As a writer, I spend a lot of time on my computer, and one of the features I’ve always appreciated in Windows is the ability to use tabs in File Explorer. Tabs make it easy to switch between different folders and files without cluttering up your desktop with a bunch of different windows. When I upgraded to Windows 11, I was disappointed to find that tabs weren’t enabled by default. However, after doing some research, I found a simple solution to enable tabs in File Explorer.
Install Windows 11 22H2 Update to Get File Explorer Tabs
Before you can enable tabs in File Explorer on Windows 11, you need to make sure you’re running the latest version of the operating system. As of October 2021, the latest version of Windows 11 is 22H2. To check which version you’re running, open Settings, click on System, and then click on About.
If you’re not running version 22H2, you’ll need to update your system. To do this, go to Settings, click on Windows Update, and then click on Check for updates. If an update is available, click on Download and install.
Once you’re running version 22H2, you’ll be able to enable tabs in File Explorer.
Enable Windows 11 File Explorer Tabs Using ViveTool
To enable tabs in File Explorer on Windows 11, you’ll need to use a third-party tool called ViveTool. ViveTool is a command-line tool that allows you to enable and disable various features in Windows.
To get started, you’ll need to download ViveTool from the developer’s website. Once you’ve downloaded the tool, extract the contents of the ZIP file to a folder on your computer.
Next, open File Explorer and navigate to the folder where you extracted ViveTool. Right-click on the ViveTool.exe file and select Run as administrator.
In the command prompt window that opens, type the following command and press Enter:
vivetool addconfig 23513103 2
This command will enable tabs in File Explorer on Windows 11. You should see a message in the command prompt indicating that the operation was successful.
Once you’ve enabled tabs in File Explorer, you can start using them right away. Simply open File Explorer and click on the New tab button to open a new tab.
How to Disable File Explorer Tabs in Windows 11
If you decide you don’t want to use tabs in File Explorer on Windows 11 anymore, you can easily disable them using ViveTool.
To disable tabs, open the command prompt window again and type the following command:
vivetool delconfig 23513103
Press Enter, and tabs will be disabled in File Explorer.
