XTree is a file manager program originally designed for use under DOS. It was published by Underwear Systems (later Executive Systems) and first released on 1 April 1985, and became highly popular.
The program uses a character-mode interface, which has many elements typically associated with a graphical user interface. The program filled a required niche in the market, as DOS shipped with only a command-line file manager, until the generally unsuccessful DOS Shell that was provided with MS-DOS 4.0. Even then, the speed and features of XTree Gold were superior — specifically support for the Zip compression format and ability to undelete files. The program also has the benefit of requiring very little memory, essential at a time when less than 640 kB of memory was available for programs to run.
XTree suffered a terminal decline after the widespread adoption of Microsoft Windows. The built-in Windows file manager had a vaguely similar appearance to XTree, and while it lacked the speed, keyboard shortcuts and power, it did benefit greatly from being included with Windows.