winget install --id=w4po.ExplorerTabUtility -e
🚀 Supercharge Windows 11's File Explorer: Auto-convert windows to tabs, duplicate tabs, reopen closed ones, and more! (Requires Windows 11 22H2 Build 22621 or later)
> [!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.
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.
🔄 Automatic Window to Tab Conversion
See it in action:
🖨️ Duplicate Current Tab
Tab
option)See it in action:
♻️ Reopen Closed Tabs
Tab
option)Free code signing provided by , certificate by
🔄 Restore Previous Windows
📋 Detach & Snap Windows
See it in action:
⬅️ Navigate Back & Forward
See it in action:
📁 Custom Path Navigation
Tab
option)C:\Users\Documents
%USERPROFILE%\Downloads
{A8CDFF1C-4878-43be-B5FD-F8091C1C60D0}
(Special Folders)C:\file.txt
https://github.com/w4po/ExplorerTabUtility
(opens in default browser)See it in action:
🔍 Tab Search/Switcher
🪟 Force New Window with Ctrl+Shift
⚡ Performance & Reliability
Download the latest version from the Releases page or install it via winget
or choco
:
winget install w4po.ExplorerTabUtility --interactive
choco install explorertabutility --version 2.5.0 --params "/interactive"
Run the application
Look for the tray icon and you're ready to go!
> [!NOTE] > The application runs in the system tray minimized by default. > To configure it, double-click or right-click the tray icon.
🔧 General Settings
%APPDATA%\ExplorerTabUtility\settings.json
If you need to reset to default settings, simply delete the settings.json file.⚙️ Preferences
ToggleVisibility
action before enabling this option⌨️ Hotkey Profile Management
Each profile contains the following settings:
Basic Configuration
Open
: Open a specific locationDuplicate
: Duplicate the current tabReopenClosed
: Reopen the last closed locationTabSearch
: Open the tab search/switcher popupNavigateBack
: Navigate back in the current tabNavigateForward
: Navigate forward in the current tabNavigateUp
: Navigate up one directory levelSetTargetWindow
: Mark the current window as the target for new tabsToggleWinHook
: Toggle the window hook on/offToggleReuseTabs
: Toggle tab reuse on/offToggleVisibility
: Show/hide the main windowDetachTab
: Detach the current tab to a new windowSnap
: Snap the current window to the screen edges (right/left/top/bottom)Open
action)
Advanced Settings
> [!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.
Implementation Overview
Shell32
: Core shell functionality and file system operationsSHDocVw
: Explorer window and tab managementThe utility can be uninstalled in several ways depending on how you installed it:
If you installed using the installer: Use the standard Windows uninstaller
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
Add to startup
option, make sure to disable it first before deletion> [!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
If Windows Defender is blocking the utility, you can add it to the exclusions list:
Virus & threat protection
Manage settings
under Virus & threat protection settings
Exclusions
and click Add or remove exclusions
Add an exclusion
and select Folder
Alternatively, you can use PowerShell (Run as Administrator):
Add-MpPreference -ExclusionPath "PATH_TO_UTILITY_FOLDER"
> [!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.
If you find Explorer Tab Utility helpful, consider supporting its development:
Your support helps maintain and improve the project! ❤️
Thank you to all the amazing people who support this project!
Contributions are welcome! Feel free to submit issues and pull requests.
This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.
This project makes use of the following excellent open-source packages:
Special thanks to the maintainers of these packages for their excellent work!