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How to use tabbed browsing in Windows Explorer

Tabs have shaken up Web browsing in a good way, but they haven't quite migrated into file management yet, though it seems like a no-brainer.

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Rob Lightner
Rob Lightner is a tech and gaming writer based in Seattle. He has reviewed games, gadgets, and technical manuals, written copy for space travel gear, and composed horoscopes for cats.
Rob Lightner

  1. Download and install QTTabBar here. 
  2. You should now see a new toolbar in Windows Explorer. Right-click an empty space on the bar to bring up QTTabBar's extensive Options menu. There's a lot of customization possible, but for most users, the defaults are fine. 
    Step 2: QTTabBar Options.
    Step 2: QTTabBar Options.
  3. There are two ways to open a new tab. The simplest is to hit Ctrl-N; this clones the current tab, but you can easily browse to whichever new folder you like. The second is to click the scroll wheel on your mouse when highlighting a folder; this opens that folder in a new tab. 
    Step 3: QTTabBar with multiple tabs open.
    Step 3: QTTabBar with multiple tabs open.
  4. Things get more familiar from here. Ctrl-Tab lets you navigate between tabs, and you can see folder contents easily by clicking a tab's icon. 

There's quite a bit more you can do with QTTabBar, including dragging and dropping, improving readability, and more. It extends the functionality of Windows Explorer quite dramatically, I think, though I occasionally see somewhat slower response time. It's a trade-off I'm  willing to make.

Thanks to MakeUseOf for the link!