In our series of detailed blog posts about Leasey 11.5, we have already looked at some very significant additions and redesigns.
LeaseyWord showed how a document editor can become far more approachable when it is designed around the needs of people using JAWS.
Leasey Media Centre demonstrated how audio, podcasts, radio, sound control and related tools can be brought together in one powerful environment, with spoken and Braille feedback working hand in hand.
LeaseySocial showed how a modern social media client can be created with speed, configurability, Braille output and ease of use at the centre of the design.
Now we come to something which, for many people, will very quickly become part of their daily routine.
Leasey File Manager.
This is one of those features which may sound simple when described in a few words. It is a file manager. It lets you browse folders, open files, copy files, paste files, delete files, search for files, and perform other common file management tasks.
But that short description does not really do it justice.
The important point is not merely that Leasey File Manager can perform those actions. Windows already contains File Explorer, and many users have developed their own methods of working with it. The important point is that Leasey File Manager has been built to make those everyday file tasks faster, cleaner, more predictable and more comfortable for people using JAWS.
That is the difference.
Leasey File Manager is not designed to replace every single feature of File Explorer. There is no sense in pretending that it should be all things to all people. File Explorer is still there when you need it, and Leasey File Manager can even take you directly to a file or folder in File Explorer when that is the best option.
Instead, Leasey File Manager focuses on the tasks people carry out all the time, and tries to make those tasks feel better. Opening folders. Finding documents. Copying audio files. Renaming items. Creating folders. Checking the size of a selection before copying it to a portable device. Searching within a folder. Working with zip files. Sending a document to LeaseyWord or an audio file to Leasey Media Centre. Tagging several files so an action can be carried out on them later.
These are not glamorous tasks, but they matter. They are the ordinary movements of computer use. When they are slow, cluttered or uncertain, the whole computer can feel less pleasant to use. When they are quick and clear, everything feels lighter.
That is the purpose of Leasey File Manager.
Leasey File Manager is intended to provide a clean, fast, keyboard-driven list of files and folders which works well with JAWS. It is not designed around visual display first, with accessibility added afterwards. It is designed around the experience of moving through files with speech, Braille and the keyboard.
This is especially important because file management can be one of the most frustrating areas of Windows for screen-reader users.
Many people will be familiar with situations where they open a folder and wait. Or they try to move through a list and hear an announcement which does not tell them what they need. Or they wait while Windows says something like, "Working on it", when all they really want is to get to the file they know is there.
Leasey File Manager is intended to reduce that kind of friction.
It opens into a straightforward list of files and folders. Folders appear first, followed by files. You move through the list using Up and Down Arrow. Press Enter on a folder and it opens. Press Enter on a file and it opens using the default Windows application for that file type.
There is no mystery in that. That is the point.
You should be able to press a command, arrive in the file manager, move through the list, and get on with what you came to do.
Leasey File Manager uses a standard Windows list view. That may sound like a technical point, but it is very important.
JAWS already has strong support for list views. It can report the current item, move through the list, and read column information. Leasey File Manager takes advantage of that existing strength rather than presenting files in a strange or unfamiliar layout.
This means that users can take advantage of the JAWS column reading keys. For example, Control+JAWS Key+1 through to Control+JAWS Key+9 can be used to read columns in the list view.
That makes a practical difference.
If you are browsing a folder containing many files, you may not only want the file name. You may want to know whether something is a folder or a file. You may want the date created. You may want the date modified. You may want size information. You may want to move quickly between these pieces of information without listening to more than you need.
Because the File Manager is based on a standard list view, it sits comfortably inside the way JAWS users already understand Windows.
The result is a tool which feels familiar, but also more focused.
Leasey File Manager can be started in several ways.
The main command is the Leasey Key followed by Windows+F. That launches Leasey File Manager directly.
There is also a very useful command-line route. The installer registers the command lfm with Windows, so you can press Windows+R, type lfm, and press Enter.
By default, Leasey File Manager opens at the root of drive C.
You can also start it in a specific folder. For example, you can press Windows+R and type:
lfm c:\users
If the folder path contains spaces, you can still type it in the usual way. For example:
lfm c:\program files
Leasey also includes a special version of the Run dialog for use with the File Manager. Press the Leasey Key followed by Windows+R, type a folder or file path, and press Enter.
These details matter because they let the user work in the way which suits the moment. Sometimes you want to launch the File Manager and browse from there. Sometimes you already know the folder you want. Sometimes you have a path in mind and simply want to go straight to it.
You can open more than one Leasey File Manager window.
That may sound like a small point, but it is extremely useful.
For example, suppose you want to copy files from your Downloads folder into a folder on an external drive. You can open one File Manager window at Downloads and another at the destination folder. You can keep both locations available, move between them, and carry out the copy and paste operation in a way which feels very natural.
This can be much easier than constantly moving back and forth through one folder tree.
It is also helpful if you are comparing two folders, working with documents in one location while placing finished material somewhere else, or sorting music files into a more organised structure.
The Leasey File Manager window contains the elements you would expect, presented in a clear way.
There is a Location edit field. This contains the current folder path. You can press Alt+D to move directly to it. The current path is selected, so you can quickly replace it by typing or pasting a new one and pressing Enter, whereupon focus immediately is set to the List View.
There is the Files list view. This is the main part of the program. It contains the files and folders in the current folder.
There is a status bar. This reports useful information such as the number of items in the folder, the number of tagged items, and the current folder path. JAWS users can read this information with Insert+Page Down.
There is also a list of drives. This makes it possible to move between drives, and the list can be refreshed with F5.
The window title reflects the folder you have open. For example, if you are in Documents, the title can include:
Documents - Leasey File Manager
This means that Insert+T in JAWS gives a useful indication of where you are.
There are options here too. If you want the full path to be shown in the title, you can enable that. If you would prefer the words Leasey File Manager to be removed from the title so that JAWS has less to speak, that is also possible.
It is not only about having the right features. It is also about reducing unnecessary speech when the user wants a more efficient experience.
Opening a folder is as simple as moving to it and pressing Enter.
The folder is automatically selected, so there is no need to press Space Bar first. That keeps the movement direct and natural.
Opening a file is just as straightforward. Move to the file and press Enter. It opens using the default Windows application for that type of file.
Leasey File Manager also has built-in support for browsing zip files. Press Enter on a zip file and its contents are displayed inside Leasey File Manager, using the same Files list view.
This is very convenient. Rather than needing to switch to another tool just to inspect a zip archive, you can browse its contents from the same environment. You can move through the zip contents and open items as appropriate.
If a folder is empty, Leasey File Manager presents a focused item called Empty folder. This is not a real file or folder. It is there so that JAWS has something clear to announce. File actions such as Enter, Copy, Cut, Delete, Rename, Properties, tagging and size reporting ignore it.
Again, this is a small but thoughtful accessibility decision. An empty list can be awkward because there is nothing obvious for the screen reader to focus. A clearly announced placeholder removes doubt.
Leasey File Manager supports type-to-find. If you are in a folder and you know the beginning of the file or folder name, you can start typing and move towards it quickly.
You can also move to the Downloads folder with Control+J. That is a particularly useful shortcut, since Downloads is one of the folders many people visit several times each day.
Sorting is available too. Control+1 sorts by name, Control+2 sorts by date created, and Control+3 sorts by date modified.
These are practical commands which reduce the amount of searching around. If you have just downloaded a file, sorting by date modified or date created may get you to it more quickly. If you are browsing a large folder alphabetically, sorting by name is exactly what you want.
Leasey File Manager includes a context menu containing many of the actions people need most often.
This includes opening files, using Open With, showing an item in File Explorer, creating shortcuts, viewing properties, tagging and removing tags, clearing tags, reporting tags, reporting selected size, accessing the Command Centre, using Where Am I, copying, cutting and pasting, creating zip archives, using the Send To submenu, accessing Dropbox actions, deleting, renaming, creating a new folder, going up a level, going back, refreshing, changing the view, copying the full path, and opening Options.
That is a long list, but the important point is that the commands are gathered in a way which makes sense for file work.
You can use the keyboard commands when you know them. You can use the context menu when you want to browse available actions. You can use the Command Centre when you want a more Leasey-style command environment.
This gives the user more than one way to work.
One of the most useful features in Leasey File Manager is tagging.
Tagging is a way of marking files and folders for later action. Press Control+Shift+Space to tag or remove a tag from the current item.
This is especially helpful because selecting multiple files in Windows can sometimes feel fiddly, particularly when the files are not next to each other. Of course, standard Windows selection still works in Leasey File Manager, and some users will prefer it in some situations. But tagging gives another method which can be easier to understand and easier to control.
You can tag files and folders from more than one folder. That is very powerful.
Imagine you are collecting several documents from different locations so you can copy them into one project folder. You can move through the folders, tag the items you want, and then carry out the action on the tagged items.
If there are tagged items, file commands act on the tagged items. If there are no tagged items, file commands act on the selected items in the list.
This gives Leasey File Manager a simple but effective rule. Tag things when you want to build a working set. Otherwise, just work with the current selection.
You can report tagged items with Control+Shift+T. You can hear the tag count with Alt+Windows+N.
You can remove the tag from the current item with Control+Shift+D. Pressing this twice quickly clears all tags. Escape also clears all tags.
That makes tagging both powerful and easy to reset. You are never trapped inside a complicated selection state.
Copying, cutting and pasting work with tagged or selected files.
This is where tagging becomes especially valuable. You can tag several files, possibly from different folders, and then copy or cut them. You can move to the destination folder and paste them.
If you are browsing inside a zip file, copying an item extracts it temporarily and places it on the clipboard. This means you can copy material from inside a zip archive without needing to leave Leasey File Manager.
When pasting, Leasey File Manager provides progress information. If files already exist at the destination, you can replace, skip or cancel. When the paste operation is complete, focus is placed on the first pasted item.
That last detail is important. After a file operation, you want to know where you are. Placing focus on the first pasted item gives the user immediate confirmation and a sensible point from which to continue.
Files can be deleted in the expected ways. Delete sends items to the Recycle Bin, while Shift+Delete permanently deletes them.
There is a confirmation option, and Leasey File Manager reports the number of items deleted. If some items could not be deleted, that is also reported.
There is also an option not to confirm delete operations. Some users may prefer confirmations, especially when first using the File Manager. Others who are confident and want speed may choose to turn them off.
Renaming is carried out with F2. There is a helpful detail here: if you rename a file and do not include the extension, Leasey File Manager preserves the original extension. This reduces the risk of accidentally turning a file into something Windows no longer recognises properly.
Creating a new folder is available with Control+Shift+N.
Properties can be accessed with Alt+Enter, and the properties dialog has been designed to be accessible.
These are core file management tasks, and they have been brought into the File Manager in a way which keeps the keyboard workflow intact.
Control+Shift+S reports the selected size.
This is more useful than it may first appear.
There are many situations where you need to know how much space a file, folder or group of items will take. Perhaps you are copying material to a USB drive. Perhaps you are preparing a zip file. Perhaps you are checking whether a folder has become unexpectedly large. Perhaps you simply want to know how much audio material you have collected.
If folders are involved, Leasey File Manager computes the contents as needed.
This gives the user better information before carrying out a file operation.
Leasey File Manager can create a zip archive with Control+4.
This is another example of keeping common file tasks inside one accessible environment. If you need to gather a group of files and compress them into a single archive, you can do that without leaving the File Manager.
Combined with tagging, this becomes especially useful. Tag the files you want, create the archive, and continue working.
Sometimes the default application is not the one you want. The Open With feature allows you to choose another program for a file.
There is also a Show in File Explorer command. This is important because Leasey File Manager is not trying to close the user off from Windows. It gives you a faster and cleaner route for many tasks, but if File Explorer is the right place to be, you can go there.
You can also create a Leasey File Manager shortcut for a folder. This creates a Windows shortcut which opens Leasey File Manager at that folder path.
That is ideal for folders you visit often. You might have a folder for current work, a folder for music, a folder for training material, a folder for downloads you are processing, or a folder on a shared drive. A shortcut lets you arrive there quickly in the File Manager environment.
Leasey File Manager includes access to the Windows Send To submenu.
This means you can use destinations from your Windows SendTo folder from inside Leasey File Manager. For some users, this will be a familiar part of their workflow. For others, it provides another useful bridge between the File Manager and Windows.
If Dropbox is installed, Leasey File Manager includes a Dropbox submenu.
This can allow you to copy a Dropbox link, or copy a Dropbox link as a download. If Dropbox support is not available for a particular situation, Leasey File Manager can fall back to opening the item in File Explorer.
Again, the theme is practicality. The File Manager tries to bring useful actions to the user, while still allowing Windows or the relevant external application to take over where appropriate.
The Where Am I command is available with Control+Shift+I.
This reports information about your current location and sends the message to speech. It also uses the Leasey Braille status bridge.
That matters because Leasey 11.5 places a very strong emphasis on Braille support across new and redesigned features. A status message should not only be a spoken event when a Braille display is available. For many users, Braille is an essential part of confirming information, reviewing detail and maintaining confidence.
Leasey File Manager participates in that approach.
Control+Shift+P copies the full path of the current item.
This is one of those small commands which can save a surprising amount of time.
You may need to send a path to someone else. You may need to paste it into a document, a support request, a script, a Run dialog, or another program. Instead of manually piecing it together, you can copy it directly.
Leasey File Manager allows you to switch between showing the filename only and showing details.
This is useful because different tasks require different amounts of information. Sometimes you want a compact list where the filename is all that matters. At other times, details such as size, type, date created or date modified are important.
The user can choose the view which best suits the work being done.
Search is one of the strongest parts of Leasey File Manager.
Press Control+F to search under the current folder.
You can search all files or restrict the search to particular categories. The available restrictions include all items, audio, documents, folders, images, videos and archives.
This is extremely useful because it lets the user narrow the search before it begins.
If you know you are looking for a song, search audio files. If you know you are looking for a Word document, search documents. If you know you need a folder, search folders. This avoids producing unnecessary results and makes the search easier to review.
There is also support for partial and exact searches. If you type ordinary text, Leasey File Manager can search for partial matches. If you place the search text in quotes, you can ask for an exact search.
Search runs in the background, with progress information provided. Results are shown in a list with columns. You can open a result, show it in its folder, or cancel the search with Escape. Alt+Left or Backspace returns from search results.
This gives the user a practical search system without needing to leave the File Manager.
Consider the difference this can make in real use.
You may know you recorded an audio note last week, but you are not sure where it was stored. You may know the title of a document, but not the folder. You may have a large downloads folder and want to find only archives. You may be looking for a folder name buried several levels down.
Leasey File Manager gives you a direct way to search from the folder you are already in, restrict the search, review the results and act on them.
One of the most exciting features is Send to Leasey, available with Control+Shift+L.
This is where Leasey File Manager becomes more than a standalone file manager. It becomes a gateway into other parts of Leasey.
The choices available depend on the type of file.
For documents, you can open the file in LeaseyWord.
For audio files, you can play the file with Leasey Media Centre, add it to the Media Centre queue, tag it with Leasey Tag Editor, or convert it with Leasey Audio Converter.
If there are no available actions for the current file type, Leasey File Manager tells you.
This is a very practical idea. When you are working with files, you often do not simply want to locate them. You want to do something with them.
If you find a document, perhaps you want to edit it in LeaseyWord. If you find an audio file, perhaps you want to listen to it, add it to a queue, adjust its tags, or convert it. Leasey File Manager can offer those actions at the point where they are needed.
The feature also shows how Leasey 11.5 is becoming more integrated. LeaseyWord, Leasey Media Centre and the File Manager are not separate islands. They can support one another.
Leasey Command Centre is available from the File Manager with Control+Shift+C.
This gives users another way to locate and perform actions. For people who enjoy the Leasey method of choosing from commands, this can be a very comfortable way to work.
It also helps when there are many available actions and the user does not remember the exact shortcut key. You do not have to memorise everything before the File Manager becomes useful.
Several options in Leasey File Manager are designed to let the user adjust the amount and kind of information presented.
You can choose whether the full path is shown in the title. You can remove the words Leasey File Manager from the title if you want JAWS to speak less when reading the title. You can choose whether delete confirmations are required.
These may sound like small settings, but for a daily-use application they matter. A word or phrase which is useful the first few times can become unnecessary after the hundredth time. Leasey File Manager gives users ways to make the experience more efficient.
Let us imagine a fairly ordinary task.
You have downloaded several audio files, a document and a zip archive. You want to move some of them into a folder for a project, listen to one of the audio files, open the document, and check the contents of the zip file.
With Leasey File Manager, you could open the Downloads folder with Control+J. You could sort by date modified if the newest items are what you need. You could move through the list, tag the files you want with Control+Shift+Space, and copy them. You could open another Leasey File Manager window at the project folder and paste them there.
If you want to inspect the zip archive, press Enter on it and browse its contents inside the File Manager.
If you want to listen to an audio file, use Send to Leasey and play it in Leasey Media Centre, or add it to the queue.
If you want to open the document, use Send to Leasey and open it in LeaseyWord.
If you are not sure where a particular file is, press Control+F and search. Restrict the search to audio, documents, archives or another category if that helps.
None of this is exotic. That is exactly why it matters. These are the tasks people perform all the time.
When those tasks are faster and clearer, the computer feels more under control.
It is worth repeating that Leasey File Manager is not intended to replace every feature of File Explorer.
That is a strength, not a weakness.
Trying to reproduce every corner of File Explorer would make the program heavier and more complicated. Leasey File Manager has a more focused purpose. It provides a fast, accessible, keyboard-driven way to carry out common file tasks with JAWS.
Where Windows integration is useful, it is there. You can show an item in File Explorer. You can use Open With. You can use Send To. You can work with Dropbox if it is installed. You can create shortcuts. You can copy paths.
But the central experience is simpler.
You are in a folder. You have a list. You can move, open, tag, search, copy, cut, paste, rename, delete, inspect, zip and send files into other Leasey tools.
That is a very strong foundation.
Leasey File Manager will be useful to many different kinds of users.
It will help people who find File Explorer slow or inconsistent.
It will help people who want a cleaner JAWS experience when moving through files.
It will help people who regularly copy groups of files and would like tagging as an alternative to complex selection.
It will help people who work with audio and want direct routes into Leasey Media Centre, the tag editor or the audio converter.
It will help people who create and edit documents and want a route into LeaseyWord.
It will help people who search for files often and want a focused search system with category restrictions.
It will help people who use Braille and benefit from status information being presented through the Leasey Braille status bridge.
It will help people who simply want file management to feel less cumbersome.
Leasey 11.5 is a release about redesigning established features and adding new ones in ways which make the whole product feel more coherent.
Leasey File Manager fits that aim perfectly.
It takes a task everyone understands, and asks a direct question: what would this feel like if it were designed with JAWS users in mind from the beginning?
The answer is not merely a different-looking File Explorer. The answer is a tool which speaks clearly, works quickly, gives the user strong keyboard control, supports Braille status messages, integrates with other Leasey applications, and keeps common tasks close at hand.
That is why Leasey File Manager is such an important part of the Summer update.
It may not be the loudest feature in Leasey 11.5. It may not have the immediate novelty of a social media client or the broad audio appeal of Leasey Media Centre.
But for many users, it may become one of the most frequently used additions in the entire release.
Because every day, people need to find files.
Every day, people need to open documents.
Every day, people need to move audio files, rename folders, copy material, search for items, check sizes, create archives, and organise their work.
Leasey File Manager is designed to make those everyday tasks feel quicker, cleaner and more certain.
And that is exactly the kind of improvement which can change how comfortable a computer feels to use.