Elegant File Explorer
Get it for Windows

Love Hazel? This is Hazel for Windows, with preview and undo.

Elegant File Explorer watches your folders and files everything automatically, by rules you set once, the same way Hazel works on the Mac. Add a dry-run simulation before anything moves, one-click undo, and OCR that reads inside your PDFs — built native for Windows 10 and 11.

Get it for Windows See how it works
Preview before anything moves One-click undo 100% local, no cloud
Downloads Documents
FileEditGoToolsView
This PC›Downloads Search this folder
Quick access
Downloads
Documents
Pictures
Smart views
Modified today
Downloaded from the web
Touched by automation
Favorites
Warranties
NameTagsTypeModifiedSize
fridge-warranty-scan.pdf
warrantyPDFyesterday1.2 MB
IMG_4029.jpg
—ImageTue3.4 MB
lease-agreement-2026.docx
—DocumentMon88 KB
gpu-driver-setup.exe
—AppMon57 MB
Warranties 2026
—FolderJun 8—
Filed to Documents / Warrantiesrule applied · undo ready
100+
ready-made recipes
20+
packs by profession and country
1
click to undo a run
10 / 11
Windows, native

Rules watch your folders. Windows finally has them.

Set a rule once and a folder keeps itself in order, the same way Hazel does on the Mac — built native for Windows 10 and 11. A folder watcher acts the moment a file lands. No Task Scheduler scripts, no PowerShell that breaks silently.

  • Match on anything about a file. Name, extension, size, age, EXIF, download origin and the text inside — combined into nested AND/OR groups, plain text or regex. No scripting.
  • Three triggers. Real-time (watching the folder), periodic (every N minutes), or on demand.
  • Rich actions. Move, copy, rename by pattern, tag, add a reminder, zip, organize by type — deletes only ever go to the Recycle Bin.
Autopilot · livewatching: Downloads · Desktop
11:49:36fridge-warranty-scan.pdf→Documents / Warranties
11:49:36IMG_4029.jpg→Pictures / 2026 (EXIF)
11:49:36gpu-driver-setup.exe→Installers
Every line is reversible — and nothing left your PC.

Rehearse the run, then undo it.

Before a rule touches anything, a dry run lists exactly which file goes where, with honest impact counts. Approve it, then apply. Change your mind and one click reverses the run. These are the two things Hazel never had.

  • See every destination first. A read-only simulation shows each move before a single file moves.
  • Undo the run. One click reverses its moves, renames, copies and zips. Deletes go to the Recycle Bin, recoverable there.
  • Safe by default. System files are never touched; node_modules, .git and Program Files are left alone unless you opt in.
Simulate — Organize DownloadsDRY RUN
1,467
files to organize
26
folders to create
9.4 GB
to move
8
sensitive · skipped
Nothing moved yet — this is only a rehearsal.Approve and applyUndo

Match on the text inside the file.

What identifies a document lives inside it, not in its filename. Native Windows OCR reads scanned PDFs; DOCX and text files are read from their own text — so rules and the Ctrl+Space search can match on meaning, not just the name.

  • OCR for scanned PDFs. Content conditions match text inside PDF (even scanned), DOCX, XLSX, PPTX, ODT, RTF and more, with plain terms or regex.
  • Deep Search is opt-in. By default the palette searches names, folders and download origins; content indexing fills in the background when you turn it on.
  • Results are real files. Drag a hit straight into an email, a chat, or another folder.
Find anything — name, contents, origin… Entire PC ▾
fridge-warranty-scan.pdf
Downloads · scanned · content: “warranty period 24 months”
Enter ↵
lease-agreement-2026.docx
Documents · Mon · content: “termination clause”
IMG_4029.jpg
Downloads · Tue · from the web
Index: 53,929 files · ready · deep search onTab accepts a filter · ↑↓ to move · Enter opens

More than an automation tool.

The automation is the headline. Underneath it is a complete, modern Windows file manager.

Browser-style tabs & preview

Ctrl+T, Ctrl+W and Ctrl+1 to 9, next to a pane that renders PDF pages and shows Office text and thumbnails.

Duplicate finder

Full-content SHA-256, review-first. Nothing is auto-selected and nothing is hard-deleted.

Tags & reminders

Tag any file, attach a date, and a bell rings when it is due. Tags follow the file when it moves.

Smart suggestions

Move the same kind of file to the same folder three times in 30 days and the app offers to make it a rule — privately, from folders and extensions only.

Batch rename

Rename a whole selection with a live before-and-after preview.

Recipes by country

Locale-aware packs for Brazil, the US, the UK, Spain and Latin America sit next to the global ones — something Hazel never shipped.

Elegant File Explorer vs. Hazel.

Hazel is a beloved automation tool for macOS. It simply does not run on Windows. Here is the rest of the comparison.

FeatureElegant File ExplorerHazel
Runs on Windows 10 / 11Yes, nativeNo, macOS only
Simulate before applyingEvery runNo
One-click undo after a runYesNo
Reads inside PDFs (OCR)YesNo
Ready-made recipes by country100+No
Real-time folder watchingYesYes
100% local, no cloud or accountYesYes
LicenseOne-timeOne-time

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 WindowsSee the comparison

Frequently asked questions.

Is this really like Hazel?

Same core idea: rules watch folders and act on files automatically. On top of that you get a dry-run preview, full undo, OCR content matching and a complete file manager — tabs, preview, instant search — in the same app.

Does it send my files anywhere?

No. It is 100% local: no account, no cloud, no telemetry. Your files and rules never leave your PC.

Can rules read inside PDFs?

Yes. Native Windows OCR reads PDFs, even scanned ones, plus DOCX and TXT, and rules can match content with plain text or regex.

Is it a subscription?

No. One-time purchase on the Microsoft Store; updates to the current version arrive automatically.

Your files, organized on their own — on Windows.

Everything you loved about Hazel, plus the two things it never had: a preview first, and an undo after. Undo stays one click away.

Get it for WindowsSee how it works