Is there a way to make File Explorer catch all the folders opened by various apps?

forkleaf · Jun 19, 2024

This is my biggest gripe after upgrading to Windows 11.

Let's say there's already a running instance of File Explorer, and then you open a new folder via Everything Search or you click "Show in folder" on your downloaded file on Firefox, that new folder is going to make a new instance of Explorer instead of putting itself as a new tab in the already running Explorer. On Windows 10, I used to use this app called Groupy that catches all folders you open. I was expecting that Windows 11's Explorer would work this way.

Is there any hack you can use to make Explorer behave the way I want?

FreeBooter · Jun 19, 2024

You can't do that with File Explorer, maybe you're looking for app like below.

FolderChangesView - Monitor folder/drive/files changes on Windows

FolderChangesView is a simple tool that monitors the folder or disk drive that you choose and lists every filename that is being modified, created, or deleted while the folder is being monitored

www.nirsoft.net

forkleaf · Jun 19, 2024

FreeBooter said:
You can't do that with File Explorer, maybe you're looking for app like below.

FolderChangesView - Monitor folder/drive/files changes on Windows

FolderChangesView is a simple tool that monitors the folder or disk drive that you choose and lists every filename that is being modified, created, or deleted while the folder is being monitored

www.nirsoft.net

I think you misunderstood. I'm not looking for something that monitor file changes. I can do that with Everything Search anyway. I simply want File Explorer to have one instance only. Any new opened folder should be added as a tab.

Berton · Jun 19, 2024

Why not right-click a folder in File Explorer and choose Open in new tab?

forkleaf · Jun 19, 2024

Berton said:
Why not right-click a folder in File Explorer and choose Open in new tab?

View attachment 99586

I know that but that's not what I'm talking about.

I use Everything (by voidtools) instead of the native search. Each of the folder you open here will open their new instance of Explorer.

There are also apps that open folders for different reasons. This is on Firefox. It lets you go to the folder where you downloaded a file.

All these folders you open outside of File Explorer will make their own instances. What I want is for the File Explorer to catch them and add them as new tabs instead.

antspants · Jun 19, 2024

Hi, welcome to the forum.

File Explorer doesn’t work like that as far as I know, it doesn’t behave like a web browser. Maybe you have to go back to groupy.
Unless there is a REG hack I don’t know about.

hsehestedt · Jun 19, 2024

This does not directly address your issue, but it's as close as I can think of...

When you open a second instance of File Explorer, or if another app opens it, you can drag that Window to another instance of File explorer to dock that Window as an additional tab to the first one.

So, while it may open in a separate window, you can certainly add it to another instance as a tab if you so wish.

Simply drag the tab to the Window you want to add it as a tab to.

Put another way, File Explorer allows for the tearing away of tabs or dragging of tabs to a window to add one windows as another tab to an existing File Explorer window.

antspants · Jun 19, 2024

Quite honestly, one would think that Microsoft would add this as an optional setting. If they want us to have a clean desktop and taskbar, it would certainly be a welcomed addition to the settings. This has baffled me ever since they brought in Tabs.

Perhaps change to a 3rd party file explorer if there is one that can achieve this. I don’t know much about any of them.

antspants · Jun 19, 2024

You could investigate this.

GitHub - tariibaba/WinENFET: Make Win + E hotkey open a new File Explorer tab instead of a new window

Make Win + E hotkey open a new File Explorer tab instead of a new window - tariibaba/WinENFET

github.com

I didn’t notice that it was a “Catch All” though.

pseymour · Jun 19, 2024

This one intercepts Win+E and new folder windows. Haven't tried it myself though.

GitHub - w4po/ExplorerTabUtility: Explorer Tab Utility: Force new windows to tabs. Streamline navigation!

Explorer Tab Utility: Force new windows to tabs. Streamline navigation! - w4po/ExplorerTabUtility

github.com

forkleaf · Jun 19, 2024

hsehestedt said:
This does not directly address your issue, but it's as close as I can think of...

When you open a second instance of File Explorer, or if another app opens it, you can drag that Window to another instance of File explorer to dock that Window as an additional tab to the first one.

So, while it may open in a separate window, you can certainly add it to another instance as a tab if you so wish.

Simply drag the tab to the Window you want to add it as a tab to.

Put another way, File Explorer allows for the tearing away of tabs or dragging of tabs to a window to add one windows as another tab to an existing File Explorer window.

I was about to make a screen recording earlier demonstrating this to make a point of what I wanted to happen but the app I was using crashed. But yeah, I want things to be automatic. I'm gonna try all the suggested apps/tools from github and report back.

antspants · Jun 19, 2024

The OP want’s File Explorer to behave like a web browser:

If you have your default web browser open and you click a webpage shortcut on your desktop, the link will open in the current open browser as a new tab, it wont start a new instance of your web browser.

It is not too much to ask, in my opinion, to have File Explorer behave in the same way as an open web browser. It's such a simple task to ask for. You could be forgiven for thinking that Microsoft would have thought about and added this when they created Tabs for File Explorer.
Not to mention that most web browsers can be set to open the last tabs used when reopening the web browser. I would appreciate this feature in File Explorer, also.

forkleaf · Jun 19, 2024

pseymour said:
This one intercepts Win+E and new folder windows. Haven't tried it myself though.

GitHub - w4po/ExplorerTabUtility: Explorer Tab Utility: Force new windows to tabs. Streamline navigation!

Explorer Tab Utility: Force new windows to tabs. Streamline navigation! - w4po/ExplorerTabUtility

github.com

It gets the job done but it's kinda jarring since you can see the folders open and close before the app puts them to the existing File Explorer. But thank you!