminal integration: Ctrl+` opens terminal at current path
- Remote connections: FTP/FTPS/SFTP with encrypted credential storage
Cloud Storage Integration
- Sync status badges: Cloud-only, Synced, Pending Upload, Syncing
- OneDrive, iCloud, Dropbox detection out of the box
- Smart thumbnails: Uses cached previews — never triggers unwanted downloads
Smart Search
- Structured queries:
type:image,size:>100MB,date:today,ext:.pdf - Type-ahead: Start typing in any column to filter instantly
- Background processing: Search never freezes the UI
Recycle Bin Integration (v1.1.1.0)
- Dedicated Recycle Bin tab — browse, restore, or permanently delete items
- Empty Recycle Bin button in toolbar
- Full Miller / Details / List / Icon view support for binned items
Power User Enhancements (v1.1.2.0)
- Middle-click to open in new tab: Works on folders, drives, and sidebar favorites
- Tab context menu "Move to New Window": Tear off any tab via right-click
- Recent locations AutoSuggest: Address bar shows recently visited folders on focus
- Localized folder navigation: Type "Downloads", "文書", "바탕화면" etc. in any language — 100+ OS display names resolved via Known Folder cache
- Virtual folder navigation: Type "Control Panel", "This PC", "Network" (10 languages) to navigate shell namespaces
- Shell command execution: Type
cmd,powershell,calc,notepadin the address bar to launch directly - Run as Administrator: Right-click
.exe/.msi/.bat/.cmdfor a UAC-elevated launch option - Shift+F10: Force full native shell context menu regardless of selection
- Status bar selection size: Shows "3 selected (15.2 MB)" aggregate for multi-select
- Virtual file paste: Paste files from RDP remote sessions and Outlook attachments (Ctrl+V)
- Drive context menu: Format and Disk Cleanup actions for drives
- Background context menu: Undo and Folder Properties in empty-area right-click menu
Workspace — Save & Restore Tab Layouts (v1.2.1.0)
- Save current tabs: Right-click any tab → "Save tab layout..." or press Ctrl+Shift+S
- Restore instantly: Click the workspace button in the sidebar or press Ctrl+Shift+W
- Manage workspaces: Restore, rename, or delete saved layouts from the workspace menu
- Perfect for switching between work contexts — "Development", "Photo Editing", "Documents"
Performance
Engineered for speed. Tested with 14,000+ items per folder.
- Async I/O everywhere — nothing blocks the UI thread
- Batch property updates with minimal overhead
- Debounced selection prevents redundant work during rapid navigation
- Per-tab caching — instant tab switching, no re-rendering
- Concurrent thumbnail loading with SemaphoreSlim throttling
System Requirements
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