EmpiricCommander Features

Copy / Move / Delete

Standard file operations with progress tracking, parallel transfers, and a 10-second undo toast for accidental moves.

iPhone shows a confirmation dialog instead of a passive undo toast.

Cross-provider copy

Drag from S3 to local, SFTP to Google Drive, iCloud to Azure. The same file operation spans every backend with no intermediate downloads visible to you.

New folder, inline rename, multi-select

Create folders, rename in place, and select ranges with Shift-click or rubber-band selection.

Batch rename (operations + regex)

Rename hundreds of files at once with first-class operations - add prefix or suffix, remove text/digits/symbols, change case, number, or change extension - plus regex as a manual escape hatch. No operation can drop a file's extension by accident. Live preview before committing.

On macOS 26 / iPad with Apple Intelligence, an optional command bar lets you describe the rename in plain words - see On-Device AI.

Conflict resolution

Skip, replace, rename, or merge when destinations already exist. Decide once and apply to all conflicts in a transfer.

Parallel transfers with live progress

Multiple files transfer in parallel with per-file progress and cancel-anytime support.

Background transfers

Large transfers continue in the background even when you switch tasks. URLSession's background configuration takes over so the OS can resume after suspends.

Step into ZIP archives as folders

Browse ZIP archives like regular folders. Drill into nested archives, extract individual entries, drag files out into other panes.

Step into 7z and RAR archives

Same drill-in experience for 7z and RAR formats. macOS only, because the extraction toolchain uses subprocess calls unavailable on iOS.

Create and extract ZIP

Compress selections into a new ZIP, or extract any ZIP in place. Pure-Swift implementation, works on every platform.

Dual-pane browsing

Two independent panels with their own paths, sort orders, and view modes. Copy or move with one drag across panes.

iPad falls back to single-pane at compact width unless force-toggled.

Single-pane browsing on iPhone

iPhone uses a focused single-pane layout with bottom tabs: Browse, Shelf, Cloud, Settings. Optimized for one-handed use.

iPad falls back to single-pane when the window is compact.

Tabs (up to 10 per side)

Open multiple tabs per pane to keep frequent folders one tap away.

Workspaces

Save the current pane layout, paths, tabs, and sort orders as a workspace. Restore the exact setup with one click. Unlimited workspaces for different projects or clients.

Drag and drop between panes

Drag a selection from one pane to the other to copy or move it. Hold Option to force copy or Command to force move. Drop onto folders to place files inside.

Breadcrumb navigation

Click any path segment to jump back up the tree. Right-click for sibling navigation.

View modes (list, grid, tree)

Switch between list, grid, and tree views per pane.

iPhone is list-only. Grid and tree are designed for dual-pane layouts.

Hidden files toggle

Show or hide dotfiles and system items with a single shortcut. Per-pane preference.

Filter and search

Filter (Cmd+F) narrows the current folder live. Search recurses into subfolders.

Quick Look preview

Cmd+Y or Space to preview any file without leaving the file manager. Navigate through siblings with arrow keys.

Rich preview for code and data

Code, CSV, YAML, TOML, JSON, and Markdown get a structured preview with syntax highlighting and table rendering. On Apple Intelligence devices, an on-device AI Summarize action explains the file inline without modifying it.

Drag and drop with Files / Finder

Drag files into EmpiricCommander from the Files app on iPadOS or Finder on macOS. Drop them on a pane or a folder.

iPhone uses Import from Files; cross-app paste is not exposed by the iOS sandbox.

Shelf (cross-source clipboard)

Stage files from any source on a floating shelf. Move them across panes, connections, or devices without juggling.

Shelf iCloud sync

Drop a file on the shelf from your Mac, pick it up on your iPad. Same shelf, all your devices.

Locked Shelf (encrypted vault)

An encrypted compartment inside the Shelf for highly sensitive items. Files at rest are AES-GCM encrypted with a key derived from your passphrase via PBKDF2; only the unlock screen ever holds the plaintext key in memory.

iOS Files app integration

EmpiricCommander connections appear under Locations in the system Files app. All six remote providers (WebDAV, SFTP, S3, Google Drive, Azure, FTP) enumerate against the live backend through EmpiricCommander's File Provider extension.

Other apps can share, import, and export through EmpiricCommander's providers without leaving the Files app.

Disk Usage treemap with drill-down

Squarified treemap color-coded by file kind. Double-click or Enter Folder to drill into subfolders; the path stack + breadcrumb + Up button navigate the tree. Top-10 sidebar lists the largest items in the current scan. Right-click → Delete with confirmation works in both bar-list and treemap modes.

Drill-down navigation and Top-10 sidebar are macOS and iPad only; iPhone shows the flat treemap view.

Git Projects (Status, Commit, Log graph, Stash, Pull/Push)

When the active pane is inside a Git repository, EmpiricCommander surfaces a branch chip, a Git toolbar menu (Status, Commit with Stage All, Discard, Stash save/list, Switch Branch, Pull/Push/Fetch), a Log master-detail with a branch/merge topology graph (Canvas-rendered lanes, dots, and merge rings), a per-file context menu (Stage / Unstage / Discard / Show Diff), and SF Symbol status badges on file rows.

macOS only - built on AsyncSwiftGit and a forked static-libgit2 with libgit2 1.9.1, libssh2 1.11.1, OpenSSL 3.0.16.

Auto-Organize folder

Group files by type, date, or custom rules into new subfolders. Live preview before committing.

Duplicate Finder

Find duplicates by name, size, or content hash. Review groups before deleting.

Folder Sync (one-way and two-way)

Sync two folders with configurable conflict policy and optional SHA-256 verification after each copy.

Folder Compare and File Diff

Highlight differences between two folders. Open individual files in a side-by-side text diff.

Checksum view (MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256)

Compute hashes for files or selections. Useful for verifying downloads or detecting tampering.

Full Terminal (SwiftTerm)

An xterm-compatible terminal built on SwiftTerm. Your dotfiles, aliases, completions, and preferred shell.

OmniShell (in-app shell on iOS)

A lightweight built-in shell for iPad and iPhone with Unix-like commands. Type `help` inside the app to list supported commands.

External editor integration

Open files in BBEdit, VS Code, Sublime, or any registered macOS app with per-extension defaults. NSWorkspace handles the handoff.

F-key toolbar

Norton Commander muscle memory: F5 Copy, F6 Move, F7 New, F8 Delete, F9 Terminal. macOS only.

Open in external app

Hand a file to another app via NSWorkspace on macOS or the share sheet on iOS.