Comparing directories and statistics

Comparing directories — Shift+F2

Shift+F2 or Functions → Compare Directories... compares the folders open in the left and right panels. Each of them can be on disk, in an archive or on a server.

Options

Option	Default	Meaning
Only currently open directories / Include subdirectories	currently open only	whether to go into subfolders
Compare size	yes	files of different sizes count as a difference
Compare modification date	yes	a different date (to the second) counts as a difference
Compare content (MD5)	no	the app reads both files and compares their MD5 checksums

For each pair of files, the comparison stops at the first difference found, in the order size → date → content. Content comparison reads the files in full, so on a server and with large files it takes a long time. The progress window shows what the app is currently scanning; Cancel stops it.

Tip: FTP servers report dates to the minute, and some drives (FAT) to two seconds. For such comparisons, turn off Compare modification date and compare size or content instead.

The app does not follow symbolic links that point to folders — it compares them as items.

Results

The Directory Compare Results window shows the number of differences and both paths, or "No differences found.". The table has the columns Path, Difference, Left and Right:

Difference	Meaning	In the Left / Right columns
Missing on left / Missing on right	the item exists on one side only	the file size or "directory"
Different type	a file on one side, a folder on the other	the type
Different size	different sizes	the sizes
Different date	different modification dates	the dates
Different content	different MD5 checksums	the checksums
Read error	the file could not be read	the error message

Double-clicking a row takes the active panel to the folder containing that item and puts the cursor on it.
Copy List puts the table on the clipboard (columns separated by tabs — it pastes into a spreadsheet).
Save as File saves the result as CSV (directory-compare.csv by default).
Close or Esc.

The app does not synchronize folders. Copy missing or newer files with a regular F5 — the comparison result helps you find them.

Statistics — Control+Q / Ctrl+Q

Control+Q on macOS or Ctrl+Q on Windows shows statistics for the item under the cursor. In the context menu: Statistics... on an item and Directory statistics... on an empty area of the list (for the current folder). On the /.. row, the shortcut shows statistics for the current folder.

Folder statistics require walking the whole tree — the progress window shows "Found … files, … directories", and Cancel stops it.

Folder

Name, Total size, Files (recursive), Directories (recursive), Direct contents, Average file size, Maximum depth, Largest file, Newest file, Oldest file, Hidden items, Symbolic links, Other items, Unreadable directories, Most common extensions (up to eight, with count and size), Modified, Permissions, Owner / group, Path.

Rows without a value (e.g. when there are no links) are not shown. Symbolic links are counted, but the app does not follow them or add their size. Folders that could not be read (no permission) are counted in the Unreadable directories row.

File

Name, Type, Extension, Size, Size on disk, Modified, Created, Last accessed, Permissions, Owner / group, Hidden, Link target, Path.

Created and Last accessed are available only for files on the computer's own disk, and Size on disk only on macOS.

Copying

Copy to clipboard — the whole report as text.
Copy name, Copy path — just the name or the full path.
Select rows (Shift+↑/↓) and press Cmd+C / Ctrl+C to copy only those rows, as "Property: value".
Enter or Esc closes the window.