Vovsoft Filename Lister: Turn Any Folder Into a Spreadsheet of Its Files
Filename Lister is a $19 Windows program from Vovsoft that lists the files and folders in any location, with sizes, dates and media durations, and exports the list to Excel, CSV, HTML or TXT. The $19 is a one-time lifetime license, and there's a free trial.
Windows Explorer shows you a folder but won't export its contents as a list with sizes and dates. If you've ever typed file names into a spreadsheet by hand, this is the small tool that replaces that afternoon.
Quick facts
- Version: 5.4, released August 3, 2026
- Developer: Vovsoft
- Platform: Windows 11, 10, 8/8.1, 7, Vista and XP, 32-bit and 64-bit. No Mac or Linux version
- Lists: files, folders or both, with or without subfolders
- Exports to: XLS, XLSX, CSV, HTML and TXT, with an optional tree view
- Editions: installer (3.65 MB) and portable (2.32 MB), one license for both
- Price: $19, one-time payment, lifetime license with free updates
- Trial: free to try with file listing included. It has a nag screen and isn't allowed for commercial use
- Refunds: Vovsoft's general policy is no refunds, since a free trial comes first. An order placed by accident is generally refunded, at the company's discretion, and PayPro Global has the final say on orders placed through it
- What we checked: installer file version 5.4.0.0 (3,828,376 bytes) with a valid code signature, downloaded from the vendor on November 10, 2026, and $19.00 total on the order page with no auto-renewal on November 10, 2026. We didn't scan a large drive ourselves
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Overview
You choose Files, Folders or Both, point it at a directory, optionally type a filter such as *.mp3, and press Start. Results appear in a sortable table with the path, its length, date modified, type, file type, size and duration. Export to File then writes the list out with the columns you pick.
A music folder filtered to *.mp3, with size and media duration calculated: 172 items in 0.643 seconds.
Features
A list of files, folders or both
Filename Lister scans any drive or folder and returns files, folders or both, with an Include Subfolders switch. A Group by Folder Level search strategy was added in version 5.2 and is on by default.
Filters that accept several patterns
Filename Lister takes wildcard masks such as *.docx or *2025*, separated by semicolons if you need several, and filtering can be case-sensitive or not.
Folder sizes and audio or video durations
Filename Lister can calculate each folder's total size, and a Calculate Media Duration option adds a running time for audio and video files, which ordinary directory printers don't do.
Folders mode with Calculate Filesize on, showing each game folder's total size in bytes.
Export with the columns you choose
Filename Lister's Export to File window lets you select the columns, include or drop headers, pick HTML, TXT, CSV or XLS/XLSX, and turn on a tree view of the folder hierarchy.
The Export to File dialog with options for headers, columns, output type and tree view.
Very long paths and quick actions
Filename Lister handles paths longer than 260 characters and shows each path's length, so you can spot names that break backups. It can also copy a path, rename a file or folder, and hide the initial path or the extension in the list.
Benefits
- An inventory that took hours of typing becomes a one-minute export you can sort and filter in Excel.
- Size columns show where your disk space went without a separate analyzer.
- The path length column catches over-long names before they cause copy errors.
Real-World Uses
- Cataloging a media library: export a music or video collection with durations for a spreadsheet.
- Handing over a project: send a client an HTML index of every delivered file.
- Preparing a cloud migration: find paths too long for the destination.
- Auditing a shared drive: list every folder with its size and last-modified date.
Who It's For, and Who Should Skip It
It suits office workers, archivists and media collectors who want a folder's contents as a document, without touching the command line.
Skip it if you only want names and paths once. Windows' own dir /s /b command writes those to a text file for free. It's also not a search tool for finding a single file on a whole PC.
Usage Guide
- Download the installer or the portable edition and start the program.
- Choose Files, Folders or Both.
- Enter a folder in Directory or click Browse, and type a filter if you want one.
- Tick Include Subfolders, Calculate Filesize and Calculate Media Duration as needed, then click Start.
- Click Export to File, choose columns and an output type, and save.
Before you buy
- One license covers one person on as many of their own computers as they use, or one shared workstation used by several people in turn. Using a key on too many computers at the same time can get it revoked.
- Calculating folder sizes and media durations on a large drive takes longer than a plain list, and the Stop button can end a scan early.
Where it falls short
- It scans one directory at a time. Users have asked for several directories at once and for a scan of all of This PC.
- Exclusions are limited. Lists of file types or folders to ignore, filtering by file size or path length, and showing hidden and system files are all open requests.
- Mapped network drives and shares work, but a NAS root such as \\MyBookLive doesn't.
- The interface is English only.
What Users Say
Praise on Vovsoft's site
Vovsoft's product page shows a rating of 4.6 out of 5 from 7 reviews, alongside these comments.
"It took 186 seconds to list 242,085 folders with size, date, and folder name length, sortable on any column. Clean, easy to use layout." Art C
"This is a good program. Does exactly what it says it will do and I like that you can include dates (installation), and file sizes in the report (helps to see which file takes up the most space), among other column titles . You can choose which output file type you would like the report in as well." KP
"Works great!! So much easier than command line." Richard Meredith
"Thanks for such a nice and handy program, Filename Lister. Very helpful, saves lots of time, and encourages organization of stuffed partitions." Mahmoud Buazzi
"The Bearfect program for organizing files, especially emails, for uploading to my File Manager in the Cloud. Instant organization without doing the heavy lifting! I love it!" Master Bear
The recurring praise is speed and the simplicity of the export. These are vendor-site comments, so the honest counterweight is the feature-request list, where people mostly ask for more ways to exclude things from a scan.
Comparisons
Filename Lister vs the dir command
The Windows dir command is free and gives you names and paths in a text file. Filename Lister adds sortable columns, folder sizes, media durations, long-path handling and direct Excel and HTML export, which is what the $19 pays for.
Editions and Pricing
| Edition | Price | License | What it adds |
|---|
| Trial | Free | Personal, non-commercial use | File listing included, with a nag screen |
| Licensed | $19 one-time | Lifetime | Commercial use, no nag screen, lifetime free updates |
The installer and portable editions use the same license key, the key is delivered right after payment, and the order page offers a volume discount if you buy several.
FAQs
Can Filename Lister export to Excel?
Filename Lister exports directly to XLS and XLSX, as well as CSV, HTML and TXT, from its Export to File window.
Can Filename Lister show the length of MP3 and video files?
Filename Lister shows durations for audio and video when Calculate Media Duration is ticked, and the Duration column can be included in exports.
Does Filename Lister work on network drives?
Filename Lister works on mapped drives and on shares such as \\Server\Share, but it can't start from a device's root name to list all of its shares.
Does Filename Lister handle paths over 260 characters?
Filename Lister supports paths and file names longer than 260 characters and shows each path's length in its own column.
Can Filename Lister change my files?
Filename Lister only reads when listing and exporting. Its Rename File and Rename Folder commands change a name only when you use them.
Is Filename Lister a subscription?
Filename Lister is a one-time purchase. Vovsoft license keys don't expire, updates are free for the life of the license, and the same key works on a new computer.
System Requirements
- Windows 11, 10, 8/8.1, 7, Vista or XP, 32-bit or 64-bit
- 3.65 MB for the installer, 2.32 MB for the portable edition
- English interface
Conclusion
Worth $19 if you regularly need folder contents as a document. The one reason to buy it is the export window: choose your columns, get an Excel sheet with sizes and durations, done. The main reason not to is that a one-off list of names costs nothing with the dir command, and scans can't yet exclude much. It's actively maintained, with a release in August 2026, and the trial shows you quickly whether it fits.
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