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
- 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:
🖨️ Duplicate Current Tab
♻️ Reopen Closed Tabs
📁 Custom Path Navigation
- Assign hotkeys to quickly open your favorite locations
- Supports multiple path formats:
- Standard paths:
C:\Users\Documents - Environment variables:
%USERPROFILE%\Downloads - Windows CLSID paths:
{A8CDFF1C-4878-43be-B5FD-F8091C1C60D0}(Special Folders)
- Standard paths:
- Perfect for frequently accessed directories
- Instant access to system folders using CLSIDs
⚡ Performance & Reliability
- Lightweight and resource-efficient
- Fast and responsive tab creation
- Stable COM-based implementation
- Reliable window state management
- Download the latest version from the Releases page
- 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
- WindowHook: Enable/disable new windows being converted to tabs
- ReuseTabs: Enable/disable reusing existing tabs instead of creating new ones
- Startup: Configure automatic startup with Windows
⌨️ Hotkey Profile Management
- Create new profiles
- Import profiles from file
- Export profiles to file
- Enable/disable individual profiles
Each profile contains the following settings:
-
Basic Settings
- Profile Name
- Hotkey Combination (set by focusing the input field and pressing desired keys)
- Scope: Global or Explorer-only (triggers only when File Explorer is focused)
-
Action Settings
- Action Type:
Open: Open a new tab (optionally with specified path)Duplicate: Duplicate current tabReopenClosed: Reopen last closed tabSetTargetWindow: Set current Explorer window as the destination for new tabsToggleWinHook: Toggle window hookToggleReuseTabs: Toggle tab reuseToggleVisibility: Toggle form visibility
- Path Field (for
Openaction)- Optional: Leave empty to open new tab
- Supports multiple path formats (see Custom Path Navigation section)
- Action Type:
-
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
SetTargetWindowaction 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
- Direct interaction with Windows Shell through native COM interfaces:
Shell32: Core shell functionality and file system operationsSHDocVw: 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
- 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)
- 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
- 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
- .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
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! ❤️
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:
- H.Hooks - Efficient and reliable keyboard hook implementation
- MaterialSkin.2 - Beautiful Material Design theming for WinForms
Special thanks to the maintainers of these packages for their excellent work!
