In case it helps, you can also click the middle mouse on a folder to open it in a new tab, or middle mouse click on the tab to close it - this also works in browsers.
@@joostoboy If you are asking if middle clicking on a pinned item will open a new window, yes, I've never known it not to. For example, middle clicking explorer opens a new window each time, same for Windows Terminal and so on.
The tabs feature, whilst welcome, really isn't where it ought to be yet, but it could be with one simple addition; You should be able to drag and drop a tab from the tab bar to anywhere else on the screen to convert it into a new window (and vice versa) in much the same way that most web browsers use tabs. Until it does, they're not going to see a whole lot of use from me.
Yup. I always open multiple explorer Windows and just drag and drop between them between any subfolders directly, making it work more or less like the old Norton Commander. I actually don't see much use for me with tabs in a file explorer.
Absolutely and MS may add that feature. They might have hesitated because they wanted to roll out these "power user" features gradually and observe how they are or are not being used. File level manipulation / navigation is a very important organizational tool that most end-users lack.🙄
The fact we’re celebrating tabs says it all. Fundamentally, File Explorer has not changed in 27 years. Given we’re dealing with far more files than ever, surely we deserve a better file management system? I only want to batch rename, change the colour of folders, and convert files from one format to another. We can’t do any of those things without relying on command scripts or third-party add-ins. It all seems too much to ask for!
Amen to that. Pretty frustrating on one hand. Also for tabs - we have them now. But we know well how MS works - after few years they can take them back as they did with many features, products, HW etc.
You can do this all, and more, in Linux. I've been able to do all of this in KDE Neon for as long as I can remember. Microsoft is always late to the party.
'Tabs' ... 'uncluttered look' ... 'group move/copy files' ... all offer some real possibilities for me. I have held off making the upgrade to W-11. It might be time to take the plunge. Once again, a very helpful and thought-provoking tutorial from Prof. Leila ... so appreciated ... thank you ... thank you ... thank you ... 😍😍
I've used Directory Opus for so long that I forgot that tabs weren't a thing in Windows Explorer. They're slowly creeping into the 21st century with features, but the annoyances from the unnecessary and unfinished redesign are enough to keep me away from Windows 11 for many years to come
And with File Explorer still not having the two-panel display that Directory Opus has, I'll still be using Opus. Multiple windows doesn't offer the same functionality - it's far more messy swapping the two windows over or opening the content of one window in the other.
I have been using directory opus for about 7 years now. It has had tabs and dozens of other really productive functions for all of that time. 7 years ago it was pretty good, certainly way better than file explorer, and worth the small cost. Every year it has become even better - today it is (for me) an absolutely indispensable utility which I install on every computer and laptop that I use. I won't even begin to list the things that directory opus can do - there are so many I wouldn't know where to start.
As awesome as this (WAY OVERDUE) feature is, the effort you put into making this video is worth more than it's function can ever think to be. Applications like Q-dir (My favourite) was released around 2006 (if I remember correctly) and even on its initial release was way better than what Windows 11 is offering. There are other apps like Double Commander, Total Commander, Directory Opus (another older favourite) and FreeCommander, etc, that are leaps and bounds way ahead of anything Windows Developers can come up with. Windows File explorer is still so primitive, it's scary and doesn't deserve the effort that anyone puts into trying to promote it! But your videos and efforts are still appreciated. Thank you.
Check out Haiku OS that allows you to open different programs in tabs, not just file explorer. Not only that, you can snap windows together and move them around in the same configuration. Win11 has finally partially and ineptly adopted tech from 30 years ago. Congrats. Just like workspaces. And I still cant customise my darn task bar
I've used the QTTabBar addon for Explorer in Win 10 for some time now. It has greater functionality than the new Win 11 feature. More importantly QT allows you to save your tabs so that you can come back to your favourite spread of files later on, which is a godsend.
Yes, QTTabBar is heaven on earth. It is years ahead of this balloney. I so love that app that I've donated multiple times to them. They work hard on it and have a really good app.
This is a nice feature but the main reason I haven't upgraded to Windows 11 is because they destroyed the taskbar. I rely heavily on pinning programs I use all the time, like Excel, to the taskbar and then pinning files I use every day to them, and now that's gone. Also, I have ALWAYS, since day 1 of Windows 95, had my taskbar on the left. Stacking them makes more sense to me. It's funny you mentioned that you don't like using 3rd-party software, because that is exactly what you have to do to restore the taskbar to its former glory. Thanks for your content! I just recently became a fan and have some catching up to do.
Hi Leila - Thank you for your hard work in keeping us informed, and if you have a communication channel with Microsoft, please ask them; what good are Tabs if one can't save them? every time one closes File Manager and opens it, only one tab is visible, and there is no option to save settings or views; also, I have mapped to my NAS, and when I open File Manager, it takes a long time to load my resources; what happened to index, caching, and the last scan so they can work together to render a faster readout of resources, Thanks!
Use apps other than File Explorer. I used to use Xplorer. That'll give you what you want and so much more. Also, I used this article to find more options, "8 Apps to Enable Tabs in File Explorer on Windows 10". I dont' remember the app, because I just reinstalled my computer, but it allowed multiple tabs on FE -- just like you want.
while I do agree that this is/was an overdue feature for the Explorer there are WAY better alternatives out there that are all free and having tabs in Explorer would not make we want get Win11 either but again, as others have said, another good video from you 🙂
This is a really good addition to Windows! The only thing holding me back going from Win10 to Win11 is the missing function "Never combine taskbar buttons/icons"
They still havent. Check out Haiku that allows you to open different programs in tabs, not just file explorer. Not only that, you can snap windows together and move them around in the same configuration. Win11 has finally partially and ineptly adopted tech from 30 years ago. Congrats. Just like workspaces. And I still cant customise my darn task bar
Feature already present in many Linux GUI from a long long time ago ... Question about W11 : When We Will Can Move The Windows Bar From The Bottom To Other Edges Of The Screen? In any case ... GREAT VIDEO!!
If this is insufficient for your needs, and you are willing to part with some cash, then XYplorer is your new best friend. Multiple tabs, coloured tabs, auto tab saving, dual pane, regex rename, easy filtering, etc etc etc. So much better than anything else.
And the very fact that most people are reluctant to switch to 11 is a big evidence, something MS does not recognize. I wonder what else, except listening and a common sense, will hint MS devs to understand real needs for users, not their ambitions.
@@martinjrgensen8234 have you tried manual upgrade? Mine wouldn't upgrade through Windows update - but apparently there is a glitch with that and it was fine when I did it manually.
Why don't the file explorer copy the behavior of norton commander/wincommander/ total commander, which has two opened folder side-by-side? This is more useful when you copy/move and paste between 2 folders and do comparison between folder as well.
My company laptop has Win 11 and I love it. These updates, once they finally push them to me, will make my life SO much easier! My personal computer has a gen 5 processor, so I can't upgrade to Win 11 without some jailbreaking, which I don't want to do. Normally I see a caption like these changes "will probably convince many to upgrade" and think it's just clickbait. (Nothing wrong with clickbait titles, by the way, driving attention is the point here) But after watching this I am actually looking at Win 11 laptops to potentially spend my annual bonus on. LOL! My home computer is almost 5 years old, so it's probably close to time anyway.
@@myonlylovejesus887 Arco linux. There are several versions. Get the Arco "B" KDE. Installing is easy as it uses an installer that walks you through the whole process the thing about the version b is you have a choice while installing to hand pick components you would like such as browser variety wallpaper changer screen saver file-manager terminal ect. I would go with KDE as a desktop environment. I chose it because the set up is like windows but unlocked. You can everything I know you're probably tech savvy so I'll just stop right here. Arco b k d e is worth looking into as I know that it is as powerful operating system you can have I've seen nothing Superior to this. The only thing about it is it's powerful as a desktop computer doing everything except and this is the one thing that turns a lot of people off it doesn't game like Windows Windows has got the game in industry down Linux just can't compete with gamers there's not enough people into it everything's free and to open source so you could contribute and make it better yourself you just have to say but yes anybody worth their salt as a computer programmer more than likely uses Linux hackers as well. Windows does offer something though that it's the I've never used it but they have a Linux I forget what they call it to where you can use the Linux bash or shell or own windows and do work cross-platform so Windows did cover a base there so that is worth looking into because Windows is a great operating system it really is but all the things that you hate about windows Linux has cut right out you would see really quick. I like it because you can literally customize everything. Tailored your specifications. What close the deal for me is the ability to tailor everything setting sign in to every email apps ect. And create a bootable os on a flash drive. If your android phone is rooted you can carry your personal os on your phone plug un computer and boot your os that is already signed in Gmail ect . You cant beat that.
Thanks for the info! Two things to note... - Selection Invert can be done with CTRL select files, then SHIFT CTRL drag over all files - Copy As Path is availbe in the SHIFT RIGHT CLICK menu
I just got a new laptop with Windows 11 Home, however I don't have the Home section and there is no plus to add tabs either.. And how to add the OneDrive icon to the top right corner? I don't have that either.. 😞
1 - You can't drag-n-drop tabs outside of current window to convert it to separate window 2 - There's no side-by-side feature to compare contents of 2 tabs 3 - There's no shortcut to open folder in new tab, while there's one to open it in new window - Ctrl+Enter 4 - How often do you keep explorer windows open for long enough for tabs to make any sort of sense? I just close them when I'm done dealing with files. Heck, my old laptop running decade long Ubuntu installation can do all of that with tabs and so much more out-of-the-box let alone when configured additionally.
@@metinhesenov Probably talking about the traditional right-click menu. Instead of simply right-clicking in windows 10. You have to right-click and hit "more options". Its something I hate myself as well.
@@speedracer2735 It is mostly up to developers to add their app shortcuts to new context menu. Not much MS can do about it. Also you can launch Win 10 context menu quickly with holding shift while right clicking.
Yes. Tabs in File Explorer is really welcome. But 2 features that I hope they can add on : 1. Options to display the header of the Tabs on a few lines. 2. Able to move Tabs from one File Explorer window to another. QTTabBar has both the above features.
A strong recommendation for Stardock's Start11, which allows you to easily choose between 4 or 5 Start menus (Win7 is the one you probably want). I think as a standalone app it's $5.99 or so. I advise to get the entire Object Desktop - not sure about current $ for that - it's awesome and I've had versions of it for over ten years.
@@TroubledLoner meh, I've used Stardock in the past and it does look nice but it adds too much fluff that I don't want and it makes the system unstable, at least back in the time it did... Also I think it's crazy that you have to install a third party app just to get the start menu back to normal. I don't get it why they started messing with the start menu, why change something that already works? If it isn't broke don't fix it. If I get the normal Windows 10 Start Menu back, only then I'll consider to upgrade to Windows 11... You have no idea how much I hate that idiot new start menu in windows 11 that I can't even change in any way to my liking, live tiles that I really love are gone and the worst thing is that I can't group the icons anymore and have all my programs show up very neatly on just one single start menu window, that's how I've used it in all windows versions and never had to search for my apps and they took that away, something so fundamental completely changed and I hate it so much it's a break for me, I'm even considering leaving Windows behind forever and go Linux on my next computer, I really hate it that much.
@@RicardoPenders Yes, early versions of Stardock stuff have been unstable, I've been through that myself. However, if the Start Menu is the big annoyance, trust me, the $6 for Start11 is well worth it; you can have the Win10 version that you like, or Win7, or others. They may have a simulation on their site.
@@TroubledLoner I did read somewhere recently that Microsoft is bringing back the old start menu from Windows 10 to Windows 11 with the general updates very soon, I really hope that is true because it's the shitty new start menu that is holding me back to upgrade my Windows 10 to Windows 11.
Wow, so file explorer is almost as good a the Dolphin file browser on Linux(KDE) that I've been using for almost 10 years. Maybe one days MS will catch up completely and add the 'split' feature so you can split the view and see two different folders at once ( making drag-n-drop much easier! ) - that's my favour feature of Dolphin the thing I miss the most when I'm forced to use a Windows PC for something ( that and multiple desktops etc ).
Yeah, I used to would have fought you tooth and nail that Microsoft was so much better on so many fronts. But, alas, I've gained wisdom as I've gotten older. Yeah, Linux has really great software and has a wonderful way of advancing faster than Microsoft. Thus, I've almost joined your Team and am planning to leave Windows. Yeah, keep it on a computer for gaming, but I plan to set up Linux and really learn it. I have been watching videos, and I am really impressed with Linux. Now that the community is becoming more friendly, I plan to jump in and get my feet wet.
@@ReivecS doesn't have to be amazing to be better than Windows Explorer - my only issue with Dolphin is doesn't handle thumbnails on an encrypted file system(at least Kubuntu 20.04LTS), apart from that works well and does everything I need it to do.
Another great tip, really enjoyed all your videos. I'm very curious as how you have that "red running border" when you mouse over an option or an option group?
It's probably in her video editing software, rather than in Windows11, because Windows 11 wouldn't be able to anticipate which option she intends to click ;-)
I looked at it briefly. It seemed an awful lot like Apple Mac to me. Also, like Microsoft was again gambling on the world giving up desktops and just start to use tablets all at once. Forget about owning your stuff. Just rent some tablets, and pay monthly for windows and office and one disk. And make Microsoft wealthier than ever, seems to be the presentation they are hoping everyone will miss. Affordable in the short term, but long-term ROI just doesn't calculate.
Let's help people like me, I hated Win11 because of stupid neat Design and Bugs! I use Shortcuts alot and they weren't all enabled like creating new folder with Shift+Ctrl+N which is now sometimes works.. also accessing Task manager from taskbar was unavailable months ago.. some small workflow features were unavailable.. so now my question to win11 users.. do you find the workflow worth upgrading?
Avoid WIndows 11 like plague, it's still full of bugs in other fields. I recently bought a PC for my kid and videos are freezing all the time on vlc, I spent hours trying to fix it and had to give up.
The workflow hasn't changed that much. In fact, you could argue that it has improved with the new "snap" layouts and grouping of split screen applications in the taskbar, which I often use. From my experience, windows 11 is like a decluttered windows 10 with a better UI. For me, it was worth upgrading to Windows 11 for the new settings app alone. It has better dark mode support and looks more "complete". It runs very similarly to windows 10 on my high-end laptop. As with windows 10, windows 11 might be slow on cheap devices.
Not any time soon as Windows team members pointed out in one of their videos. There are not much users using it according to them so they want to focus on other features.
It's super easy to code (or uncomment the old code's placement options they deactivated). They have a bigger reason to do this that they are not admitting, likely because it's a dumb reason to limit the users options, and they know they'll get more heat for it. Steam Deck is making a new generation of users who want Linux. I had no idea Linux was this nice until a few weeks ago. MS better pull their stuff together. Edited for grammar fixes and clarity
I hate the Taskbar at the top. Tabs for file manager and web browsers end up too close to my Taskbar icons. And a lot of the Start Menu links now end up farther away. Keep in mind the MAIN REASON for the Start Menu change in W11 is for ease of use between phones and Windows.
@@metinhesenov They are idiots. What is the literal first thing that anyone does when trying out a computer, an OS or after buying a new machine? Custiomise it. If I wanted overpriced garbage that doesnt let me customise jack, I would have bought apple. Instead, I bought marginally overpriced somewhat garbage so I should be able to enjoy it. Things like this are the reason they are losing users to Linux. When companies start making games to run natively on Linux, windows is totally dunzo
I found something recently found that was cool. Don't know how long it's been around. In the navigation bar, just below the tabs bar. You don't have to navigate up and down trees as much. If you're in folder ab and you want to go to folder ac you can click on the little arrow between a and ab, and a dropdown pops up. You can then click on ac to go directly there.
That is fair. However you may want to consider the upgrade earlier, if you find out that new PCs come with new security features which may be able to protect you better. It may be like upgrading to a new car. The old one might still take you from A to B. But the new model may have more anti collision protection systems. You hope you never need them but if things happen it would be good to have them.
Thanks for the tips! I just got a new desktop PC recently, and it has Win 11. I hadn't even noticed the tabs in file explorer!!! That is one feature I will use all the time. What a feature!!!
"Game changing" feature would be for example a cloud-based OS disaster recovery service which could recover the system during runtime if it was compromised. Or a built-in native zfs support. Or if there would be no mandatory telemetry service or online account needed by the OS to install. Etc... Not a tabbed file explorer. Tabbed file explorer is called Total Commander and it is available since 20 years by now.
Finally. I have waited for this feature for ages to come to Windows. I have an old MacBook which has that feature built into it’s Finder app (I think it’s a 2009 model).
did they bring back the recent folder? that saved a lot of time. I'm not seeing recent. Holy moly 3:35 they brought back the recent folder/files! that's huge
Thanks a lot for the shortcut keys. Loved the tab option but since I didn't know the shortcuts, haven't been using it much. Great that they incorporated drag & drop too. No idea why they stopped it for a brief period.
I love the new layout of File Explorer. Tabs really make things easier. Now, I only wish Microsoft will update the [WINDOWS]+[E] shortcut the either open a new FIle Explorer windows if one isn't already open, or open a new tab in an existing File Explorer window. I'd even settle for an option in Settings to determine how [Windows]+[E] treats tabs....
Q-Dir is a very light weight solution that has been in existence for a long while now, not only that, if widows just decides to freeze for no reason as it normally does, this application won't close, and even when you close it, it will remember your last session, it allows you to open splitted multiple windows inside the application window directly, not to mention that it's only less than 1 megabyte in size and can be run without the need to install it
Some years ago I installed an extension that allowed tabs on the Windows Explorer, at first I thought it was an amazing improvement but I don't remember ever using it. The one thing I wish is to have "This PC" more easily accessible on the left panel. I hate having to collapse countless conceptual structures in order to have access to a tree that represents the actual folder structure.
2:00 instead of left clicking to move the file, right click it and move it. A full options window will pop up giving you even more control of the file move.
If you click the mouse wheel click (like a button) on a folder it will open it in a new tab. Just like mouse wheel clicking on a icon in the task bar will run a new instance of that app (in Windows 10 too). When moving/copying a file by dragging, I recommend doing the dragging with the right mouse button. When you release, you'll be given the option to Copy the file, Move the file, or create a shortcut. You don't have to remember to hold down the Ctrl to make a copy. Again, works in Windows 10 too.
You can also open a folder directly in a new tab by pressing the Middle Mouse Button, and with the same button you can close any tab by clicking on it: just in the same way you would do in a web browser.
I can't believe I've been using Build 22H2 since just a few weeks after it came out, and I never noticed these changes. And now that I watched your video, I'm staring at a File Explorer window wondering how I failed to notice any of them! Thank you so much for bringing them to my attention.
Congrats! Happy 2008! 🎉 🥳 (That's when nautilus added tabs if I'm not mistaken). Also qtabbar will still be better because of the many extra features and settings it provides
Good feature. The same tabs feature also exists in the Notepad. Now Microsoft just need to bring back the option to "combine taskbar buttons" that they was removed for some unknown reason
Tabs is great but a third party software is still wanted by me because of the ability to group other programs to these tabs. Say you want to keep a set of programs together for a project. Excel, explorer, a website, sql, and visual studio. Groupy by stardock allows this. Pretty sweet. Check it out.
Wow, mindblowing. It took MS to get tabs in the Explorer 20 years after they appeared in competitive products. I guess it will take next 20 to get split windows.
2:47 Tabs are cool, but I'd much rather have the ability to see distinct window instances in the taskbar (the option to disable glomming is still missing from Windows 11 Settings, which makes it a no go on upgrades - come on shell team, get your act together).
Windows is still missing on displaying the size of any folder. File explorer only shows file size and not folder size. For this I have to check folder properties or use 3rd party software to analyze the space used.
![ออกพรรษาน้ำตาหล่น - แอน อรดี [OFFICIAL MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/PFZtOcY9ONA/mqdefault.jpg)
In case it helps, you can also click the middle mouse on a folder to open it in a new tab, or middle mouse click on the tab to close it - this also works in browsers.
Yes, that's a good shortcut. I've been using this a couple of years now. (I've been using QTTabBar in Windows 10)
It helps!
I was going to ask about that. Like links in a browser you can usually click the misuewheel.
Does this also work on shortcuts in the task bar again yet? That not working was one of the reasons I've been holding off on 11
@@joostoboy If you are asking if middle clicking on a pinned item will open a new window, yes, I've never known it not to. For example, middle clicking explorer opens a new window each time, same for Windows Terminal and so on.
The tabs feature, whilst welcome, really isn't where it ought to be yet, but it could be with one simple addition;
You should be able to drag and drop a tab from the tab bar to anywhere else on the screen to convert it into a new window (and vice versa) in much the same way that most web browsers use tabs.
Until it does, they're not going to see a whole lot of use from me.
Yup. I always open multiple explorer Windows and just drag and drop between them between any subfolders directly, making it work more or less like the old Norton Commander.
I actually don't see much use for me with tabs in a file explorer.
right click, open in new window, instead of tab
@@Magnus_Loov OMG I bought that program back in the day and was thinking this is just like that but forgot the name.
Absolutely and MS may add that feature. They might have hesitated because they wanted to roll out these "power user" features gradually and observe how they are or are not being used. File level manipulation / navigation is a very important organizational tool that most end-users lack.🙄
Directory opus can do that (for several years already) and dozens of other things microsoft hasn't even thought of yet.
The fact we’re celebrating tabs says it all.
Fundamentally, File Explorer has not changed in 27 years. Given we’re dealing with far more files than ever, surely we deserve a better file management system?
I only want to batch rename, change the colour of folders, and convert files from one format to another.
We can’t do any of those things without relying on command scripts or third-party add-ins.
It all seems too much to ask for!
Amen to that. Pretty frustrating on one hand.
Also for tabs - we have them now. But we know well how MS works - after few years they can take them back as they did with many features, products, HW etc.
@@Tomas_F. Even with tabs, the job is not done. We are unable to drag them out of windows and into others.
You can easily change folder icon already in Windows XP...
👍
You can do this all, and more, in Linux. I've been able to do all of this in KDE Neon for as long as I can remember.
Microsoft is always late to the party.
'Tabs' ... 'uncluttered look' ... 'group move/copy files' ... all offer some real possibilities for me. I have held off making the upgrade to W-11. It might be time to take the plunge.
Once again, a very helpful and thought-provoking tutorial from Prof. Leila ... so appreciated ... thank you ... thank you ... thank you ... 😍😍
I've used Directory Opus for so long that I forgot that tabs weren't a thing in Windows Explorer. They're slowly creeping into the 21st century with features, but the annoyances from the unnecessary and unfinished redesign are enough to keep me away from Windows 11 for many years to come
Directory Opus was THE killer app on the Amiga
And with File Explorer still not having the two-panel display that Directory Opus has, I'll still be using Opus. Multiple windows doesn't offer the same functionality - it's far more messy swapping the two windows over or opening the content of one window in the other.
Good to see windows catching up on Linux and Mac OS again... keep the competition going!
me having tabs for 10years+ 🤣
I should finally switch to Windows
I despise Finder on mac.
Amazing! Love how you didn’t keep us waiting to the end of the video to tell us as well, quality content doesn’t need gimmicks 👌
Got to love a good scam
I have been using directory opus for about 7 years now. It has had tabs and dozens of other really productive functions for all of that time. 7 years ago it was pretty good, certainly way better than file explorer, and worth the small cost. Every year it has become even better - today it is (for me) an absolutely indispensable utility which I install on every computer and laptop that I use.
I won't even begin to list the things that directory opus can do - there are so many I wouldn't know where to start.
Just the same !
I almost sob when I use a computer that doesn't have Directory Opus. I've been a loyal user for many, many years.
@@matthewlove6985 Agree wholeheartedly
hehe remember directory opus when i had my Amiga it was great there and a must great program :)
As awesome as this (WAY OVERDUE) feature is, the effort you put into making this video is worth more than it's function can ever think to be. Applications like Q-dir (My favourite) was released around 2006 (if I remember correctly) and even on its initial release was way better than what Windows 11 is offering. There are other apps like Double Commander, Total Commander, Directory Opus (another older favourite) and FreeCommander, etc, that are leaps and bounds way ahead of anything Windows Developers can come up with. Windows File explorer is still so primitive, it's scary and doesn't deserve the effort that anyone puts into trying to promote it! But your videos and efforts are still appreciated. Thank you.
Check out Haiku OS that allows you to open different programs in tabs, not just file explorer. Not only that, you can snap windows together and move them around in the same configuration. Win11 has finally partially and ineptly adopted tech from 30 years ago. Congrats. Just like workspaces. And I still cant customise my darn task bar
I've used the QTTabBar addon for Explorer in Win 10 for some time now. It has greater functionality than the new Win 11 feature. More importantly QT allows you to save your tabs so that you can come back to your favourite spread of files later on, which is a godsend.
Yes, QTTabBar is heaven on earth. It is years ahead of this balloney. I so love that app that I've donated multiple times to them. They work hard on it and have a really good app.
This is a nice feature but the main reason I haven't upgraded to Windows 11 is because they destroyed the taskbar. I rely heavily on pinning programs I use all the time, like Excel, to the taskbar and then pinning files I use every day to them, and now that's gone. Also, I have ALWAYS, since day 1 of Windows 95, had my taskbar on the left. Stacking them makes more sense to me. It's funny you mentioned that you don't like using 3rd-party software, because that is exactly what you have to do to restore the taskbar to its former glory.
Thanks for your content! I just recently became a fan and have some catching up to do.
You have video showing how to change taskbar and start menu like 10 YT video: tcxAwNcm2lo
They made like a Mac eww
You can now move the Taskbar to left
Let me tell you about explorer patcher
Windows 11 is built on top of Windows 10. You can revert certain features back to the way it looked in Windows 10, including the taskbar.
Hi Leila - Thank you for your hard work in keeping us informed, and if you have a communication channel with Microsoft, please ask them; what good are Tabs if one can't save them?
every time one closes File Manager and opens it, only one tab is visible, and there is no option to save settings or views; also, I have mapped to my NAS, and when I open File Manager, it takes a long time to load my resources; what happened to index, caching, and the last scan so they can work together to render a faster readout of resources, Thanks!
Use apps other than File Explorer. I used to use Xplorer. That'll give you what you want and so much more. Also, I used this article to find more options, "8 Apps to Enable Tabs in File Explorer on Windows 10". I dont' remember the app, because I just reinstalled my computer, but it allowed multiple tabs on FE -- just like you want.
Sorry, I remember now ... this is best damned thing ever ... QTTabBar ... trust me -- best thing ever.
click bait thumbnail could use more shirtlessness
Tabs are nice, but they are missing the option to 'undock'. Using Stardocks Groupy, you can pull out a tab and it creates a seperate window.
while I do agree that this is/was an overdue feature for the Explorer there are WAY better alternatives out there that are all free
and having tabs in Explorer would not make we want get Win11 either
but again, as others have said, another good video from you 🙂
This is a really good addition to Windows! The only thing holding me back going from Win10 to Win11 is the missing function "Never combine taskbar buttons/icons"
That really took a lot of getting used to.
I've only been using Windows 11 for 3 days. Thank you. This will help a lot.
what u used before?? mac?? linux??
@@JJJ-ee5dc Apple user since 1986. Built first PC in 2016 so Windows 10 until a few days ago. Use RHEL for work.
@@macgeek2112 oh great
Tabs in the file manager are a necessity. Good to see that Microsoft has finally put some effort into catching up with Linux.
They still havent. Check out Haiku that allows you to open different programs in tabs, not just file explorer. Not only that, you can snap windows together and move them around in the same configuration. Win11 has finally partially and ineptly adopted tech from 30 years ago. Congrats. Just like workspaces. And I still cant customise my darn task bar
Feature already present in many Linux GUI from a long long time ago ... Question about W11 : When We Will Can Move The Windows Bar From The Bottom To Other Edges Of The Screen?
In any case ... GREAT VIDEO!!
COMPLETELY agree, Explorer tabs is a major Windows usability improvement that I've been waiting 20 years for. Finally!
If this is insufficient for your needs, and you are willing to part with some cash, then XYplorer is your new best friend. Multiple tabs, coloured tabs, auto tab saving, dual pane, regex rename, easy filtering, etc etc etc. So much better than anything else.
And the very fact that most people are reluctant to switch to 11 is a big evidence, something MS does not recognize. I wonder what else, except listening and a common sense, will hint MS devs to understand real needs for users, not their ambitions.
When Adobe Creative Cloud bring out a major update it's like Christmas for me. When Windows does I run and hide.
Initially, I thought you were late!
But after watching the complete video, it's proved again that you are doing a wonderful job!
Great update. No need for QTTabBar anymore (now explorer will open quicker whilst still having tabs...)
Directory Opus is by far a great file explorer. If you don't have the hardware to upgrade to Windows 11, try it.
Awesome Leila! Wish I could upgrade my PC but it won't take Win 11 and it still runs fine so I can't justify buying a new PC :(
Same. My laptop which is a little over a year old refuses to upgrade. It keeps claiming my cpu is unsupported. Amateurish
@@martinjrgensen8234 have you tried manual upgrade? Mine wouldn't upgrade through Windows update - but apparently there is a glitch with that and it was fine when I did it manually.
Great video. Can you save and reopen the same tabs for the same locations?
QTTabBar used to have groups. Interesting if this one does too.
I like the radio in the background. We used to have one at home when i was young.
Nice feature! But I still like total commander more not only because of the two windows.
Why don't the file explorer copy the behavior of norton commander/wincommander/ total commander, which has two opened folder side-by-side? This is more useful when you copy/move and paste between 2 folders and do comparison between folder as well.
100% agree, That's why I also use Directory Opus 👌
Yeah. I have tabs and split screen in my open source free app Unreal Commander for many many years. Fak MS
You can just use another window and just place both side by side
@@Tomas_F. No link for plug?
As someone else said just use another window to do that. Your not restricted to this being one process like you would in a 3rd party manager.
My company laptop has Win 11 and I love it. These updates, once they finally push them to me, will make my life SO much easier! My personal computer has a gen 5 processor, so I can't upgrade to Win 11 without some jailbreaking, which I don't want to do. Normally I see a caption like these changes "will probably convince many to upgrade" and think it's just clickbait. (Nothing wrong with clickbait titles, by the way, driving attention is the point here) But after watching this I am actually looking at Win 11 laptops to potentially spend my annual bonus on. LOL! My home computer is almost 5 years old, so it's probably close to time anyway.
@@anonym34566 My computer has that built in, as stated the problem is the gen 5 processor.
If these features make your work easier then linux would be a far superior os.
@@johnglidewell9963 what distro do u recommend
@@myonlylovejesus887 Arco linux. There are several versions. Get the Arco "B" KDE. Installing is easy as it uses an installer that walks you through the whole process the thing about the version b is you have a choice while installing to hand pick components you would like such as browser variety wallpaper changer screen saver file-manager terminal ect. I would go with KDE as a desktop environment. I chose it because the set up is like windows but unlocked. You can everything I know you're probably tech savvy so I'll just stop right here. Arco b k d e is worth looking into as I know that it is as powerful operating system you can have I've seen nothing Superior to this. The only thing about it is it's powerful as a desktop computer doing everything except and this is the one thing that turns a lot of people off it doesn't game like Windows Windows has got the game in industry down Linux just can't compete with gamers there's not enough people into it everything's free and to open source so you could contribute and make it better yourself you just have to say but yes anybody worth their salt as a computer programmer more than likely uses Linux hackers as well. Windows does offer something though that it's the I've never used it but they have a Linux I forget what they call it to where you can use the Linux bash or shell or own windows and do work cross-platform so Windows did cover a base there so that is worth looking into because Windows is a great operating system it really is but all the things that you hate about windows Linux has cut right out you would see really quick. I like it because you can literally customize everything. Tailored your specifications. What close the deal for me is the ability to tailor everything setting sign in to every email apps ect. And create a bootable os on a flash drive. If your android phone is rooted you can carry your personal os on your phone plug un computer and boot your os that is already signed in Gmail ect . You cant beat that.
ty, i heard about the tabs which is cool, but didn't know about all the other features. Thank you!
Thanks for the info!
Two things to note...
- Selection Invert can be done with CTRL select files, then SHIFT CTRL drag over all files
- Copy As Path is availbe in the SHIFT RIGHT CLICK menu
I don’t like tabs because if you accidentally close the window, all the tabs will disappear.
That's why I prefer apps like Q-Dir (My favourite) or Directory Opus (my previous favourite) and FreeCommander etc.
I just got a new laptop with Windows 11 Home, however I don't have the Home section and there is no plus to add tabs either..
And how to add the OneDrive icon to the top right corner? I don't have that either.. 😞
Did you do all updates?
Windows update
If Windows Update does not work the system might have been installed using a pirated and manipulated version of Windows.
1 - You can't drag-n-drop tabs outside of current window to convert it to separate window
2 - There's no side-by-side feature to compare contents of 2 tabs
3 - There's no shortcut to open folder in new tab, while there's one to open it in new window - Ctrl+Enter
4 - How often do you keep explorer windows open for long enough for tabs to make any sort of sense? I just close them when I'm done dealing with files.
Heck, my old laptop running decade long Ubuntu installation can do all of that with tabs and so much more out-of-the-box let alone when configured additionally.
Thanks for this video. I have seen the tabs but didn't know how to use them. This was very helpful.
please persuade them to have colored folders (seen in MacOS 9) 🙏
we don't use that word anymore
Will be very good for your productivity!!!. But, of course, you third party software free like rainbow folders. Shedko Folderico, icomancer, etc.
@@rollotomassi4768 coloured folders means folders 📂 with different colors. Black, white, yellow, red, blue etc. Simple English.....
@@chrpaplos it was a joke
@@Juliodax thank you! I now have coloured files 🙌🏻
I appreciate the coverage, though I won't be updating to 11 until we see a return to 10's right-click menu structure and overall performance.
use microsoft powertoys, for windows 11
WIndows 11 been better at overall performance since beginning. I don't know what you mean by Win 10's right click menu structure though
@@metinhesenov Probably talking about the traditional right-click menu. Instead of simply right-clicking in windows 10. You have to right-click and hit "more options". Its something I hate myself as well.
@@speedracer2735 It is mostly up to developers to add their app shortcuts to new context menu. Not much MS can do about it. Also you can launch Win 10 context menu quickly with holding shift while right clicking.
You can make a new registry key to get the old menu back.
Yes. Tabs in File Explorer is really welcome.
But 2 features that I hope they can add on :
1. Options to display the header of the Tabs on a few lines.
2. Able to move Tabs from one File Explorer window to another.
QTTabBar has both the above features.
I think it is funny to think about how excited Leila is about this change, then I remember I am also really excited. Happy Holidays!
I'll jump to 11 when I get to keep my vertical start/launch bar. It saves a ton of space and looks so much cleaner that way.
A strong recommendation for Stardock's Start11, which allows you to easily choose between 4 or 5 Start menus (Win7 is the one you probably want). I think as a standalone app it's $5.99 or so. I advise to get the entire Object Desktop - not sure about current $ for that - it's awesome and I've had versions of it for over ten years.
@@TroubledLoner meh, I've used Stardock in the past and it does look nice but it adds too much fluff that I don't want and it makes the system unstable, at least back in the time it did... Also I think it's crazy that you have to install a third party app just to get the start menu back to normal.
I don't get it why they started messing with the start menu, why change something that already works? If it isn't broke don't fix it.
If I get the normal Windows 10 Start Menu back, only then I'll consider to upgrade to Windows 11... You have no idea how much I hate that idiot new start menu in windows 11 that I can't even change in any way to my liking, live tiles that I really love are gone and the worst thing is that I can't group the icons anymore and have all my programs show up very neatly on just one single start menu window, that's how I've used it in all windows versions and never had to search for my apps and they took that away, something so fundamental completely changed and I hate it so much it's a break for me, I'm even considering leaving Windows behind forever and go Linux on my next computer, I really hate it that much.
@@RicardoPenders Yes, early versions of Stardock stuff have been unstable, I've been through that myself. However, if the Start Menu is the big annoyance, trust me, the $6 for Start11 is well worth it; you can have the Win10 version that you like, or Win7, or others. They may have a simulation on their site.
@@TroubledLoner I did read somewhere recently that Microsoft is bringing back the old start menu from Windows 10 to Windows 11 with the general updates very soon, I really hope that is true because it's the shitty new start menu that is holding me back to upgrade my Windows 10 to Windows 11.
How often do you actually use the start bar? All my frequently used apps are pinned, I rarely use the start menu at all.
Wow, so file explorer is almost as good a the Dolphin file browser on Linux(KDE) that I've been using for almost 10 years. Maybe one days MS will catch up completely and add the 'split' feature so you can split the view and see two different folders at once ( making drag-n-drop much easier! ) - that's my favour feature of Dolphin the thing I miss the most when I'm forced to use a Windows PC for something ( that and multiple desktops etc ).
Yeah, I used to would have fought you tooth and nail that Microsoft was so much better on so many fronts. But, alas, I've gained wisdom as I've gotten older. Yeah, Linux has really great software and has a wonderful way of advancing faster than Microsoft. Thus, I've almost joined your Team and am planning to leave Windows. Yeah, keep it on a computer for gaming, but I plan to set up Linux and really learn it. I have been watching videos, and I am really impressed with Linux. Now that the community is becoming more friendly, I plan to jump in and get my feet wet.
I have used linux for 25 years or so, it is a major part of my career as well. Let's not pretend that Dolphin is amazing, we all know it isn't.
@@ReivecS doesn't have to be amazing to be better than Windows Explorer - my only issue with Dolphin is doesn't handle thumbnails on an encrypted file system(at least Kubuntu 20.04LTS), apart from that works well and does everything I need it to do.
QTTabBar is how I have tabs on W10 and it makes File Explorer incredibly customizable.
Windows Explorer finally catching up to long time Windows Commander features. I am grateful.
Another great tip, really enjoyed all your videos. I'm very curious as how you have that "red running border" when you mouse over an option or an option group?
It's probably in her video editing software, rather than in Windows11, because Windows 11 wouldn't be able to anticipate which option she intends to click ;-)
@@AMindInOverdrive Thank you for the info, appreciate that.
@@AMindInOverdrive we will have that from Microsoft in 2035 :)
@@gregoryg3371 I doubt MS will survive that. And unless we have something in linux first, MS isnt gonna waste time R&Ding it
can u make a video on whether one should upgrade to Windows 11?
whether the bugs are fixed or not?
+
Nah, still needs nore optimization
Upgrade
In windows 10, things I frequently did with one click seem to require two now that I have 'upgraded' to windows 11.
I looked at it briefly. It seemed an awful lot like Apple Mac to me. Also, like Microsoft was again gambling on the world giving up desktops and just start to use tablets all at once.
Forget about owning your stuff. Just rent some tablets, and pay monthly for windows and office and one disk. And make Microsoft wealthier than ever, seems to be the presentation they are hoping everyone will miss.
Affordable in the short term, but long-term ROI just doesn't calculate.
just discovered the channel, pretty cool video didn`t know about the short cuts so thank you :)
Glad you liked it!
I noticed some of these options but not all. Thanks so much for clueing us in. I spend a lot of time in file manager.
Let's help people like me, I hated Win11 because of stupid neat Design and Bugs! I use Shortcuts alot and they weren't all enabled like creating new folder with Shift+Ctrl+N which is now sometimes works.. also accessing Task manager from taskbar was unavailable months ago.. some small workflow features were unavailable.. so now my question to win11 users.. do you find the workflow worth upgrading?
Avoid WIndows 11 like plague, it's still full of bugs in other fields. I recently bought a PC for my kid and videos are freezing all the time on vlc, I spent hours trying to fix it and had to give up.
The workflow hasn't changed that much. In fact, you could argue that it has improved with the new "snap" layouts and grouping of split screen applications in the taskbar, which I often use.
From my experience, windows 11 is like a decluttered windows 10 with a better UI. For me, it was worth upgrading to Windows 11 for the new settings app alone. It has better dark mode support and looks more "complete". It runs very similarly to windows 10 on my high-end laptop. As with windows 10, windows 11 might be slow on cheap devices.
@@caleb02 Thanks for your help, it's matter of Time until Win11 reach it's potential..
When does the feature come where you can move the taskbar to the top? This made things a lot easier at windows 11
Not any time soon as Windows team members pointed out in one of their videos. There are not much users using it according to them so they want to focus on other features.
It's super easy to code (or uncomment the old code's placement options they deactivated). They have a bigger reason to do this that they are not admitting, likely because it's a dumb reason to limit the users options, and they know they'll get more heat for it.
Steam Deck is making a new generation of users who want Linux. I had no idea Linux was this nice until a few weeks ago. MS better pull their stuff together.
Edited for grammar fixes and clarity
I hate the Taskbar at the top. Tabs for file manager and web browsers end up too close to my Taskbar icons. And a lot of the Start Menu links now end up farther away. Keep in mind the MAIN REASON for the Start Menu change in W11 is for ease of use between phones and Windows.
@@metinhesenov They are idiots. What is the literal first thing that anyone does when trying out a computer, an OS or after buying a new machine? Custiomise it. If I wanted overpriced garbage that doesnt let me customise jack, I would have bought apple. Instead, I bought marginally overpriced somewhat garbage so I should be able to enjoy it. Things like this are the reason they are losing users to Linux. When companies start making games to run natively on Linux, windows is totally dunzo
@@wrongturnVfor No.
I found something recently found that was cool. Don't know how long it's been around. In the navigation bar, just below the tabs bar. You don't have to navigate up and down trees as much. If you're in folder ab and you want to go to folder ac you can click on the little arrow between a and ab, and a dropdown pops up. You can then click on ac to go directly there.
I've been using Total (Windows) Commander with tabs since the '90s. Some people are too cheap to save time and money.
I'll stay w10 as long as possible. Never touch a running system. And, the new design of w11 is useless, why change something everybody loved...
That is fair. However you may want to consider the upgrade earlier, if you find out that new PCs come with new security features which may be able to protect you better. It may be like upgrading to a new car. The old one might still take you from A to B. But the new model may have more anti collision protection systems. You hope you never need them but if things happen it would be good to have them.
Thanks for the tips! I just got a new desktop PC recently, and it has Win 11. I hadn't even noticed the tabs in file explorer!!! That is one feature I will use all the time. What a feature!!!
Leila, I love the way you simply explain things.
Windows 11 is far much better than previous versions, Micrsofot is rocking !
"Game changing" feature would be for example a cloud-based OS disaster recovery service which could recover the system during runtime if it was compromised. Or a built-in native zfs support. Or if there would be no mandatory telemetry service or online account needed by the OS to install. Etc... Not a tabbed file explorer.
Tabbed file explorer is called Total Commander and it is available since 20 years by now.
I use xplorer2 and xyplorer on W10. Very nice video. Thank you
Finally. I have waited for this feature for ages to come to Windows. I have an old MacBook which has that feature built into it’s Finder app (I think it’s a 2009 model).
30 seconds in and this video lives up to the title. YEA for this update.
did they bring back the recent folder? that saved a lot of time. I'm not seeing recent. Holy moly 3:35 they brought back the recent folder/files! that's huge
Thank you, Leila! You are my go-to person for stuff like these. ;)
Wow, thank you!
Thanks a lot for the shortcut keys. Loved the tab option but since I didn't know the shortcuts, haven't been using it much. Great that they incorporated drag & drop too. No idea why they stopped it for a brief period.
I think it is the feature we need most, pretty cool, no more overwhelmed windows, thank your for introducing this 😀
I love the new layout of File Explorer. Tabs really make things easier. Now, I only wish Microsoft will update the [WINDOWS]+[E] shortcut the either open a new FIle Explorer windows if one isn't already open, or open a new tab in an existing File Explorer window.
I'd even settle for an option in Settings to determine how [Windows]+[E] treats tabs....
Q-Dir is a very light weight solution that has been in existence for a long while now, not only that, if widows just decides to freeze for no reason as it normally does, this application won't close, and even when you close it, it will remember your last session, it allows you to open splitted multiple windows inside the application window directly, not to mention that it's only less than 1 megabyte in size and can be run without the need to install it
So glad I found your channel. Thanks 4 all the educational videos
You are so welcome! Glad to have you aboard.
I thought the light in my office was too bright... it was just the angels singing.
Awesome love it change took place I did not notice till I found your Video thanks.
Some years ago I installed an extension that allowed tabs on the Windows Explorer, at first I thought it was an amazing improvement but I don't remember ever using it.
The one thing I wish is to have "This PC" more easily accessible on the left panel. I hate having to collapse countless conceptual structures in order to have access to a tree that represents the actual folder structure.
I just open multiple instances of File Explorer now on Win 10, and you can still drag and drop between them, but tabs would be fun to check out.
Awesome, can we configure the explorer to open certain folders on tabs each time we open it
2:00 instead of left clicking to move the file, right click it and move it. A full options window will pop up giving you even more control of the file move.
So far this was available with QTTBAR, which works pretty smooth I can say. Nice that they integrated this OSX feature into W11.
Tabs! Yes! Thank you for unpacking this new feature :)
Damn, why aren't the shortcuts for switching between File Explorer tabs ctrl+page up & ctrl+page dn 😭
If you click the mouse wheel click (like a button) on a folder it will open it in a new tab. Just like mouse wheel clicking on a icon in the task bar will run a new instance of that app (in Windows 10 too).
When moving/copying a file by dragging, I recommend doing the dragging with the right mouse button. When you release, you'll be given the option to Copy the file, Move the file, or create a shortcut. You don't have to remember to hold down the Ctrl to make a copy. Again, works in Windows 10 too.
You can also open a folder directly in a new tab by pressing the Middle Mouse Button, and with the same button you can close any tab by clicking on it: just in the same way you would do in a web browser.
I can't believe I've been using Build 22H2 since just a few weeks after it came out, and I never noticed these changes. And now that I watched your video, I'm staring at a File Explorer window wondering how I failed to notice any of them! Thank you so much for bringing them to my attention.
My pleasure, Mark!
Nice, but what File Manager really needs is dual panes, a feature that’s been around since the DOS days of Norton Commander.
You read my mind, I have been holding out, but this new file feature is definitely worth it. Thanks for sharing!
Congrats! Happy 2008! 🎉 🥳 (That's when nautilus added tabs if I'm not mistaken). Also qtabbar will still be better because of the many extra features and settings it provides
Can you do a video on step by step how to manage mailboxes and add archiving and if you should use auto archiving for extremely large mailboxes?
Just updated after many months of deliberating. Thanks for the video
You're welcome!
Good feature. The same tabs feature also exists in the Notepad.
Now Microsoft just need to bring back the option to "combine taskbar buttons" that they was removed for some unknown reason
This video got me to subscribe. Great informative video with all the shortcuts info, thanks
Not mentioned here but - Number for me is
Alt+F12 - open Power Query editor.
Awesome! 😉
The first program I always install is Total Commander. I don't know what people do with their computers when they don't use any decent file manager.
I do the same!
When I really love on my Mac, is the ability to make file folders categorized by color. I wish they would rule that out Windows.
Yes, that would be nice.
Useful information for my Windows 11 senior citizen clients. Thank you Leila!
Wonderful!
Another awesome video, Leila!!
Thank you!
You're right, this is a great example of features that Linux has offered for decades now that would make it a fantastic upgrade from Windows 11 or 10;
Tabs is great but a third party software is still wanted by me because of the ability to group other programs to these tabs. Say you want to keep a set of programs together for a project. Excel, explorer, a website, sql, and visual studio.
Groupy by stardock allows this. Pretty sweet. Check it out.
Wow, mindblowing. It took MS to get tabs in the Explorer 20 years after they appeared in competitive products. I guess it will take next 20 to get split windows.
2:47 Tabs are cool, but I'd much rather have the ability to see distinct window instances in the taskbar (the option to disable glomming is still missing from Windows 11 Settings, which makes it a no go on upgrades - come on shell team, get your act together).
To me, the best OneDrive integration is called "Uninstall" , given that as you remove the service from running, your pc speeds up a lot.
Windows is still missing on displaying the size of any folder. File explorer only shows file size and not folder size. For this I have to check folder properties or use 3rd party software to analyze the space used.
About time, needed tabs for a very long time
WHAT??? I have been using Win11 for a couple of months with WinExplorer in dark mode and did not catch this feature!!! Thanks for the video!
Windows 11 itself was the final straw to make the switch to a Mac. I thought about Linux but then I realized I value my time.