microsoft/winfile

★ 7,066CAudience · developerComplexity · 2/5LicenseSetup · moderate

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((repo))
    What it does
      Two-pane file browser
      Windows 3.0 original
      Modern Windows support
    Tech stack
      C language
      Win32 API
      32-bit 64-bit ARM
    Install options
      Winget package
      Chocolatey MSYS2
      Microsoft Store
    Status
      MIT license
      Now archived
      Forks allowed

mindmap root((repo)) What it does Two-pane file browser Windows 3.0 original Modern Windows support Tech stack C language Win32 API 32-bit 64-bit ARM Install options Winget package Chocolatey MSYS2 Microsoft Store Status MIT license Now archived Forks allowed

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Things people build with this

USE CASE 1

Install the classic Windows 3.0 File Manager on a modern Windows 11 PC using Winget or Chocolatey without building from source.

USE CASE 2

Fork the source code to build your own custom two-pane file browser for Windows, starting from a proven historical codebase.

USE CASE 3

Study the original Windows file management code as a historical reference for C and Win32 API programming.

Tech stack

CWin32 API

Getting it running

Difficulty · moderate Time to first run · 5min

Pre-built installers available via Winget, Chocolatey, and the Microsoft Store, building from source requires a Windows C compiler.

Use and share freely for any purpose, including commercial use, as long as you keep the copyright notice.

In plain English

This repository contains the source code for the original Windows File Manager, the two-pane file browser that shipped with Windows 3.0 in the early 1990s. Microsoft released the source code publicly and added just enough changes to make it compile and run on modern Windows, including Windows 11, on 32-bit, 64-bit, and ARM hardware. The repository keeps two versions. One is tagged as the near-original source, updated only to build with a current compiler. The other is an actively maintained branch with additional improvements added over time. The README does not describe specific new features, but notes that enhancements have been made to the actively developed version. If you just want to use the app rather than build it yourself, pre-compiled downloads are available through the Microsoft Store, through Winget (Windows package manager), through Chocolatey, and through MSYS2. The latest release at the time of writing was version 10.3.0.0. Note that Microsoft has announced this repository will be archived and no longer maintained by the organization. The announcement cites a lack of internal resources to continue the work. The code remains available and forks are permitted, but the official maintainers will no longer accept pull requests or make updates after the archive date. The project is open source under the MIT license.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1

I want to install the original Windows File Manager on Windows 11 using winget. Show me the exact command.

Prompt 2

I cloned the microsoft/winfile repo and want to compile it on Windows 11 with Visual Studio. Walk me through the build steps.

Prompt 3

I want to fork winfile and add a dark mode to the classic Windows File Manager. Which C source files should I look at first?

Prompt 4

Explain what changes Microsoft made to the original winfile source code to make it compile on modern Windows compilers.

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