RC Retro Commander

* DOCS / 01

Getting started

From zero to a connected dual-pane view in five minutes. This is the guide most users need first.

Docs / Getting started

1. Get the app

Retro Commander 1.0 alpha is a native Windows app for Windows 10 and 11 (x64). There is no .NET or other runtime to install. It comes two ways - the same app in both:

  • Installer (~5 MB) - a start-menu entry, an optional desktop shortcut and optional file associations for D64, D71, D81, D80, D82, DNP, G64 and T64. Install for everyone on the PC, or only for yourself.
  • Portable zip - one RetroCommander.exe inside. Unpack it anywhere, a USB stick included, and run it.

Head to the download page to grab one. The alpha isn't code-signed yet, so Windows SmartScreen may ask you to confirm (More info → Run anyway). Alpha builds also carry an end date; a newer build is posted before it arrives.

2. First launch & sign-in

The first time you start it, Retro Commander asks you to create an account: enter your email, pick a password (at least 8 characters) and confirm your email from the link you receive. Already have an account? Choose Sign in instead. During the beta that unlocks every feature - you only do this once per PC.

Settings are kept in a settings\ folder next to the executable when that folder is writable (so the portable build stays portable), otherwise in %APPDATA%\RetroCommander\. Coming from the classic 0.9? Its settings are copied over the first time.

You'll see two file panes side by side: your local PC, and a second folder, a disk image or your Ultimate. Tab switches between them; the F-key bar at the bottom shows what each key does.

3. Open the settings dialog

Click the settings icon in the toolbar. You'll find tabs for Interface, Folders, Emulators, Connection, File handling, Caching, Warnings, Account and Other. Your account - change email or password, sign out, manage devices - lives on the Account tab.

4. Connect to your Ultimate

Own an Ultimate 64, C64 Ultimate or Ultimate-II+? With no address set, Retro Commander looks for it on your network at start-up and connects when it finds exactly one. Otherwise open the Connection tab, click Scan, and pick your device from the list - or type its address and press Test Connection.

Set a REST password and FTP credentials only if your device requires them. No Ultimate? Skip this step - everything else works on its own, and Offline mode on the same tab keeps the app from looking for one.

5. Try a launch

Highlight a .PRG (on either pane, or inside a D64) and press F1. By default the disk is mounted on drive A and the program runs. To inject straight into RAM instead, or to run in an emulator such as VICE, see Launching PRG files.

6. Customise

  • Focus ring: colour, hue, saturation, brightness and opacity, per pane.
  • Home folders: per-pane starting paths so each side opens where you actually work.
  • PETSCII preview: off, half, mid or full size.
  • Columns: show or hide Type, Size and Modified, plus load address and start track/sector inside disks.

7. Five keys worth learning first

  • F5 / F6 - copy or move to the other pane, with From and To shown first.
  • Ctrl+Z - undo, up to 64 steps.
  • Ctrl+Shift+F - find in disks, even inside zips.
  • Ctrl+Shift+D / Ctrl+D - remember this place / go back to it.
  • Ctrl+M - single-screen mode, when one pane is shown.

The rest is in Keyboard shortcuts, and the feature tour shows what each part of the app can do.

Next: Connecting to your Ultimate →