Why I Started Building a Windows File Explorer with Rust

A look into the motivation, technical stack, and UX design philosophy behind Hyper-Dir

🧩 Why I Wanted a Better File Explorer

The default Windows File Explorer is okay — but as a developer, I kept running into limitations.

• No tab support
• Poor keyboard navigation
• No built-in dual/multi-pane view
• Difficult to customize or extend

Eventually, I asked myself:

“What if I just built my own?”

🚀 The Birth of Hyper-Dir

That’s how Hyper-Dir was born.
Not just a file explorer, but one that’s developer-friendly, lightning fast, extensible, and keyboard-first.
Inspired by tools like VSCode.

Project Goals

• ✅ Full keyboard navigation
• ✅ Multiple panels & tabs
• ✅ Plugin-based extensibility
• ✅ Clean and intuitive UX
• ✅ Native-like performance

🛠 Why I Chose Rust, Tauri, and React

🦀 Rust

I was drawn to Rust for its performance and memory safety.
Working with the file system, especially on Windows, requires low-level control — and Rust gives that without sacrificing safety.

🪟 Tauri

Compared to Electron, Tauri is:

• Lighter
• Faster
• More native-feeling

Best of all, it plays beautifully with Rust.

⚛️ React

For the frontend, I went with React.

• Fast development
• Huge ecosystem
• Well-suited for building extensible UI, like VSCode extensions

🧠 UI/UX Inspired by VSCode

Hyper-Dir’s interface is heavily inspired by Visual Studio Code.

• Sidebar → Directory tree
• Tab bar → Navigate multiple folders
• Main panel → File list / preview
• Status bar → Path info, selection details
• Shortcuts → Ctrl+P, Ctrl+B, and more

Developers are already familiar with VSCode.
A familiar layout means less friction and better usability.

🗺 Roadmap Ahead

Hyper-Dir is still early in development, but here’s what’s coming next:

• Git integration & embedded terminal
• Custom plugin system
• Favorites and history
• Advanced filtering & fuzzy search
• Extended command palette

💬 Closing Thoughts

As a developer, building the tools I use every day is incredibly rewarding.
Hyper-Dir started as a way to solve my own pain points — but I hope it becomes a helpful tool for others too.

Curious about the project or want to contribute?
Feedback, issues, and PRs are always welcome!

🧑‍💻 Check out the GitHub repo