ExplorerTabUtility is a productivity tool designed to enhance Windows 11's File Explorer by enabling tab management, streamlining workflows, and reducing desktop clutter. It automatically converts new windows into tabs, allowing users to organize files more efficiently.
Key Features:
Automatic Window-to-Tab Conversion: New File Explorer windows open as tabs if the path already exists, eliminating redundant windows.
Duplicate Tabs: Quickly duplicate the current tab or window while preserving location and selected items.
Reopen Closed Tabs: Recover recently closed tabs or windows with the option to reopen them as a tab or new window.
Restore Previous Windows: Automatically restore File Explorer windows after restarts or crashes, with customizable settings.
Audience & Benefit:
Ideal for Windows 11 users seeking a cleaner and more organized workflow. This tool increases productivity by reducing desktop clutter, enabling quick navigation between files, and supporting efficient file management across virtual desktops.
ExplorerTabUtility is lightweight, reliable, and compatible with Windows 11 (Build 22621 or later). It can be installed via winget for easy setup.
README
Explorer Tab Utility
> [!TIP]
> Force new File Explorer windows to open as tabs in Windows 11, making your workflow cleaner and more organized!
> [!IMPORTANT]
> This application requires Windows 11 (22H2 Build 22621 or later) with the File Explorer Tabs feature.
đ¤ Why Explorer Tab Utility?
Say goodbye to cluttered desktops with multiple Explorer windows! Explorer Tab Utility automatically converts new windows into tabs, providing a cleaner and more organized file management experience.
⨠Features
đ Automatic Window to Tab Conversion
Seamlessly converts new Explorer windows into tabs
Switches to existing tabs if path is already opened
Supports virtual desktop switching with a hotkey
Supports attaching/detaching tabs
Handles "Show in folder" file selection elegantly
Handles opening multiple tabs at once
See it in action:
đ¨ī¸ Duplicate Current Tab
Quickly duplicate the current tab/window
Choose whether to duplicate as a tab or new window (toggle Tab option)
Preserves the current location and selected items
See it in action:
âģī¸ Reopen Closed Tabs
Reopen previously closed tabs/windows
Choose whether to reopen as a tab or new window (toggle Tab option)
Restores the exact location and selected items
History is saved across application restarts (enable "Save closed history" in settings)
Reuse Tabs: Switch to existing tabs instead of opening duplicates
Keyboard Hook: Enable/disable keyboard shortcuts
Mouse Hook: Enable/disable mouse navigation features
Startup: Configure automatic startup with Windows
Settings Persistence:
Your settings are stored in a JSON file located in your AppData folder:
%APPDATA%\ExplorerTabUtility\settings.json
If you need to reset to default settings, simply delete the settings.json file.
âī¸ Preferences
Auto update: Automatically check for updates on startup to ensure you're always using the latest version
I have theme issues: Use an alternative window hiding method that preserves your custom File Explorer theme. Enable this if you experience theme-related issues
Save closed history: Save recently closed windows for reopening later (ReopenClosed, Tab Search)
Restore previous windows: Restore previously opened windows after restart or crash
Hide tray icon: Hide the system tray icon for a cleaner taskbar experience.
You must first configure a hotkey with the ToggleVisibility action before enabling this option
â¨ī¸ Hotkey Profile Management
Profile Options
Create new profiles
Import profiles from file
Export profiles to file
Enable/disable individual profiles
Profile Settings
Each profile contains the following settings:
Basic Configuration
Hotkey: Set keyboard shortcut (supports modifier keys)
Scope: Global (system-wide) or Explorer (only in File Explorer)
Action Type:
Open: Open a specific location
Duplicate: Duplicate the current tab
ReopenClosed: Reopen the last closed location
TabSearch: Open the tab search/switcher popup
NavigateBack: Navigate back in the current tab
NavigateForward: Navigate forward in the current tab
NavigateUp: Navigate up one directory level
SetTargetWindow: Mark the current window as the target for new tabs
ToggleWinHook: Toggle the window hook on/off
ToggleReuseTabs: Toggle tab reuse on/off
ToggleVisibility: Show/hide the main window
DetachTab: Detach the current tab to a new window
Snap: Snap the current window to the screen edges (right/left/top/bottom)
Path Field (for Open action)
Optional: Leave empty to open new tab
Supports multiple path formats (see Custom Path Navigation section)
Advanced Settings
Execution Delay: Slider to set delay before action execution
Key Handling: Toggle whether hotkeys are passed to other applications
Profile Deletion: Remove unwanted profiles
> [!TIP]
> Use the "Handled" toggle to prevent or allow hotkey propagation to other applications that might be listening for the same key combination.
> [!NOTE]
> The SetTargetWindow action lets you choose which Explorer window will receive new tabs. This is useful when you have multiple Explorer windows open or working on different virtual desktops and want to control where new tabs appear.
đ§ Technical Details
Implementation Overview
Core Components
1. đ COM Integration
Direct interaction with Windows Shell through native COM interfaces:
Shell32: Core shell functionality and file system operations
SHDocVw: Explorer window and tab management
Custom COM interface implementations for reliable shell interactions
Efficient PIDL (Pointer to ID List) handling for file system operations
Thread-safe COM object lifecycle management
2. đĒ Window Management
Advanced window tracking and state management:
Concurrent collections for thread-safe window tracking
Efficient tab handle caching and validation
Smart window-to-tab conversion logic
Support for special folder navigation (CLSID paths)
3. ⥠Process & Event System
Robust Explorer process monitoring:
Automatic recovery from Explorer crashes
Event-driven architecture for responsive UI
Efficient window event hooking
Asynchronous operation handling:
STA (Single-threaded Apartment) task scheduler
Non-blocking COM operations
Proper synchronization with SemaphoreSlim
4. đ Performance Optimizations
Smart caching mechanisms:
Window handle caching
Path comparison optimization
Tab state tracking
Efficient resource management:
Proper COM object disposal
Memory-efficient collections
Minimal window recreation
5. đ¨ Modern UI
Modern WPF-based user interface:
XAML-based UI components for better flexibility and design
Custom themes and styles in dedicated XAML files
Improved visual consistency with Windows 11 design language
Enhanced system tray integration:
Modern WPF-based TaskbarIcon implementation
XAML-based context menu with Windows 11 iconography
Custom icons and hover effects for better visual feedback
Tab Search popup with modern styling and keyboard navigation
About page with developer information and support options
Key Technologies
.NET 9 and .NET Framework 4.8.1
Windows COM APIs
Shell32 and SHDocVw interfaces
Native P/Invoke
Advanced threading with STA scheduler
Concurrent collections for thread safety
WPF (Windows Presentation Foundation) for modern UI
đī¸ Uninstallation
The utility can be uninstalled in several ways depending on how you installed it:
If you installed using the installer: Use the standard Windows uninstaller
Go to "Settings > Apps > Installed apps"
Find "Explorer Tab Utility" and click "Uninstall"
Or use Control Panel > Programs and Features
Or run the uninstaller directly from the installation directory
If you installed via winget:
winget uninstall w4po.ExplorerTabUtility
If you installed via Chocolatey:
choco uninstall explorertabutility
If you used the portable version: Simply delete the application folder
If you enabled the Add to startup option, make sure to disable it first before deletion
Antivirus Detection
> [!WARNING]
> The utility might be flagged by antivirus software as suspicious. This is a false positive caused by our use of:
> - COM interactions (for File Explorer tab management)
> - Low-level keyboard & mouse hooks (for hotkey support)
>
> The tool is completely open source, and you can:
> - Review the source code in this repository
> - Build it yourself using Visual Studio
> - Verify its safety and functionality
Adding to Windows Defender Exclusions
If Windows Defender is blocking the utility, you can add it to the exclusions list:
Open Windows Security
Go to Virus & threat protection
Click Manage settings under Virus & threat protection settings
Scroll down to Exclusions and click Add or remove exclusions
Click Add an exclusion and select Folder
Browse to the Explorer Tab Utility folder location
Alternatively, you can use PowerShell (Run as Administrator):
> [!NOTE]
> While this utility is optimized for best performance, some operations might experience delays due to limitations in Windows File Explorer itself:
> - The File Explorer's tab interface lacks proper APIs for programmatic control
> - Some operations in File Explorer are inherently laggy, especially with multiple simultaneous window operations
> - Windows Shell doesn't expose all the necessary functionality for seamless tab management
Despite these Windows limitations, the utility implements the best possible solutions using available Windows APIs and COM interfaces.
đ Support the Project
If you find Explorer Tab Utility helpful, consider supporting its development:
Your support helps maintain and improve the project! â¤ī¸
Sponsors & Supporters
Thank you to all the amazing people who support this project!
Contributing
Contributions are welcome! Feel free to submit issues and pull requests.
License
This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.
Acknowledgements
This project makes use of the following excellent open-source packages:
H.Hooks - Efficient and reliable keyboard hook implementation
