Ease of use of NC is based on constant ability to confront two file manipulation objects at once. After starting the program, the user sees two panels with file lists, each of which can be easily configured to show information about the other panel, a directory tree, or a number of other options. At the bottom of the screen, NC displays a list of commands, extended on demand by the CTRL and ALT keys. Thus, without heavy use of the mouse (though mouse functionality was integrated around version 3.0), the user is able to perform many file manipulation actions quickly and efficiently. In addition, the built-in text file viewer (called with F3) and editor (F4) made NC in fact the DOS tool for power users.

After Microsoft released Windows 95 and a large number of users migrated to the new graphic OS, NC temporarily became less popular due to the forced popularity of Windows Explorer and lack of supporting new Long File Names standard. In turn, Symantec released NC 5.5, which supports the LFNs and thus became again useful and popular on a typical Windows partition. NC 5.5 uses LFN API, and if user wants use LFNs, it must work in Windows GUI, or in presence of DOSLFN or similar TSR while working in plain DOS. Otherwise LFN support doesn't work and NC 5.5 would have to truncate LFNs.

Despite the temporary decline in its use, Norton Commander was very popular during the DOS era and even after temporarily sinking into obscurity, which was reverted by new NC 5.5 with LFN support in Windows era, it has been extensively cloned. These clones are further described below.

After releasing traditional NC 5.5 with added LFN support, a new pure graphical version of Norton Commander was introduced by Symantec in 1999, Norton Commander for Windows. This version fully integrates with Windows (supports even more sophisticated LFNs and the Recycle Bin) and also provides close integration with a Quick View program that enables one to view files such as documents from various Microsoft Office programs, in one of the panels.

For many long-time users and computer collectors, Norton Commander is a valued piece of software and an object of late-1980s nostalgia, beginning to get rarer and more valuable as time passes.