Biruni
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Biruni
The dual-pane file manager DOS power users never stopped missing.
Biruni is a fast, native macOS file manager built as a tribute to Norton Commander (1986) — two independent panels, function-key commands, a real working command line, and read-only archive browsing, all in the classic blue/cyan/yellow palette, running as a proper modern Mac app.
A file manager built the way Norton Commander was, not the way Finder is
Finder is built around windows, icons, and drag-and-drop. Norton Commander was built around two panels, a keyboard, and function keys — you could copy, move, rename, and navigate an entire filesystem without ever reaching for a mouse. Biruni is that idea, rebuilt from scratch as a real native macOS app.
It’s a native AppKit app — no Electron, no background processes, no telemetry. Every panel, menu, and dialog is hand-drawn in Norton Commander’s own retro style, not a single native macOS alert box in the whole app.
What you can do with Biruni
Real dual-pane browsing
Two independent panels, side by side, exactly like the DOS classic. Tab switches which one is active, the arrow keys move the cursor, and Space marks files for whatever you do next.
A command line that’s a real command line
Type any shell command and it runs through your actual login shell — same PATH as Terminal, so Homebrew, nvm, and your aliases all just work — then shows the output full-screen, DOS-prompt style.
Built-in editor, right in the other panel
Press F4 and the file opens for editing directly in the opposite panel — no separate window to manage or lose track of. Cmd-S to save, Esc to close.
Archives open like folders
Browse .zip, .tar, .tar.gz, and .tgz files as if they were directories, and extract marked items straight into the other panel with a single F5.
Compare Directories
Mark everything that’s different or missing between the two panels in one keystroke — the same trick the original NC’s Compare Directories command did.
A customizable F2 menu
Bind your own shell commands to hotkeys in a plain-text menu file, and run them from a retro dropdown without ever leaving the keyboard.
No subscriptions. No accounts. No tracking.
Biruni is a straightforward, honest piece of software. That’s not marketing language — it’s just what the app is built to be, from the ground up.
- No account. There’s nothing to sign in to, ever.
- No telemetry. Biruni never reports usage, crashes, or analytics off your Mac.
- Runs entirely on your Mac. Browsing, copying, and editing files never touches the network on their own — the one exception is the built-in command line, which only reaches the internet if you type a command that does.
- Signed and notarized by Apple. No “unidentified developer” warnings, no workarounds.
- Free, permanently. No trial, no paywall, no future price tag.
How it works
- Download and unzip. Download Biruni.app_.zip and double-click it — macOS unzips it automatically.
- Move it to Applications. Drag Biruni.app into your Applications folder.
- Open it. Since it’s downloaded from the internet, macOS will ask you to confirm the first time — click Open. Biruni is signed and notarized by Apple, so there’s no “unidentified developer” warning.
- Grant folder access when asked. The first time you browse into Desktop, Documents, or Downloads, macOS will show a one-time permission prompt for each — that’s normal Files & Folders privacy protection, the same thing that happens with any Finder alternative.
System requirements
Mac
Any Intel or Apple Silicon Mac
macOS
12 Monterey or later
Storage
1.3 MB
Price
Free
Built by Oxin Studio
Biruni is made by Oxin Studio Inc., an independent software studio in Calgary, Alberta. We build small, focused Mac apps that do one thing well and stay out of your way. Biruni is our tribute to Norton Commander (1986), and to Abu Rayhan al-Biruni (973–1048), the Khwarazmian polymath it’s named for — the astronomer and geographer who calculated Earth’s radius from a mountaintop to within about 1% of its true value, centuries before satellites existed to check his work.
Common questions
Is Biruni really free?
Yes. Biruni is free to download and use, with no account, no subscription, and no trial limits.
Does it work on both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs?
Yes. Biruni runs natively on both.
Does Biruni need an internet connection?
No, not on its own. Browsing, copying, moving, and editing files all happen entirely on your Mac. The one exception is the built-in command line — since it runs real shell commands through your login shell, it will reach the network if you explicitly type a command that does (like curl or git pull).
Can Biruni open .zip and .tar archives?
Yes. Archives (.zip, .tar, .tar.gz, .tgz) can be browsed read-only like a regular folder. Use Copy (F5) to extract marked items into the other panel.
Does the command line run real shell commands?
Yes. It runs through your actual login shell, the same way Terminal does, so your PATH, Homebrew, version managers, and shell aliases all behave the same way they do there.
Why is it named Biruni?
After Abu Rayhan al-Biruni (973–1048), a Khwarazmian polymath and one of the great scholars of the Islamic Golden Age — an astronomer, geographer, and historian who calculated Earth’s radius using trigonometry and a mountaintop, cataloged the calendars of a dozen civilizations, and wrote one of the first even-handed cross-cultural studies of Indian science and religion. It’s a fitting namesake for an app about carefully navigating and organizing a world of information.
Is there a Windows version?
Not currently. Biruni is built specifically around native macOS AppKit APIs and design conventions.
Get Biruni
A free, native macOS dual-pane file manager. No account. No subscription. Just download and open.