While a lot of users are still not able to update from Windows 10, more awesome Windows 11 hidden features are being discovered in the beta build. These are expected to make the final build later this year. One of them is the tab feature in File Explorer; a highly requested feature since I can remember. Tabs have been available in browsers for the longest time. For Windows 10, you would need a third-party app, but it works perfectly.

Having tabs makes multitasking way better. Having multiple screens splattered on your PC screen can be frustrating to work with. Even when you minimize all the windows, going to the taskbar to select through them is harder in practice than in theory.

As long as your device is able to receive builds from the Beta Channel (22H2) or you have Build 22621.160+, you can also try the new navigation pane alongside tabs in File Explorer.

If you want to add tabs to your file explorer, then continue reading.

Enable tabs for File Explorer Windows 11

• Join the Windows Insider Program and sign up for the Beta Channel.
• Restart your device and install the beta build Windows 11 Build 2261.
• Open Github and download ViveTool. This tool unlocks all hidden features of any Windows 11 build. Download the .zip file and save it in a location you can easily find.
• Extract the .zip file in that same location for easy access. Copy that file path.
• Search Command Prompt (or CMD) in Windows Search and Run as Administrator.
• Type cd <paste the path you copied previously>.
  Example: cd C:\Users\Downloads\ViVeTool-v0.2.1
• In the same Command Prompt, enter the following commands one by one and restart your system.
  vivetool addconfig 39145991 2
  vivetool addconfig 37634385 2
  vivetool addconfig 36354489 2
  After the restart, your file explorer should look different from the default. Beware that it’s still a beta feature, which means there may be some minor bugs but Windows will iron them out.

For Windows 10

As mentioned earlier, for Windows 10, you’ll need a third-party app to implement this. This app is safe though if you’re wondering. The app is QTTabbar. To add tabs to file explorer in Windows 10:
Download the QTTabbar app from here.

• You’ll see a .zip file in your downloads after it is done. Extract the .zip file into any folder of your choosing.
  Start the installation process by clicking on QTTabBar.exe. Follow the prompts to install the program successfully.
• Log off or restart your PC.
• After your PC restarts, you need to do a few more things to make sure it’s running. Open the File Explorer and click on View on the menu bar.
• Under the View menu, click on options on the far right of the window to open a drop-down menu
• Select QTBar in the menu to activate it.
• You should see another created space below the File path bar. To open a folder in another tab, right-click on the folder and select “Open in New tab”, and a new tab will be created.

These steps should help you with enabling tabs on File Explorer. This is a game-changer, as it greatly improves multitasking. It also reduces window clutter when you’re working with multiple folders. The number of times I’ve clicked on the wrong folder window while trying to copy files from one folder to another is immense. If you’re like me, you may want to give this a shot. It’ll change your Windows experience entirely. If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments!

If your PC specs don’t meet the minimum requirements for Windows 11, don’t worry. We have an article on how to bypass the TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot checks. You can read it here.