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I'm looking for software that displays the folder tree of a specific folder in Windows almost like the Folder Pane in File Explorer.

Customization. I personally want to display the folder tree of my User folder but being able to specify a specific folder would be great. I also want to be able to modify the tree so that certain folder branches are open and other folder branches are closed.

Move Files Around. I want to be able to move files from one folder to another. For example, if I have a file saved on my Desktop, I can just drag and drop it into a folder in the folder tree.

Why Window's Folder Pane is Insufficient. Some people may suggest to just use the Folder Pane in Windows File Explorer. The Folder Pane is almost perfect but it can only starts from the C: drive and it includes all the other drives and junk. You also can't get rid of the main section on the right which shows the contents of the folder that is selected.

If anyone could recommend a software that does this, I would be eternally grateful. Thanks!

Linux seems to have this capability. Does anyone know of something similar for Windows?

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XYPlorer is a commercial portable file manager that has a "minitree" which has a few more capabilities than default windows one.

It can load custom paths, add or remove favorite folders, and load states and hide unused items.

I'm not sure it can actually show files or be used exclusively without the main panes though, but you can expand it to occupy most of the window width.

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You can hide folders and collapse everything to show only a single folder. Custom mini trees can be saved and loaded to restore a particular layout. They can also be locked to prevent navigating away from a conscripted location.

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  • Thank you so much for your response. Can you start the tree with one's User Folder only and get rid of the Computer and other drives? By the way, I found out that TreeSize also has this capability. I wonder which is better. Dec 13, 2020 at 23:28
  • The Computer node always shows, as far as I can tell, but you can hide everything else. See screenshot in updated answer above Dec 13, 2020 at 23:59
  • Thanks for the help. I actually love the main pane. I'm just worried whether if the folder tree can be saved in its customized expanded format and can stay that way. I actually use Directory Opus. It has the same expandable folder tree as well but it won't stay locked all the time. If you select a network drive, the entire folder tree that I spent a lot of time setting up changes. Do you know if you can lock the folder tree within XYPlorer? I'd hate to switch since I spent months learning how to use Opus but I'll do it if XYPlorer is actually better. Dec 15, 2020 at 15:33
  • There are two commands in the View menu View > MiniTree> Save and Load to load and save custom trees and View > Lock Tree which prevents navigating away from that "walled garden" Dec 15, 2020 at 18:10
  • Duarte, thanks for your help! Really appreciate it. Jan 15, 2021 at 23:38

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