Windows Explorer is one of the most frequently used apps on any Windows PC. It's the portal to all the files stored on your computer, so you need to access it every time you need to open a document, image, or Excel workbook. Moreover, Windows Explorer also enables the system-wide file picker that pops up every time you want to open or save a file. While it works perfectly fine most of the time, opening and managing multiple Windows Explorer instances can be a pain.

Sometimes, you may need to open multiple instances of the file manager to transfer files or compare them. I do it all the time when comparing camera samples of phones, or when I need to upload files from multiple different folders. I may want to have my Downloads, Documents, Desktop, and Screenshots folders open at the same time, and it gets quite difficult to manage all windows at once. Of course, you can use snap layouts on Windows to make your life easier, but it consumes a lot of real estate on the screen. Well, what's the better alternative then? Just when I was about to try a Windows Explorer replacement, I chanced upon Explorer Tab Utility - and I'm glad to report that it has made using Windows Explorer an absolute joy.

What is Explorer Tab Utility?

When you open multiple instances of any app, Windows -- by default -- opens multiple windows of the same app that run simultaneously. You can use the windows side-by-side, or minimize some of them and only concentrate on one. Essentially, there can be one active window of an app. The same applies to Windows Explorer natively.

Explorer Tab Utility changes that behavior by allowing you to open multiple instances of Windows Explorer as tabs inside the same window. Think web browsers -- except the app works on the default file browser on Windows 11. Just like you would open multiple websites in different tabs inside the same window when using Chrome or Edge, you can open multiple paths or directories in different tabs inside Windows Explorer. Essentially, you no longer need to have four different Explorer windows eating up precious real estate on your monitor.

Using Explorer Tab Utility

Head to Explorer Tab Utility's GitHub page and download the latest version from the Releases section. Run the app, and you'll see it in action every time you open a Windows Explorer window.

You need to be on Windows 11 (22H2 Build 22621 or later) with the file explorer tabs feature to use Explorer Tab Utility.

By seeing it in action, what I mean is that the app is up and running as soon as you install it. When you open the first instance of Windows Explorer, you'll see the usual window. However, as and when you launch consecutive instances, you'll see that they open in tabs instead of new windows. There's a tab bar at the top that you can use to switch between these tabs. As with Chrome or any other browser, you can drag around the tabs to rearrange them, pull them out into a separate window if required, or even close tabs that you don't need anymore. In fact, you can even right-click on the bar and reopen any tabs you closed by mistake.

What I like about the app is that it also handles tasks like opening multiple folders together in a seamless manner. If you select five folders and double-click on one of them, it will open Windows Explorer with five tabs consisting of all the selected folders. Additionally, the app can also be configured with hotkeys. So, you can program a certain set of key combinations to open a desired folder or jump to the folder containing your recently opened files. You can even set delays between triggers, or create different profiles if multiple people use your computer. These are features that power users will definitely appreciate.

Enabling autostart for Explorer Tab Utility is recommended so that you can start using it as soon as you boot onto your computer. Otherwise, you will have to launch the app every single time manually to get the tab UI working.

Explorer Tab Utility may get flagged by your antivirus program as malware when you install it. However, this is a false positive. The app is completely open-source, so you can build it yourself too, using Visual Studio.

I've been using the app for over a week now, and I don't see myself going back to the stock Windows Explorer. Explorer Tab Utility is more functional and clutter-free. It also doesn't take up any additional resources, so it remains snappy.

Supercharge your Windows Explorer

If you often run multiple instances of Windows Explorer, Explorer Tab Utility is a no-brainer. It's lightweight, the tab UI is intuitive, and it allows you to run other apps on your screen without taking up too much space.