Public Beta v4

TL;DR

Version 4 is now in public beta.

It is available for anyone who wants to try it, but it is not yet considered production-ready and is not recommended for business, professional, or other critical use.

Expect bugs, unfinished features, and frequent changes. Updates may be released several times per week, and settings, features, themes, and other behavior may change between builds.

Please use caution with important or irreplaceable files.

If you depend on the app for daily or production work, Version 3 remains the recommended version for now.

What's new in Version 4

• Much faster and smoother file browsing

  Major parts of the file-rendering and data-handling pipeline have been rewritten. V4 provides faster folder loading, smoother scrolling, more responsive navigation, and fewer UI stalls when Windows, network folders, or storage devices are slow to respond. Previously visited folders also benefit from faster metadata, icon, and thumbnail caching.

• Improved previews and thumbnails

  Video preview now uses FFmpeg for wider format support, faster switching between files, and smooth playback of high-resolution video including 4K and 8K content. Thumbnail support has been expanded with PSD, SVG, and additional image formats, with higher-resolution rendering on modern high-DPI displays. Improved caching reduces thumbnail memory usage and makes previously viewed folders load faster.

• New folder-size system

  Folder sizes no longer rely on Windows infotips. V4 maintains its own folder-size database, with significantly faster scanning, lower memory and disk usage, and better handling of large folders, mount points, inaccessible folders, and changing files. Once sizes are cached, folders can also be sorted by size.

• Taskmaster is now the default file-operation engine

  Copy and move operations are handled by the integrated Taskmaster system, with faster operations, improved ETA calculation, clearer progress and task details, better copy-and-paste behavior, and automatic updates to OneCommander's file databases when files are moved. Undo support (Ctrl+Z) provides an operation history so you can choose which supported operation to reverse.

• Completely redesigned drag & drop

  Drag & drop has been extensively rewritten with standard operation cursors, operation labels, item counts, animated drag previews, and better feedback when dragging to external applications. Support has been improved for Outlook, New Outlook, Gmail, browsers, WinSCP, VMware Workstation, archives opened in Explorer, and other applications that provide files or virtual objects through the Windows clipboard and drag-and-drop APIs.

• Major visual and theme overhaul

  V4 introduces redesigned dark and light themes, Mica and Acrylic window effects, adjustable opacity and image backgrounds, sharper SVG graphics, and many refinements throughout dialogs, menus, panes, tabs, and controls. Themes are editable XAML files, and the Theme Editor Helper makes developing and testing custom themes much easier.

• Customizable toolbars, menus, icons, and file views

  The new toolbar can be customized with the commands you use most. Toolbar and menu icons can be replaced, and new Windows 11-style dual-tone SVG icons automatically adapt to the theme accent color. File views can also be copied and customized independently of the built-in versions.

• Better window, workspace, and session management

  V4 greatly expands multi-window workflows with named windows, saved windows, temporary windows, improved new-window behavior, and restoration of complete sessions instead of only the last window. Windows can be restored to their original Windows virtual desktops, with additional options controlling how OneCommander behaves when opening windows across desktops.

• Improved metadata and file details

  Metadata extraction has been substantially rewritten for speed and reliability. V4 exposes richer information for documents, PDFs, audio and video files, PSD files, email files, executables and certificates, cloud files, and other formats. The Details pane and metadata-based file views have also been redesigned for clearer presentation and faster browsing.

• Better cloud, network, and external-storage handling

  V4 includes improved OneDrive and cloud-status reporting, better WebDAV and Cryptomator change monitoring, improved WSL enumeration, safer handling of unavailable network paths, and numerous fixes for mounted drives, drive ejection, and other storage edge cases.

• Improved Recycle Bin and archive handling

  Recycle Bin support has received numerous reliability fixes and now includes convenient Restore actions directly from the context menu. Archive extraction is also available again with updated components and additional handling for archives downloaded from the Internet.

• Searchable Settings and easier customization

  Settings window now includes search and filtering, and can remain open while you work so changes can be tested immediately. Many appearance, window, navigation, thumbnail, performance, and workflow options have also been added.

• Native Windows on ARM support added

  V4 has separate x64 and ARM64 builds and runs natively on Windows 11 on ARM. Platform-specific packages also avoid shipping unnecessary libraries, resulting in smaller downloads. ARM64 build will be available closer to official release.

• Expanded command-line support

  The command-line startup system has been rewritten and can open multiple paths, target specific panes or tabs, create windows, and control other startup behavior. Individual OneCommander settings can be changed from the command line, making modifications and troubleshooting easier.

• Many architectural and stability improvements

  V4 now runs on .NET 10 and includes rewrites of several core systems responsible for file data, selection, metadata, previews, thumbnails, folder monitoring, columns, startup, and window management. The beta has accumulated hundreds of fixes for crashes, startup problems, network-path freezes, folder watchers, Recycle Bin behavior, high-DPI rendering, Windows 10/11 differences, and numerous edge cases.

What's still changing

Version 4 is feature-complete enough for broader testing, but it is not feature-frozen.

During the public beta:

• Settings and defaults may change
• The theming system may change
• Experimental features may change, move, or be removed
• Compatibility issues may still be discovered
• UI and behavior may receive additional polish
• Updates may be released several times per week
• Existing beta configurations may occasionally need to be recreated
• Updates are enforced automatically

Breaking changes during the beta will be avoided where practical, but cannot yet be ruled out.

Before you install

• Public beta: Anyone can try Version 4, but development is still active.
• Not production-ready: Do not rely on Version 4 for business, professional, or other critical workflows yet.
• Frequent updates: New beta builds may be released several times per week.
• No V3 migration yet: There is currently no supported migration path from Version 3. Treat Version 4 as a separate installation and configuration.
• Settings may change: Preferences, configuration formats, defaults, and available options may change or be reset during the beta.
• Portable only: Version 4 does not currently have an installer. Beta builds are distributed as portable versions only.
• Use with care: Bugs, crashes, compatibility issues, data loss, or other unexpected behavior are still possible.
• Hold off on customization: The new theming system is still being finalized. Avoid investing significant time in custom themes or distributing themes until the format is stable.
• Please hold off on public reviews: Version 4 is still changing rapidly and is not representative of the finished release. Please send beta feedback directly through the Discord #v4-beta channel instead.

Version 0.0.67.0

Download the portable ZIP, unblock the archive, and extract it to a new non-system folder.

DOWNLOAD
v4 Beta Portable

I actually want stable Version 3

Feedback

Public beta testing is extremely helpful, especially reports involving:

• Crashes or freezes
• Incorrect or unexpected behavior
• Compatibility problems
• Performance regressions
• Problems that occur with specific folders or file types
• UI or usability issues

Please keep Version 4 beta reports and discussion in the Discord #v4-beta channel so issues can be tracked in one place. Join the OneCommander Discord and get the beta testers role.

File beta bugs and feedback in Issues/Feedback GitHub.

About public reviews

Public reviews, videos, and ratings are welcome, but please make it clear that Version 4 is currently in public beta and under rapid development.

Beta builds are released at least once a week, often with bug fixes, performance improvements, UI changes, and new features. Occasionally, a new build may also introduce regressions.

Because the software is changing quickly, please include the version number or date of the build you reviewed. Issues or shortcomings mentioned in a review may already be fixed or improved by the time someone reads the review or watches the video.

Criticism and feedback are very welcome. If you encounter a problem, please also report it through the beta feedback channels so it can be investigated and potentially fixed in an upcoming build.

Looking ahead

Version 4 will become the official stable version once it has received sufficient real-world testing and has demonstrated an appropriate level of stability.

Before that happens, we plan to:

• Resolve crashes and significant bugs discovered during public testing
• Finalize the theming and settings systems
• Improve compatibility and polish
• Establish a supported migration path from Version 3
• Provide a normal installation experience

As with Version 3, some functionality may require a paid license once Version 4 reaches stable release.

Development will continue after the stable release with additional features, improvements, and fixes.