How to Enable Tabs for File Explorer on Windows 11

Of late, Microsoft has been adding several promising new features to Windows 11 that users have been waiting for years. Microsoft has now enabled tabs in File Explorer on Windows 11 that most users are surely going to love. We have already compiled a list of upcoming Windows 11 features that include the new Task Manager UI, new Bluetooth menu, etc., so check out the list for more information. By the way, the tabbed UI in File Explorer is currently hidden in Windows 11, but we bring you a tutorial on how to turn on this feature right away. So without any delay, let’s go ahead and learn how to enable tabs in File Explorer on Windows 11.

Enable Tabs in Windows 11 File Explorer (2022)

1. The option to enable tabs in the File Explorer is available on the latest Windows 11 build (22572, March 9) in the Dev channel. So make sure you are enrolled in the Dev channel of the Windows 11 Insider program and update to the latest OS build.

2. Next, you need to set up ViveTool, which will allow you to get tabs in File Explorer. Open this link and download the latest ZIP file.

3. Right-click on the ZIP file and select the “Extract All” option from the context menu. Then, right-click on the extracted folder, and select the “Copy as path” option.

4. Next, open Command Prompt with Administrator privileges. You can do so by searching for “CMD” in Windows search and selecting the “Run as administrator” option. It is important to open Command Prompt with admin privileges else you will get an error while running the command to enable tabs in Windows 11 File Explorer.

5. In the command prompt window, type cd and paste the path you copied above. Right-click on the CMD window to paste the path. It will look something like the screenshot below. Note: the file path will be different for your PC. You will move to the ViveTool folder inside Command Prompt using this command.

cd "C:\Users\Arjun\Downloads\ViVeTool-v0.2.1"

6. Finally, execute the below command. It will enable the new tabbed UI in the File Explorer on Windows 11. Now, restart your PC.

vivetool addconfig 34370472 2

7. And here it is — tabs in File Explorer, working flawlessly in Windows 11. Note that the ability to re-arrange tabs in the File Explorer is currently not supported, and you can’t pull out tabs to create a separate window (as you can do with most best Windows browsers) for a particular folder. The feature is half-baked right now, but we expect Microsoft to improve it before release to all stable users.

Tabbed UI in File Explorer Finally Comes to Windows 11

So that is how you can get tabs working in Windows 11 File Explorer. You no longer need to use the popular third-party Files app (Free) to use a tabbed interface in the File Explorer. Anyway, that is all from us. If you want to enable the new Bluetooth menu in Quick Settings on Windows 11, follow our linked tutorial. And if you wish to set Windows 11 Taskbar icons to never combine, we have a nifty workaround for that too. Finally, if you have any questions, let us know in the comments section below.