**Updated** xPlorer—an add-on for NVDA

By Brian, 5 August, 2025

Forum
Windows

I wanted to share with the NVDA users here about a new add-on I recently discovered, called "xPlorer". This is a fairly simple tweak that makes File Explorer for Windows a lot more accessible.

It also gives us a new shortcut, NVDA plus Control plus 'x' by default, which will announce the file size of any file currently in focus while inside File Explorer.

I would strongly recommend changing this in Input Gestures from within NVDA's GUI.

Update: As of this release, the default is now NVDA + Shift + x.

The add-on can be found directly from the NVDA add-on store.

Enjoy. 👍 😎

+++ Updated 09/16/2025 +++

Taken from the Help page from the Installed Add-ons GUI from within NVDA ...

Overview

xPlorer is a tool designed to provide easier access to File Explorer operations. The latest version includes features for managing files and folders, such as compressing items into a ZIP, renaming files with a dedicated window that separates the filename and extension to prevent accidental deletion, reading the size of files, folders, or drives, and copying selected file and folder names to the clipboard.

Hot Keys

• NVDA+Shift+Z Compress selected items to ZIP Select the files or select all, then press the shortcut key. The selected items will be automatically compressed into a ZIP file.

• NVDA+Shift+C Copy selected file and folder names to clipboard Select the desired files (one or multiple) or select all, then press the shortcut key. All selected file and folder names will be copied to the clipboard for pasting into a text editor.

• NVDA+Shift+F2 Rename selected file Select a file and press the shortcut key. A window will open with separate fields for the filename and file extension. You can edit the name or extension easily. Press Enter to close the window. Only the name or extension will be updated automatically.

• NVDA+Shift+X Announce size Select a file, folder, or drive and press the shortcut key. The size of the selected item will be announced.

Features

Additionally, features from previous versions can be enabled or disabled via: NVDA menu → Preferences → Settings → xPlorer

• Automatically select the first item • Announce 'Empty Folder' when entering an empty folder • Suppress announcement of DirectUIHWND class

Options

Comments

By kool_turk on Wednesday, August 6, 2025 - 08:00

It’s definitely useful, but not something I’d consider essential.

There are quite a few similar add-ons out there, not just for Windows Explorer but also for things like Notepad++, Bluetooth, and the clipboard. They offer similar functionality.

So is this one really necessary? Personally, I’d put it in the "handy but not needed" category, but that’s just my take.

That said, someone else might find it genuinely useful.

By Brian on Wednesday, August 6, 2025 - 09:50

The way I understand it, this add-on is supposed to make navigating file explorer with NVDA a bit more user-friendly. The shortcut I think is just meant to be a bonus.
A while back there were posts on here complaining about the lack of usability with file explorer and NVDA, which is why I posted this here. 🤷🏻‍♂️

By Maldalain on Wednesday, August 6, 2025 - 10:23

I got the ad-on and could not spot difference. Could the developer or the poster provide explanation for what the ad-on offers?

By Brad on Wednesday, August 6, 2025 - 12:18

This sounds great, it'll be nice to go through and know what my folders are in size instead of going to properties each time, but when I press NVDA pluss control plus x, I hear nothing, i've tried this on the downloads folder and my external hard drive.

i'm using IBM TTS eloquence if that helps but it shouldn't matter...

By Brian on Wednesday, August 6, 2025 - 13:31

Hey Brad,

Just reassign a new shortcut to that function in the input gestures from within the NVDA GUI. For example, I changed mine to NVDA plus shift plus X.
Works great! :-)

By Brian on Wednesday, August 6, 2025 - 13:32

Added notes from the GitHub page.
Enjoy. 🙂

By Brad on Wednesday, August 6, 2025 - 16:18

Thanks.

By Brian on Wednesday, August 6, 2025 - 16:34

I believe the reason the default shortcut isn't working is because we use NVDA in Laptop mode, rather than Legacy mode (desktop keyboard with numeric keypad).
Just my 2¢.

By Enes Deniz on Friday, August 8, 2025 - 09:47

While most changes are useful, I would prefer that the first item remain unselected instead of being selected automatically when I opened a folder. Selecting the first item in a folder automatically may change the name of the file you're trying to save to the name of the first item when trying to save a file so you have to use the Tab key to navigate to the file name field and delete whatever's in there and enter something new. It'd be great if the add-on had its own category in the NVDA settings window and check boxes under that category to toggle the tweaks.

By Brian on Friday, August 8, 2025 - 16:14

I understand your point. While it's not really a concern for me, I completely understand where you're coming from. As this is a brand new add-on, perhaps future updates will allow for shortcut toggles to enable/disable individual elements of the add-on.
We will have to see. 😄

By Enes Deniz on Monday, September 8, 2025 - 12:56

After careful consideration, I finally decided that the drawbacks would outweigh the benefits of the add-on, and gave the Enter key a decisive hit on the option that would demand its immediate deletion from NVDA's "addons" directory—an action that would take effect upon restarting the free, open-source, lightweight, and beloved screen reader.
I gave the Enter key—or perhaps the space bar this time—another firm hit on the highly useful button that dismissed the Add-On Store window, which, in turn, summoned a confirmation screen prompting me to restart NVDA, since the state of the installed add-ons had changed. I delivered one final blow with either the Enter key or the space bar to confirm the last step—one that would deal the ultimate strike to the already-vanquished add-on and bring its nominal activity to an end.
After waiting a few seconds, I heard the classic NVDA startup sound—one I had once replaced with my own creation, as the original seemed too simple and outdated.
Anyway, NVDA began speaking again after a few more moments of silence, and is now faithfully helping me write this post, which will most likely find its place beneath the ones already published.

By Jonathan Candler on Monday, September 8, 2025 - 22:43

That's too funny. Can I just say how much I hate the original NVDA sounds? I replaced them with my own custom sounds I made. They really should indeed update their sounds.

By Trenton Matthews on Tuesday, September 9, 2025 - 09:41

https://github.com/ahmedthebest31/navsounds

, though said NavSounds add on probably needs a makeover with their default sound packages. I mean, why is there a VoiceOver click sound in the Talkback sounds pack?

The good thing is at least, ya can share and make your own!

The NavSounds add-on currently doesn't work with BrowseMode enabled, though works fine elsewhere throughout the exploration of Windows.

By Brian on Tuesday, September 9, 2025 - 12:31

Are you saying the add-on deleted your custom sound scheme for NVDA? Because, I do not see how that is possible.

By Enes Deniz on Tuesday, September 9, 2025 - 20:22

It was an earlier update that inevitably reverted to the original sounds along with all the other files that it replaced with those of the older version, modified or not. I was too lazy to copy my own sounds to the NVDA directory and replace them with the original ones, or rather, I knew they were gonna be replaced with the original sounds in the next update anyway, so I didn't bother doing it.

By Brian on Tuesday, September 16, 2025 - 10:50

I understand that you decided against this add-on, but I wanted to just let you know, that with this latest version, the feature you wanted has been implemented; meaning the auto-selecting the first item within a folder, is now a toggle from within Settings/xPlorer.

Just FYI. 🙂

By Brian on Tuesday, September 16, 2025 - 10:51

There has been a significant update to this add-on, so I updated the original post with the new info.
Enjoy! 😀