How to Enable and Disable Tabs in File Explorer on Windows 11

This guide will walk you through the steps to enable tabs on Windows 11 22H2. You can use these instructions to learn more about using tabs on File Explorer.

The tab interface in File Explorer looks promising. It works exactly as expected and even supports tab overflow (File Explorer shows extra buttons to scroll through tabs when you have too many open.

How to enable tabbed view in File Explorer

Note : Currently, Windows 11 version 22H2 has officially updated the tabbed interface for File Explorer. If for some reason you do not have this feature, you can use the Vivetool tool according to the instructions below to activate it:

Step 1 : Download ViveTool from GitHub .

Step 2 : Extract the ViveTool Zip file in an easy-to-find folder.

Step 3 : Open Command Prompt as Admin.

Step 4 : Open the folder containing the extracted ViveTool and copy the folder path.

Step 5 : Switch to the Command Prompt window , enter the cd command then paste the ViveTool folder path you just copied and press Enter.

Step 6 : Continue entering the command vivetool addconfig 34370472 2 and press Enter . In which, 34370472 is the code of the hidden feature that needs to be activated and 2 is to enable the feature. If you want to disable it, replace 2 with 1.

Step 7 : If you see the message Successfully set feature configuration , it means the feature has been successfully activated.

Step 8 : Restart your computer to start using the tabbed interface in File Explorer.

How to turn off tabbed interface in File Explorer

Of course, some people like and some don't like the tabbed interface of File Explorer on Windows 11 22H2. Besides, many users reported that the tabs in File Explorer are quite disappointing as they are crude, buggy, and lack many features.

Therefore, TipsMake.com will guide you how to turn this feature off.

Note : Windows 11 does not have a separate setting that allows you to manage tabs and related features. Therefore, to disable tabs in File Explorer, you need to use third-party software, in this case ViveTool. Because using third-party software interferes with the system, to ensure safety, you should back up your data before doing so.

The steps are as follows:

Step 1 : Download ViveTool then unzip and open Command Prompt in Admin mode to access the unzipped ViveTool folder as instructed from B1 to B5 above.

Step 2 : Enter the command vivetool /disable /id:37634385 and press Enter.

Step 3 : Enter the command vivetool /disable /id:36354489 and press Enter.

Step 4 : Restart your computer and you will see the changes take effect.

If you change your mind and want to restore the tabbed interface in File Explorer you will need to change /disable in the commands to /enable .

Good luck!

Samuel Daniel

Update 30 October 2024