jimmgreen/pulse

What it is

Pulse is a file manager for Windows 10 and 11 that replaces or supplements Explorer with tabbed and multi-pane browsing, whole-disk indexing, pinyin-aware filename search, space-key quick preview, a staging shelf for copy/cut operations, and theme customization. It targets Windows users who regularly handle many folders and files and want search, preview, comparison and tagging in one workspace.

The application is written in C++20 with Win32, Direct2D and DirectComposition. File system, indexing, preview and shell work are separated into modules so long-running work does not block the interface. The indexed search service, PulseIndex, is optional and can be enabled during installation.

Install and first use

Download the installer from the releases page:

Edition	System	File
Windows 64-bit	Windows 10 / 11	PulseSetup-<version>.exe
Windows 8.1 compatible 64-bit	Windows 8.1	PulseSetup-<version>-win81.exe

Run the installer and follow the wizard. If you want whole-disk filename search, enable the PulseIndex service when prompted. From version 1.0.58 onward there is no portable build. After launch, use the settings panel to choose language (Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese or English), theme, and whether to restore the previous tabs on startup. Alt+Space opens global quick search, Space previews the selected file, and Ctrl+1/2/3/4 switches among single, split, three-column and four-grid layouts.

Pulse can optionally become the default folder handler for folders, Win+E and This PC; this is reversible in settings.

Build from source

A development build needs Windows x64, Visual Studio C++ tools, CMake 3.25+ and Ninja. Release packaging additionally needs PowerShell 7.2+ and Python 3. From the repository root:

.\build_release.bat
.\build\pulse.exe

To produce release-equivalent installers and run regression checks:

pwsh ./scripts/build_release_ci.ps1 -Channel windows
pwsh ./scripts/build_release_ci.ps1 -Channel win81 -BuildDir build-ci-win81

The release script uses Visual Studio 2022 v143 and verifies the pinned LumaText static runtime SDK; without LumaText found, development builds fall back to DirectWrite.

Constraints and operational notes

• Windows 10 / 11 or Windows 8.1 with the dedicated installer; no other platforms are documented.
• Whole-disk filename and content search depends on the optional PulseIndex service, so indexing is not available if that service is not installed or running.
• Auto-update tries ghproxy.net and gh-proxy.com before falling back to GitHub; all sources must pass signature and installer verification. Versions 1.0.2 and earlier need a one-time manual update to 1.0.3 or newer before auto-update works.
• Installing updates triggers the Windows administrator prompt.
• Source is Apache-2.0; bundled third-party components such as the LumaText SDK follow their own licenses.
• Preview coverage varies by format; the settings page lists supported formats and checks for HEIF/HEVC/AV1/WebP system extensions.

HotRepo's take

On 2026-11-03 Pulse reached 9th place on the GitHub C++ daily list with 41 stars gained that day, against totals of 1,274 stars and 95 forks. That is a single-snapshot result: it shows the project drew attention in the C++ community on that day, but it is not enough to establish a longer trend or adoption level. The release model is worth noting: the repository publishes both source and signed installers with a verified LumaText dependency, so readers who care about binary provenance can build from source and compare behavior themselves.