The DropIt idea, all grown up.

DropIt proved that Windows users want pattern-based file automation. Elegant File Explorer takes the same idea further: conditions that read inside PDFs with OCR, a simulation before every run, full undo, and a gallery of 176 ready-made recipes — inside a complete file manager.

Get it for Windows How it works

Simulate before every run Undo after every run One-time license

Downloads Accounting

This PC›Downloads Search this folder

Quick access

Downloads

Accounting

Media

Smart views

Modified today

Downloaded from the web

Touched by automation

Favorites

Receipts

NameTagsTypeModifiedSize

invoice-2026-06.pdf

invoicePDFtoday210 KB

receipt-amazon.pdf

—PDFyesterday88 KB

contract-acme.docx

—DocumentMon96 KB

camera-export.zip

—ArchiveMon1.4 GB

Accounting / 2026

—FolderJun 8—

Filed to Accounting / 2026rehearsed first · undo ready

100+

ready-made recipes, by profession and country

20+

packs, from developer to legal to photo

files sent to the cloud, ever

button to undo a run's moves

Watch the run before it ever happens.

DropIt taught Windows to automate files by pattern. Elegant File Explorer adds the parts that make automation feel safe: a dry-run simulation before every run, and one-click undo after. Same idea, a modern engine.

Simulate every run. A read-only dry run rehearses, file by file, with per-action counts before a single move.
Undo the moves. A run's moves, renames, copies and zips reverse in one click; deletes go to the Recycle Bin.
Actively developed. New recipes and features on a living roadmap, with a one-time license.

Simulation — Invoices recipeDRY RUN

files matched

folders to create

applied yet

sensitive · skipped

Nothing moved yet — this is only a rehearsal.Approve and applyUndo

Rules that read inside the document.

A filename rarely holds what matters. The invoice number, the client, the words on the page live inside the file. A rule can read them, so it matches on meaning, not just the name — and it still watches folders in real time, just like DropIt's monitored folders.

Reads inside the file. Match text inside PDFs — including scanned ones, via native OCR — plus Word, Excel and text files, with plain terms or regex.
AND/OR condition groups. The associations you knew from DropIt, now with richer, nested logic.
Real-time watching. Acts the moment a file lands — and Deep Search content indexing is opt-in, filling in the background.

Condition — text contains… Entire PC ▾

invoice-2026-06.pdf

Downloads · content: “invoice” → Accounting / 2026

Enter ↵

receipt-amazon.pdf

Downloads · content: “receipt” → Accounting / Receipts

contract-acme.docx

Downloads · content: “agreement” → Clients / Acme

Index: 53,929 files · ready · deep search onTab accepts a filter · ↑↓ to move · Enter opens

Keep the idea, gain the safety net.

DropIt is a respected, lightweight classic, and if it still covers what you need, keep it. This is for when you want content matching, a rehearsal before each run, reversible moves, and active development behind it all.

Undo history. Each run is logged and reverses in one click; deletes only ever go to the Recycle Bin.
Ready-made recipes. A gallery of 100+ across 26 packs, grouped by profession and by country, always shown with a simulation first.
A complete manager. The automation sits inside a file manager with tabs, preview, search and duplicate finder.

History · recent runseach run reversible in one click

Invoices42 files moved→Undo available

Photos180 files moved→Undo available

Installers6 files moved→Undo available

Tags and reminders aside, a run's moves, renames, copies and zips all reverse.

Not a utility, a complete manager.

The automation you came for sits inside a modern file manager you can browse in all day.

Browser-style tabs

Five view modes, eight smart views and color-grouped favorites.

Instant search palette

Ctrl+Space finds by name, folder or origin; opt-in Deep Search also looks inside documents.

Built-in preview

PDFs render their pages; Office files show extracted text with a thumbnail.

Sort by download origin

Organize and search by the site a file came from, read from Windows' mark of the web.

Duplicate finder

Exact SHA-256 matches, always reviewed by hand — never auto-deleted.

Batch rename

Rename a whole selection at once with a live preview of every result.

Elegant File Explorer vs. DropIt.

DropIt is a respected, lightweight classic. Here is where the two differ today — if DropIt still covers your needs, it is a fine choice.

Feature	Elegant File Explorer	DropIt
Real-time folder watching	Yes	Yes
Pattern-based automation	Yes	Yes
Simulate before applying	Every run	Not built in
One-click undo after a run	Yes	Not built in
Reads inside PDFs (OCR)	Yes	Not built in
Ready-made recipe gallery	100+	Build your own
Complete file manager included	Yes	Utility
License	One-time	Free

One license. Every recipe included.

No subscription. No feature locked behind a higher tier. Try it for 7 days, then it is a one-time purchase — yours for good, running entirely on your PC.

7-day free trial. Everything included, no card required.
One-time purchase. A single license, no recurring billing, ever.
Available on the Microsoft Store. One-time purchase, all updates to the current version included.
100% local. No account, no cloud, no telemetry, no networking code.

Get it for Windows See the comparison

Frequently asked questions.

Can it import my DropIt associations?

Not automatically, but most translate to a rule in seconds, and the recipe gallery already covers the classics: by type, by name, by age, by size.

Does it run in the background like DropIt?

Yes. Real-time rules watch the folders you choose and act the moment a file lands, exactly like DropIt's monitored folders.

Is my data sent anywhere?

No. The app is 100% local: no account, no cloud, no telemetry.

Why pay when DropIt is free?

For the OCR content matching, the simulation, the undo, the ready-made recipes and active development. If DropIt still covers what you need, keep it. This is for when you need more.

The idea you loved, a decade newer.

Preview first. Undo after. OCR inside your files. And a hundred recipes ready to go — in a complete Windows file manager.

Get it for Windows How it works