Open source

Trove

A fast file explorer that feels the same on Windows, Mac and Ubuntu.

Made by Joy Ahmed at ZettaByte

v0.1.1Released 4 November 2026MITDownload View on GitHub

One file explorer, the same on all three systems. Real tabs, a path bar whose arrows list the folders next to the one you are in, a terminal pane under the file list, and archives you walk into like any other folder. Press Ctrl+K and one box finds files, apps and Trove’s own actions, with a preview beside the results.

It stays on your machine. No account, no telemetry, no network calls in the background and no automatic updates — the release builds do not carry an updater.

A folder of 100,000 files, a photo found with Ctrl+K, a preview.
Ctrl+K: files, apps and actions in one list.
A 100,000-file tree, with the details pane open.
The arrow in the path lists the subfolders.
Inside a zip, like any other folder.

Why Trove

Joy works on Windows, Ubuntu and a Mac every day: three machines, three file managers, three sets of keys in his hands. On Windows, Explorer felt slow in big folders, and a network drive that had gone offline could freeze the whole window.

So he built one file explorer that behaves the same on all three, with the things he kept reaching for built in: a search box that opens from anywhere, a terminal under the file list, and archives that open like folders. He uses it every day.

What it does

Find anything in a keystroke

Ctrl+K searches files, apps and Trove’s own actions in one list, with a preview card for the file you are on — text, images, PDFs, a folder summary. A global shortcut opens the same search as a small floating box over any app.

Big folders, no waiting

A tree of 100,000 files scrolls smoothly, with folder sizes right in the list and a details pane for the file you are on.

Real tabs

Tabs come back after a restart. Save a group of them as a named tab set and open it again later.

Undo that survives a restart

Every disk action can be undone, even after Trove has been closed. An undo history lets you undo an older action when nothing after it touched the same files.

Archives open like folders

Walk into zip, 7z, tar and RAR files. Extract all into a folder you choose, with progress, a choice when files clash, and undo.

A terminal under the list

Ctrl+` opens a terminal pane. With a shell that reports its folder — fish out of the box, or one line in zsh, bash or PowerShell — typing cd moves the file list with you.

Your words, your keys

Pick the system you are coming from and Trove uses the words you know: Recycle Bin or Trash, This PC or This Mac. Every shortcut can be changed, and Trove says when a key is already taken.

At home on each system

On Windows: the system’s own right-click items in one menu, paths over 260 characters, OneDrive badges, WSL distros with a running dot. On a Mac: HEIC and video previews. On Ubuntu: your desktop’s apps listed, and Trove can be the app that opens folders.

Decisions, and what they cost

Every one of these is recorded in the repository itself. They are here because a choice explained is worth more than a feature listed.

  1. A dead network drive never freezes the window

    A share that does not answer shows “Still reaching the server…” with a Cancel button, and the local drives appear at once. On Linux a dead NFS, CIFS or sshfs mount cannot hang Trove either. Network drives are never opened on their own — only when you open one.

  2. Nothing goes out unless you press Enter

    No telemetry, no analytics and no code for either. The web-search row builds a link while you type and opens it in your browser only on Enter. Logs stay in Trove’s own folder on your machine.

  3. No automatic updates

    The release builds carry no updater. A new version is installed over the old one, and every release lists SHA256 checksums to check a download against.

  4. Guarded Mac folders stay closed until you open them

    macOS asks before an app reads Desktop, Documents or Downloads. Trove does not touch those folders until you open one yourself or press Allow in Settings, and a search says which folders it skipped.

  5. Opens RAR, never makes it

    RAR support uses UnRAR under its own licence, which only allows extracting. So Trove opens and extracts RAR files and never creates them.

  6. Says which program holds a file

    When a file will not delete because something has it open, Trove names the program instead of failing with a generic error. A denied action on Windows offers Retry as administrator.

At a glance

Language mix

  • TypeScript47.4%
  • Rust46.0%
  • Svelte4.1%
  • CSS1.6%
Platforms
Windows · macOS · Ubuntu
Runtime
Tauri 2, Rust on the back
Interface
Svelte 5, Tailwind
Archives
zip, 7z, tar, RAR (open only)
Telemetry
None
Auto-updates
None
Licence
MIT
Price
Free
  • Rust
  • Tauri 2
  • Svelte 5
  • Tailwind
  • Bun

Everything you can type or press

Keys

Every shortcut can be changed in Settings › Keyboard.

Ctrl K
Find files, apps and actions
Ctrl `
Open the terminal pane

In the search box

*.pdf
Search by extension
12*7
Does the sum
Enter on the web row
Opens the search in your browser — nothing goes out before

Build it yourself

Rust, Bun and Tauri 2’s system libraries for your OS (on Linux: WebKitGTK 4.1, GTK 3 and friends). RAR support builds a small C++ library, so a C++ compiler is needed too: MSVC, clang or g++.

git clone https://github.com/joyahmed/trove.git
cd trove
bun install --frozen-lockfile
bun run tauri dev                             # run it while you work on it
bun run build:installer                       # Windows installer
bun run tauri build                           # Mac app and .dmg
bun run tauri build --bundles deb,appimage    # Ubuntu .deb and AppImage

Each platform builds only its own artifacts; the release workflow in the repository does all of them at once.

Download

v0.1.14 November 2026

Choose a build

Or install with a package manager

  • Scoop · Windows

    scoop bucket add zettabyte https://github.com/joyahmed/scoop-bucket
scoop install zettabyte/trove

  • Homebrew · macOS

    brew install --cask joyahmed/tap/trove

The first time you open it

Windows
Trove is not signed by a known publisher yet, so Windows warns you on first run: click More info, then Run anyway.
macOS
Trove is not notarized yet, so macOS refuses it the first time. Open System Settings › Privacy & Security, scroll down and click Open Anyway. Once.
Linux
Install the .deb with sudo apt install ./Trove_<version>_amd64.deb, or make the AppImage executable and run it.

Free and open source — view the code on GitHub. 14 downloads of this release. Checksums and release notes are on the releases page.

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