Better Explorer

Maintained by CodePlex, an open-source software development community, the Alpha of Better Explorer (aka BExplorer) looks and behaves the way Windows Explorer will in Windows 8--except that it runs in Windows 7. At the top of the file-finder window, Better Explorer adds options that behave much as the Ribbon at the top of Microsoft Word's newest layout does, letting you more easily ar­­range, copy, move, and delete files. The free tool also has a button for ac­­cessing a file’s properties when you’re using a device (such as a tablet) that doesn’t support right-clicking. Best of all, you can view folders in tabs at the top of the window, so you can see multiple folders at once without getting lost.

--Megan Geuss