There is nothing you need to do to activate the tabs in File Explorer, as long as you've installed the Windows 11 2022 Update and its subsequent updates released by Microsoft up to November 2022.

The native File Explorer on Windows 11 doesn't support tabs, but there's still a way to manage your files with a tabbed interface.

We show you how to disable Tabs in File Explorer on Windows 11 by using a free command line tool called ViveTool.

To restore Tabs in File Explorer after Restart in Windows 11, enable the 'Restore previous folder windows at logon' setting in Folder Options.

Besides, the tabbed File Explorer itself is a one buggy thing that is not available for all users. If you want to try it, learn how to enable tabs in File Explorer in Windows 11 here.

Just under 50% of polled readers want to see tabs in more apps. Over 43% are happy to see tabs only added to the File Explorer. Around 7% of polled participants said they don't use tabs at all.