10 Two-Pane Explorer Tips That Will Speed Up Your Cloud File Management in RcloneView

March 13, 2026 · 4 min read

Senior Engineer

RcloneView's two-pane explorer puts any two storage locations side by side. But beyond basic drag-and-drop, it's packed with features that make cloud file management genuinely fast. Here are 10 tips most users miss.

The two-pane explorer is the heart of RcloneView. It displays two storage locations simultaneously — any combination of cloud providers, NAS devices, and local drives — and lets you work across both. Most users discover drag-and-drop immediately. These tips go deeper.

Manage & Sync All Clouds in One Place

RcloneView is a cross-platform GUI for rclone. Compare folders, transfer or sync files, and automate multi-cloud workflows with a clean, visual interface.

One-click jobs: Copy · Sync · Compare
Schedulers & history for reliable automation
Works with Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, S3, WebDAV, SFTP and more

WindowsmacOSLinux

Get Started Free →

Free core features. Plus automations available.

The Basics: Two Panes, Any Two Locations

Each pane can point to any storage location: Google Drive on the left, S3 on the right. OneDrive on one side, your local NAS on the other. The combination is up to you.

Tip 1: Drag and Drop Entire Folder Trees

Don't just drag individual files. Select a folder and drag it to the other pane — the entire directory tree transfers with its structure intact. This works across any two providers, even cloud-to-cloud.

Tip 2: Use Right-Click for More Transfer Options

Dragging defaults to Copy. Right-click on selected files for additional options including Move, Sync, and more. Different operations suit different workflows — Copy for backups, Sync for mirrors, Move for migrations.

Tip 3: Compare Before You Transfer

Before transferring, use Folder Comparison to see what's different between the two panes. This prevents unnecessary transfers and confirms you're syncing in the right direction.

Tip 4: Save Frequent Transfers as Jobs

If you regularly transfer between the same two locations, save it as a named job. Next time, run the job with one click instead of navigating to both folders manually.

Instead of clicking through nested folders, type or paste a path directly in the address bar. Jump straight to /Projects/2026/Q1/ without clicking four times.

Tip 6: Monitor Transfers in Real Time

When you start a transfer, watch progress in real time — speed, files transferred, estimated time remaining. This helps you gauge whether large transfers will complete on schedule.

Tip 7: Select Multiple Files with Keyboard Shortcuts

Hold Ctrl (or Cmd) to select individual files across the list. Hold Shift to select a range. Select all with Ctrl+A. Then drag the selection to the other pane for batch transfers.

Tip 8: Switch Providers Without Losing Context

Change the cloud provider in one pane while the other pane stays put. This lets you quickly check the same folder structure across multiple providers — useful for verifying backups or comparing migrations.

Tip 9: Use Folder Comparison for Backup Verification

After any transfer or sync job, open both locations in the two-pane explorer and run Folder Comparison. Green means matching, differences are highlighted. Trust but verify.

Tip 10: Combine with Job Scheduling

The explorer is great for ad-hoc transfers. For recurring workflows, create the transfer in the explorer, save it as a job, then schedule it. The explorer helps you set up; the scheduler keeps it running.

The Power of Two Panes

The two-pane design isn't just a layout choice — it's a workflow philosophy. Every cloud operation becomes a visual, spatial task: source on one side, destination on the other. It transforms abstract cloud storage into something you can see and manipulate directly.