English | Deutsch | Machine-readable context (llms.txt)
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Note
For AI Agents & LLMs: Machine-readable architecture context, search keywords, runtime invariants, and verification entry points are maintained in llms.txt.
ExplorerPro is a modern, privacy-first desktop file manager and power-user explorer suite for Windows, Linux, and macOS. It unites multi-tab directory navigation, instant multi-format file previews (PDF, images, syntax-highlighted source code, markdown, spreadsheet), high-performance SQLite FTS5 full-text indexing, hash-based duplicate detection, privacy monitoring, folder synchronization, and an integrated code editor in a single native PySide6 (Qt 6) application.
- Overview & Value Proposition
- Visual Showcase Gallery
- System Architecture
- End-to-End Processing Lifecycle
- Governance & Runtime Invariants
- Core Capabilities & Multi-Tab Browser
- Integrated Quick Editor & Sync Engine
- Universal 6-Language Localization
- Keyboard Shortcuts
- Installation & Quick Start
- Microsoft Store & Packaging
- Testing & Quality Gates
- Sibling Ecosystem & Integration Matrix
- Third-Party Licenses & Transparency
- Privacy, Security & License
Standard operating system file managers are built for casual browsing and lack the heavy-lifting tools developers, researchers, and power users require daily. ExplorerPro addresses this gap by packaging pro-grade productivity utilities into a cohesive, responsive desktop interface with zero telemetry and 100% Local-First data isolation.
- Unified Multi-Tab Experience: Browse multiple directories concurrently with tab pinning, breadcrumbs navigation, drag-and-drop, and intelligent context menus.
- Deep File Inspection: Instant inline rendering for PDFs (PyMuPDF), images, structured spreadsheets (pandas, openpyxl), Markdown, and source code files with auto-detected syntax highlighting.
- High-Performance FTS5 Search: Rapid indexing and search across file names and text contents using embedded SQLite Full-Text Search with WAL mode.
- Byte-Exact Duplicate Elimination: Dual-stage scanning (file size grouping + MD5/SHA-256 chunk hashing) with side-by-side preview and safe recycling.
- Data Privacy & Blacklist Watchdog: Continuous scan indicator alerting users to accidental exposure of credentials, private keys, or blacklisted file patterns.
- Integrated Code Editor & Sync Tools: Quick inline editing with indentation guides and one-way/mirror directory synchronization with regex exclusion filters.
- 6-Language Native Localization: Full dynamic UI translation across English, German, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, and Russian.
| Main Multi-Tab Explorer & Preview | Advanced FTS5 Content Search |
|---|---|
 |
 |
| Multi-tab file browsing with tree navigation, favorites, status bar and inline preview. | Instant search filtering by name, content, file extension, and modification dates. |
| Hash-Based Duplicate Finder | Folder Synchronization Engine |
|---|---|
 |
 |
| Side-by-side duplicate candidate grouping with preview and safe batch deletion. | Folder mirror and differential sync with pattern-based exclusions and safety logs. |
The following diagram illustrates the layered architecture of ExplorerPro, showcasing the decoupled presentation, background processing engines, and local-first storage invariants:
flowchart TD
subgraph UI ["PySide6 Desktop UI Layer (Qt 6)"]
MW["MainWindow\n(Docking, Toolbars, Menu, Language Switcher)"]
TB["FileBrowser\n(Multi-Tab, _DnDTableView, ContextMenu)"]
PV["PreviewPanel\n(PyMuPDF PDF, Images, Markdown, Syntax View)"]
SB["SidebarPanel\n(Directory Tree, Favorites, App Launcher)"]
QE["QuickEditor\n(Syntax Highlighter, Line Numbers, UTF-8 Guard)"]
DF["DuplicateFinderDialog\n(Candidate Tree, Checkboxes, Diff View)"]
SP["SyncPanel\n(Source/Target Pairing, Diff Engine, Sync Worker)"]
PI["PrivacyIndicator\n(Traffic-Light Status, Accessible A11y Hook)"]
end
subgraph Core ["Core Application Services"]
EB["EventBus / Signal Dispatcher\n(Decoupled Cross-Component Messaging)"]
SM["SettingsManager\n(JSON Config, %LOCALAPPDATA% Isolation)"]
TE["ThemeEngine & Palette\n(Dark/Light Qt Styles, Dynamic Icons)"]
I18N["Translator & i18n Catalog\n(6 Languages: DE, EN, ES, ZH, JA, RU)"]
end
subgraph Engines ["Background Indexing & Analysis Engines"]
FTS["SQLite FTS5 Full-Text Engine\n(WAL Mode, Tokenized Content Index)"]
HASH["HashEngine (MD5 / SHA-256)\n(Size Grouping, Chunk-based Hashing)"]
PM["PrivacyMonitor\n(Regex Blacklist Engine, Sensitive Name Watcher)"]
SW["SearchWorker & ThreadPool\n(Asynchronous QThread Execution)"]
end
subgraph Safety ["File Operations & Safety Layer"]
FO["Safe File Operations\n(Recycle Bin Integration, OS-Safe Delete)"]
CP["Collision-Free Paste Engine\n(Auto-Suffixing, Zero-Overwrite Guard)"]
EXP["Workspace Exporter\n(Redacted explorerpro-workspace-v1 JSON)"]
LNK["Shortcut Resolver\n(Windows .lnk Target Resolution & Validation)"]
end
subgraph Invariants ["Platform & Privacy Invariants"]
ZERO["100% Offline / Zero-Egress\n(No Telemetry, No Cloud, Zero Remote APIs)"]
NONELEV["Non-Elevation User Mode\n(Runs strictly without Administrator privileges)"]
MULTI["Cross-Platform Ready\n(Windows Primary / Linux & macOS Source Parity)"]
end
%% UI Connections
MW --> TB
MW --> PV
MW --> SB
MW --> QE
MW --> DF
MW --> SP
MW --> PI
%% Core Services Connections
MW -.-> EB
TB -.-> EB
PV -.-> EB
EB <--> SM
EB <--> TE
EB <--> I18N
%% Engines Connections
TB --> SW
SW --> FTS
DF --> HASH
TB --> PM
PM --> PI
%% Safety Connections
TB --> FO
TB --> CP
MW --> EXP
PV --> LNK
%% Invariant Guards
Core -.-> ZERO
Engines -.-> NONELEV
Safety -.-> MULTI
The sequence diagram below shows the asynchronous execution lifecycle for user browsing, full-text FTS5 search queries, inline preview extraction, and safe duplicate scanning:
sequenceDiagram
autonumber
actor User as Power User / Desktop
participant UI as MainWindow & FileBrowser
participant EB as EventBus Dispatcher
participant Worker as Background QThread Worker
participant Index as SQLite FTS5 / HashEngine
participant Preview as Preview Engine (PyMuPDF / Qt)
participant FS as Local Filesystem & Recycle Bin
Note over User,FS: 1. Asynchronous Directory Navigation & Preview Request
User->>UI: Selects file / Switches folder tab
UI->>EB: emit file_selected(path, mime_type)
EB->>Preview: Request preview generation
Preview->>FS: Read file chunk / parse document structure
Preview-->>UI: Rendered QPixmap / Syntax QSyntaxHighlighter
UI-->>User: Instant visual preview display
Note over User,FS: 2. Full-Text Search (FTS5) Query Workflow
User->>UI: Types query in Search Toolbar (e.g. "confidential project")
UI->>Worker: Launch SearchWorker(query, filters, search_content=True)
Worker->>Index: Execute FTS5 MATCH query on local SQLite index
Index-->>Worker: Stream matching file paths + line offsets
Worker-->>UI: emit results_chunk_ready(matches)
UI-->>User: Live results population in TableView
Note over User,FS: 3. Hash-Based Duplicate Scan & Deletion
User->>UI: Opens Duplicate Finder & clicks "Scan Folder"
UI->>Worker: Start DuplicateScanner(target_dir, min_size=1KB)
Worker->>FS: Scan file sizes (Group identical sizes)
Worker->>Index: Compute chunk MD5 / full SHA-256 for candidate groups
Worker-->>UI: emit duplicates_found(grouped_hash_map)
UI-->>User: Display duplicate candidate tree
User->>UI: Selects redundant copy & clicks "Delete Selected"
UI->>FS: Safe recycle / os.remove(unselected_path)
FS-->>UI: Confirmation of space reclaimed
UI-->>User: Updated status bar + reclaimed disk space notification
ExplorerPro operates under 10 binding runtime and governance invariants to guarantee complete user privacy, data integrity, and operational predictability:
| Invariant ID | Name & Pillar | Implementation Details | User & Security Benefit |
|---|---|---|---|
| INV-LOCAL-01 | 100% Offline & Zero-Egress Privacy | Pure local runtime (src/core/, src/modules/) |
No network sockets opened; zero telemetry or remote analytics. |
| INV-SEC-02 | Unprivileged RunAsInvoker Non-Elevation | Standard unprivileged user execution | Operates without UAC elevation or root privileges; enterprise-safe. |
| INV-SAFE-03 | Destructive Safety Guard & Recycling | Recycle Bin integration with cancel-default dialogs | Accidental deletions prevented; files recoverable via OS recycle bin. |
| INV-PASTE-04 | Collision-Free Paste & Zero Overwrite | Automatic suffixing (_copy, _copy_2) |
Pasting never silently destroys or overwrites existing file assets. |
| INV-INDEX-05 | Sub-Second SQLite FTS5 Full-Text Index | SQLite WAL mode with tokenized virtual tables | Instant full-text search across thousands of documents locally. |
| INV-HASH-06 | 2-Phase MD5/SHA-256 Duplicate Elimination | File size grouping followed by chunk hashing | Rapid and byte-exact duplicate detection without false positives. |
| INV-PRIV-07 | Proactive Regex Privacy & Secret Watchdog | Traffic-light status indicator (src/modules/privacy/) |
Alerts immediately if API keys, .env, or blacklisted terms appear. |
| INV-I18N-08 | Universal 6-Language Native Parity | locales/translations.json (154 keys) |
100% complete UI translations across DE, EN, ES, ZH, JA, RU. |
| INV-EXP-09 | Sanitized Workspace Export Contract | explorerpro-workspace-v1 schema |
Exported configurations redact absolute paths, usernames, and secrets. |
| INV-SLA-10 | 48-Hour Security Response & 5-Day Triage | Bilingual policy in SECURITY.md |
Rapid vulnerability handling via GitHub Security Advisories. |
- Dynamic Multi-Tab Management: Open tabs for disparate drives, network shares, and deep folder paths. Features drag-and-drop tab reordering, tab closing with middle-click or keyboard shortcut, and state persistence between sessions.
- Breadcrumb & Path Navigator: Direct path bar editing with auto-completion alongside interactive breadcrumb buttons for effortless parent directory traversal.
- Sortable Detailed File List: High-performance Qt table view with sorting across Name, Extension, File Size, Modification Date, and Type.
- Integrated Sidebar: Quick access to System Drives, Pinned Bookmarks, Common Directories (Desktop, Documents, Downloads), and configured Application Launchers.
- Integrated Quick Editor (
QuickEditor):- Embedded syntax highlighting for Python, C/C++, JSON, XML, YAML, and Markdown.
- Line numbers, indentation guides, find/replace toolbar, and automatic UTF-8 fallback encoding safeguards.
- Edit scripts, notes, or configuration files in-place without spawning external editors.
- Folder Synchronization (
SyncPanel):- One-way mirror and bidirectional synchronization options.
- Differential dry-run preview comparing timestamps and file sizes before execution.
- Regex-based exclusion filters for
.git,__pycache__,.venv, and node modules.
ExplorerPro includes built-in, native translations for 6 international languages:
- Deutsch (de) — Deutsche Benutzeroberfläche und Meldungen
- English (en) — Primary international reference language
- Español (es) — Spanish user interface
- 中文 (zh) — Simplified Chinese localization
- 日本語 (ja) — Japanese localization
- Русский (ru) — Russian localization
Language preference can be switched dynamically in Settings -> General without requiring application restart.
ExplorerPro provides comprehensive keyboard control designed for high-efficiency navigation:
| Shortcut | Context | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Ctrl + N | Global | Open a new ExplorerPro window |
| Ctrl + T | Browser | Open a new directory tab |
| Ctrl + W | Browser | Close active directory tab |
| Ctrl + Tab | Browser | Cycle through open directory tabs |
| Ctrl + F | Global | Focus search bar and trigger FTS5 search |
| F2 | Browser | Rename selected file or folder |
| Delete | Browser | Delete selected items (with confirmation dialog) |
| Ctrl + C | Browser | Copy selected files/folders to clipboard |
| Ctrl + V | Browser | Paste files from clipboard (with collision-free auto-suffix) |
| Ctrl + Shift + N | Browser | Create a new folder in current directory |
| F5 | Global | Refresh current directory listing and file preview |
| Alt + Left | Browser | Navigate back in folder history |
| Alt + Right | Browser | Navigate forward in folder history |
| Alt + Up | Browser | Navigate up to parent directory |
| Ctrl + , | Global | Open application settings dialog (5 Tabs) |
| Ctrl + Q | Global | Safely exit application |
- Python 3.10, 3.11, or 3.12
- Operating System: Windows 10/11, Linux (Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, Arch), or macOS (12+)
# 1. Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/file-bricks/ExplorerPro.git
cd ExplorerPro
# 2. Create and activate a virtual environment
python -m venv .venv
# On Windows:
.venv\Scripts\activate
# On Linux / macOS:
source .venv/bin/activate
# 3. Install production dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt# Direct launch via Python:
python src/main.py
# Windows standalone launcher script:
START_ExplorerPro.batExplorerPro is actively published in the Microsoft Store under package identity Geiger.ExplorerPro (Store ID: 9P0X52WSHZ3Q).
To run the local Store Readiness preflight audit:
# Run store readiness validation (icons, manifests, screenshot sets):
python scripts/check_store_readiness.py
# Regenerate high-resolution redacted store screenshots:
python generate_store_screenshots.pyStore documentation:
- STORE_LISTING.md — Official Store listing copy and localized descriptions.
- WINDOWS_STORE_PREP.md — MSIX packaging procedure and manifest layout.
- SUPPORT.md — Support contacts and issue handling.
ExplorerPro enforces strict quality gates, automated contract tests, and multi-OS CI validation:
# Run full automated test suite (230+ tests):
python -m pytest -q
# Run bytecode compilation across all modules:
python -m compileall -q src tests manage_translations.py translator.py
# Run static linting and code hygiene:
python -m ruff check .
# Run cross-platform desktop smoke test:
python tests/source_platform_smoke.py
# Verify i18n translation coverage across 6 languages:
python manage_translations.py .Every commit and pull request is automatically verified via GitHub Actions CI across:
- Operating Systems:
windows-latest,ubuntu-latest,macos-latest - Python Versions:
3.10,3.11,3.12 - Quality Gates:
compileall,ruff check .,pytestoffscreen suite, andsource_platform_smoke.py.
ExplorerPro is part of the open-bricks open-source software family and collaborates seamlessly with related desktop tools, file processors, and MCP infrastructure:
| Repository | Organization | Domain / Focus | Parity & Integration |
|---|---|---|---|
| ProFiler | file-bricks |
Batch file metadata analysis & categorizer | Companion file categorization engine |
| ProSync | file-bricks |
High-performance folder synchronization | Standalone enterprise folder synchronization |
| SQLiteViewer | file-bricks |
Visual SQLite database inspector | Direct inspector for ExplorerPro FTS5 search databases |
| SoftwareCenter | file-bricks |
Local desktop software inventory & launcher | Ecosystem launcher and updater hub |
| CloudLockFixer | file-bricks |
Windows cloud lock & sync status repair | Unlocks stuck OneDrive/Nextcloud files |
| WinStorePackager | file-bricks |
Automated MSIX store packaging & WACK tooling | Toolchain packaging generator for Store releases |
| DokuZen | doc-bricks |
Document management & destructive redaction | Companion for advanced OCR & permanent document redaction |
| FormularErstellen | doc-bricks |
Dynamic form creation & PDF document generation | Standardized PDF forms generator |
| CleanMarkdown | doc-bricks |
High-fidelity markdown sanitization & formatting | Formats documents previewed in ExplorerPro |
| PDFtoPDFocr | doc-bricks |
Searchable PDF OCR conversion | Converts scanned PDFs for ExplorerPro FTS5 indexing |
| FAST_PDFSchwaerzerPro | doc-bricks |
Secure PDF redaction and blacking | Permanent blacking and sanitization of confidential files |
| CodeBox | dev-bricks |
Multi-language code editor & IDE | Standalone developer IDE for complex programming |
| DevCenter | dev-bricks |
Developer utility workbench & converters | Formats and converts files for quick inspection |
| MethodenAnalyser | dev-bricks |
Static code analysis & metrics engine | Inspects complexity of codebases found in ExplorerPro |
| automizer-for-claude-desktop | dev-bricks |
Desktop task queuing & automator | Desktop agent integration and workflow automation |
| ellmos-controlcenter-mcp | ellmos-ai |
Model Context Protocol gateway & routing | MCP gateway integration for AI tooling |
| open-bricks | open-bricks |
Umbrella repository & catalog | Central umbrella portal for all open-source tools |
ExplorerPro strictly relies on proven, compatible open-source libraries. A comprehensive audit of all direct, optional, and build dependencies is documented in THIRD_PARTY_LICENSES.md and THIRD_PARTY_LICENSES.txt:
- PySide6 (Qt 6): LGPL-3.0-only (Dynamically linked shared libraries; no Qt modifications)
- PyMuPDF (
fitz): AGPL-3.0-only / Commercial (Full copyleft license alignment with ExplorerPro) - pandas: BSD-3-Clause (Tabular data processing & spreadsheet inspection)
- openpyxl: MIT (Excel workbook parsing)
- PyInstaller: GPL-2.0-or-later with packaging exception (Build-time standalone packaging)
- pytest / ruff / setuptools: MIT / Apache-2.0 (Testing and code hygiene toolchain)
Strategic marketing plans, search queries, and audience personas are tracked in MARKETING-LOG.txt.
ExplorerPro is open-source software licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License v3 (AGPL-3.0). See the LICENSE file for complete terms.
- Zero Data Egress: 100% offline; zero telemetry, cookies, or remote pings. See PRIVACY_POLICY.md.
- RunAsInvoker Security: Runs exclusively with unprivileged user rights; no administrator prompt.
- Security SLA: Vulnerability reports handled with a 48-hour response and 5-day triage commitment. Full reporting instructions in SECURITY.md.
Dieses Projekt wird unentgeltlich als Open-Source-Software bereitgestellt. Nutzung auf eigenes Risiko. Es gibt keine Wartungszusage, Verfügbarkeitsgarantie, Gewähr für Fehlerfreiheit oder Eignung für einen bestimmten Zweck.
This project is provided as unpaid open-source software. Use it at your own risk. No warranty, maintenance promise, availability guarantee, or fitness for a particular purpose is assumed.