It was in late 2022 that Windows 11 users finally got tabs in the File Explorer, something they had been asking Microsoft for for ages. However, unlike the file managers on other operating systems, tabs in Windows File Explorer do not offer the best experience. Opening tabs in the manager is not very smooth, and moving and rearranging them is also buggy. These are just some of the problems that the Explorer Tab Utility aims to get rid of.

What is the Explorer Tab Utility? Explorer Tab Utility is a third-party open-source and lightweight tool designed to deliver a better, more intuitive tabbed file-managing experience on Windows 11. It lets you open multiple directories and paths in separate tabs in Windows File Explorer without having to open individual windows for each of them. In other words, it provides an experience similar to that of web browsers that allows you to open different tabs for different websites in the same instance.

Thus, with Explorer Tab Utility you can don't need to keep your screen occupied with multiple windows, resulting in a clutter-free experience. Additionally, you don't need to switch between different windows, which can help make your workflow more efficient while reducing the wastage of time and effort. In addition to opening different directories as tabs in File Explorer, Explorer Tab Utility lets you rearrange and switch between them, use shortcut keys to manage them, and more.

Note: You should be running Windows 11 22H2 (Build 22621 or later) to be able to use the Explorer Tab Utility. The File Explorer tabs feature should also be enabled on your system.

Step 1: Download and install Explorer Tab Utility

  1. Go to the Explorer Tab Utility GitHub page and click on 'Releases' in the 'Getting Started' section.
  1. On the Releases page, scroll down to the 'Assets' section and click on the version of the utility you want to download. For most users, version 'ExplorerTabUtility_v2.1.0_x64_NetFW4.8.1.zip' should work.
  1. You can also open Command Prompt from the Start menu and type winget install w4po.ExplorerTabUtility before pressing Enter to install it via the command line.
  1. Once you've downloaded the .zip file, extract it and open the application by double-clicking on 'ExplorerTabUtility.exe'. Skip this step if you've installed the utility via Command Prompt.
  1. You should see Explorer Tab Utility running automatically in the taskbar overflow section, where hidden icons appear.

Step 2: Managing tabs using Explorer Tab Utility

  1. Launch File Explorer and you will see the usual window appear on your screen. Try launching another instance and you should now see that it will open as a tab instead of a new window. Each new instance will now open as a tab only.
  1. You can switch between tabs by clicking on the tab you want to switch to.
  1. To rearrange tabs, simply click and drag a tab left or right as needed.
  2. You can also open new tabs directly by clicking the '+' button on the right of the last tab.
  1. If you want to pull out a tab into a separate window, you can do so by clicking and dragging it out of the existing window.
  2. The reverse is also true. If you click and drag an existing File Explorer window into another open window, it will open in a new tab.
  3. Right-clicking on a tab will let you close tabs and even open the ones you may have closed by mistake.
  1. To open multiple folders as tabs, select them all and double-click on any one of them.
  2. Explorer Tabs Utility even lets you set up and customize hotkeys to launch a specific folder or switch to one that contains recently opened files. To do that, right-click on the program icon from the taskbar overflow and click on 'Settings'.
  1. You should now see the default shortcut keys for various File Explorer actions with Explorer Tabs Utility. To change a shortcut, simply click on it and then use the new shortcut you want to set. You can also disable shortcuts for certain actions by clicking the toggles on the left.
  1. Additionally, Explorer Tabs Utility lets you choose whether certain hotkeys work even outside File Explorer by using the dropdown on the right and selecting 'Global'.
  1. You can delete hotkeys using the buttons on the right, or import, export, and save your customizations using the options at the top.

Things to know

  • If you do not want to launch Explorer Tabs Utility manually every time you boot your machine, right-click on its icon in the taskbar and click on 'Add to startup'. It will now launch automatically when your computer boots up.
  • Your antivirus program may flag Explorer Tabs Utility as malware, but this is a false positive. The app is completely open-source, so you can inspect and modify its code, and we've even checked it with VirusTotal.
  • The developers are constantly working on improving Explorer Tabs Utility, so you may see new features added to it or changes in its functionality over time.
  • If you want to get the default tabs experience in Windows Explorer, you can remove Explorer Tabs Utility from your PC at any time from the 'Apps' section in page in the Settings app, or from the 'Programs and Features' section in the Control Panel.