PadCommander

A gamepad-first dual-pane file manager for Windows

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PadCommander is a full-screen, gamepad-first two-pane file manager for Windows, inspired by Total Commander and Double Commander. Navigate your files with an Xbox, PlayStation, or Nintendo Switch controller — or stick to the keyboard if you prefer.

Dual-pane navigation with gamepad input

Built-in on-screen keyboard for controller-driven text entry

Features

• Dual-pane commander layout — browse two directories side by side
• Gamepad as first-class input — full navigation and file operations from a controller
• On-screen keyboard — enter filenames and paths without touching a keyboard
• File operations — copy, move, delete, compress, and decompress archives
• Controller auto-detection — supports Xbox, PlayStation 4/5, and Nintendo Switch controllers
• Theme support — Dark and Light modes
• Configurable UI scale — adjust the interface scale to suit your display

Requirements

• Windows 10 or later
• Rust 1.85+
• MSVC C++ Build Tools

Building from Source

# Debug build
cargo build

# Run directly
cargo run

# Optimized release build
cargo build --release

The release binary is output to target\release\pad-commander.exe.

Usage

Launch the application and use your gamepad or keyboard to navigate. The two panes work independently — switch between them to copy or move files across directories.

Gamepad Controls

Action	Button
Navigate	Left stick / D-pad
Confirm / Open	A (Xbox) / Cross (PS)
Back / Up a directory	B (Xbox) / Circle (PS)
Switch pane	Left / Right bumper
File operations menu	Y (Xbox) / Triangle (PS)
On-screen keyboard	X (Xbox) / Square (PS)

Keyboard Controls

Action	Key
Navigate	Arrow keys
Confirm / Open	Enter
Back	Backspace
Switch pane	Tab
Copy	F5
Move	F6
Delete	F8

Configuration

Settings are saved automatically and persist between sessions. You can configure:

• Theme — Dark or Light
• UI Scale — adjust interface size (minimum 0.5×)
• Controller type — auto-detect or force a specific controller layout (Xbox, PS4/5, Switch)

Tech Stack

Component	Library
GUI	egui / eframe
Gamepad input	gilrs
Archive support	zip, unarc-rs
Windows APIs	windows, windows-sys
Serialization	serde / serde_json

License

MIT

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