mq-dir vs Total Commander: 2-pane heritage meets 4-pane future

Total Commander has shipped continuously since 1993. It's the keyboard-first dual-pane file manager that defined the category. mq-dir is a native macOS attempt to take the same ideas forward. This post is for the long-time TC user evaluating whether to migrate.

TL;DR

• Pick Total Commander (via Wine) only if you're locked into TC plugins or muscle memory and can tolerate the Wine experience.
• Pick mq-dir if you want native macOS, want to try 4 panes, or value full state persistence over plugin depth.
• The migration is real work — TC's accumulated 30-year feature surface won't fully transfer.

Side-by-side

What you keep

Dual-pane core

mq-dir's 2H (two horizontal panes) is the closest layout to TC's classic. ⌘1 and ⌘2 focus left/right. Drag between panes works. The basic shape transfers.

Per-pane tabs

⌘T opens a new tab in the focused pane. ⌘W closes. TC users can re-create their multi-folder workspace pattern.

Filter / quick search

⌘F filters within the current pane (similar to TC's "quick filter"). ⌘⇧F does recursive search.

Move/copy via keyboard

mq-dir's drag + keyboard shortcuts cover TC's core file-operation patterns, just with different keys (Enter not F2 for rename, ⌘C/⌘V for copy, etc.).

What you lose

F-key muscle memory

TC's F2/F3/F4/F5/F6/F8 (rename/view/edit/copy/move/delete) muscle memory doesn't transfer. mq-dir uses macOS conventions:

• Rename: Enter (or click file name once)
• Open: ⌘O / Enter
• Quick Look: Space (preview)
• Copy file: ⌘C, then ⌘V
• Move to trash: ⌘⌫

Plan a 1-2 week relearning period. Don't fight it; macOS conventions are well-designed once you accept them.

Built-in archive support

TC opens .zip / .rar / .7z / .tar inline as if they were folders. macOS's Archive Utility is all-or-nothing extract; mq-dir defers to it.

For users who live inside archives, this is a real loss. Workaround: extract to a temp folder when you need to navigate inside. Long-term: mq-dir's roadmap includes archive-as-folder for v0.3+.

Plugin ecosystem

TC's WCX (archive), WDX (data), WFX (filesystem), WLX (lister) plugins cover edge cases nothing else does. SFTP plugin, S3 plugin, content viewers for everything from ePub to OST.

mq-dir has none of this in v0.x. Plugin API is roadmap; ETA uncertain.

If you're a heavy TC plugin user, this is a serious gap.

Built-in FTP / SFTP / cloud

TC's FTP client is basic but works. mq-dir is local-first; no remote pane. For SFTP-heavy work, pair mq-dir with Forklift or Cyberduck.

File compare / sync

TC's "Compare by Content" and "Synchronize Dirs" are battle-tested. mq-dir doesn't do these. Use diff / rsync via terminal, or Forklift's sync engine.

Customizable toolbar

TC's button bar with custom shell command buttons is a power-user feature mq-dir doesn't have. Planned for v0.3+.

What you gain

Quad-pane

⌥⌘4 enters 2x2 layout. Four genuine panes, each with own folder, sort, scroll, tabs. For multi-project / multi-agent work, the upgrade over 2-pane is real.

Native macOS aesthetic

Wine'd TC on Mac looks and feels like Windows software running poorly. mq-dir is native — SF Symbols, system theme tokens, traffic-light controls, animations respecting Reduce Motion. Coherent with the rest of your Mac apps.

Per-tab preview/tree

mq-dir's preview is per-tab and handles the full multimedia spectrum (images, video, audio, PDF, Markdown with GFM). TC's lister is text-focused.

Religious state persistence

Force-quit-survival-tested. Layout, panes, tabs, sort, scroll, focus, projects — all return exactly as you left them. Even after schema bumps. Even after macOS restore from Time Machine.

Projects (named workspaces)

TC has nothing equivalent. mq-dir's Projects let you save your full workspace state under a name and switch between them in one click.

Open source + zero telemetry

TC is shareware closed-source. mq-dir is MIT-licensed, source on GitHub, every commit DCO-signed, zero telemetry.

Migration playbook

For Total Commander veterans considering mq-dir:

Week 0 — preparation

• Make a list of your top-10 most-used TC features. Be specific: "F8 to delete," "Alt+F1 left panel drive change," "Lister for .eml," etc.
• For each, identify the mq-dir or macOS equivalent. Note any you can't replace.

Week 1 — install + run alongside

brew install --cask mq-dir. Don't uninstall TC/Wine. Use mq-dir for new tasks; let TC handle the existing flow.

Week 2 — exercise the relearning

Force yourself to do daily file ops in mq-dir. The new shortcuts will feel slow for ~7 days, then click into muscle memory.

Week 3 — evaluate

By now your hand reaches for ⌘O before F3. Decide:

• If your 80% workflow runs in mq-dir and the missing 20% is either non-critical or replaceable with companion tools (Forklift, terminal diff/rsync), migrate.
• If the missing 20% is critical (heavy plugin use, archive-as-folder daily), stay on Wine'd TC.

What mq-dir will never become

For honesty:

• mq-dir won't be Windows TC ported to Mac. The F-key UX is staying macOS-conventional. If you wanted TC-on-Mac specifically, you'll be disappointed.
• mq-dir won't be a kitchen-sink the way TC is. It's a file manager. Hex viewing, FTP, archive editing — those will be plugin or companion tool.

If you wanted a faithful TC port, mq-dir isn't it. If you wanted "TC's good ideas, native Mac, plus quad-pane," mq-dir is exactly that.

Verdict

For Total Commander veterans:

• Stay on Wine'd TC if you're plugin-locked or refuse to relearn shortcuts.
• Switch to mq-dir if you can spend a week relearning and want native Mac with 4 panes.
• Try both for a month if you're unsure — the cost is just disk space.

mq-dir is free, MIT, no telemetry. The TC lineage continues, just with a 4-pane and Mac accent.