Open multiple folders as tabs in a single Windows Explorer window instead of juggling many separate windows.
Pin your most-used folders as quick-access toolbar buttons for one-click navigation.
Preview file contents by hovering over them in Explorer without opening them.
Use keyboard shortcuts to open, close, and switch between folder tabs faster than clicking.
| indiff/qttabbar | azure/azure-powershell | atom0s/steamless | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stars | 4,714 | 4,716 | 4,705 |
| Language | C# | C# | C# |
| Setup difficulty | easy | moderate | easy |
| Complexity | 2/5 | 3/5 | 2/5 |
| Audience | general | ops devops | developer |
Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.
Download the installer from the releases page and run it. Restart Windows Explorer or reboot after installation. QTTabBar appears as an optional toolbar you enable via the Explorer View menu.
QTTabBar is a Windows Explorer extension that adds a tab bar to the file manager. Instead of opening a new window every time you navigate to a different folder, you can switch between folders using tabs at the top, similar to how tabs work in a web browser. This makes it faster to move files between locations and keep multiple folder views open at once. This particular version is a fork maintained by the author "indiff," based on an older open-source release from 2012 that had stopped being updated by its original developer. The fork adds features aimed at Chinese users and general usability improvements, and has been actively updated with new releases through 2024. To install it, you need .NET Framework 3.5 on your system. After installation, you enable the toolbar through Windows Explorer's View or Options menu, or by right-clicking the menu bar area. The README includes step-by-step instructions and screenshots for Windows 10 and Windows 11. Windows 11 requires a separate setup step to show the toolbar. Beyond tabs, the tool includes several optional plugins: a file operation helper, a tree-view directory panel, a status bar, and a folder preview feature. A dark mode skin for Windows 11 is available as a separate download. The interface supports multiple languages including English, Chinese, German, French, Spanish, Turkish, and Portuguese. The project is available on GitHub, Gitee (a Chinese code hosting platform), and SourceForge. A QQ group is provided for community support. Build instructions are in the README and require Visual Studio 2010 and a specific set of tools.
A Windows Explorer plugin that adds browser-style tabs to your file manager. Open multiple folders in one window, switch between them instantly, pin favorites, preview files on hover, and navigate faster with keyboard shortcuts.
Mainly C#. The stack also includes C#, Windows Shell API, Visual Studio.
Community-maintained open-source fork, license not specified in detail in the explanation.
Setup difficulty is rated easy, with roughly 5min to a first successful run.
Mainly general.
This repo across BitVibe Labs
Verify against the repo before relying on details.