How to Enable Tabs Feature in File Explorer on Windows 11

File Explorer tabs can now be enabled on Windows 11 22H2 Build 22621 thanks to a new easy hack!

We are aware that one of the most eagerly awaited additions to Windows, particularly in the most recent releases, is support for tabs in File Explorer. The functionality was first enabled by Microsoft in 2018 with the release of an interface dubbed “Sets,” but the project was ultimately shelved. Microsoft added tabs to File Explorer as part of the Windows Insider program in early 2022, and users can formally test it out starting with Build 22622 or later. Windows 11 22H2 Build 22621 (production) does not by default activate tabs support since the developers are taking their time to ensure that everything functions as intended.

The tabs support is already available in the production builds but is now hidden, although the feature is not yet live. This was discovered by searching for tabs in the code. As a result, File Explorer tabs have been concealed in the production releases, and only users with the enablement package (Build 22622) installed can have access to them.

Activate File Explorer tabs in Windows 11 Build 22621 (22H2)

To enable tabs in File Explorer in Windows 11 Build 22621.xxx, follow these steps:

First, you need to get the ViveTool and you can do that by downloading ViveTool from Github.
Double-click the ViveTool.zip and extract it to Downloads or any folder of your choice.
Copy the extracted folder’s path.
Open Search and look for Command Prompt.
Select Command Prompt and tap on the “Run as administrator” option.
In Command Prompt, type cd and paste the path you copied earlier. In our case, it is cd C:\users\username\downloads\ViveTool-v0.3.1

Command prompt to enable File Explorer tabs feature

In Command Prompt, type the following commands one by one:

vivetool /enable /id:39145991
vivetool /enable /id:37634385
vivetool /enable /id:36354489

Restart the device once you’re finished.

You’ll see that File Explorer’s tabs are now functional. By selecting the plus (+) icon or from the context menu, you can add a new tab. Tabs can also be moved around by dragging and dropping them.

There is no estimated time for when the tabs would be available to all users in October, but this functionality will be turned on by default in that month. The enablement package-based features of Windows 11 typically don’t have a set release date.