Microsoft is working on tabs for File Explorer again in Windows 11

Microsoft has released a test version of Windows 11 in the Dev channel in which a function can be activated for tabs in the Explorer. The build version also includes Clipchamp, a new video editing application.

If you install Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22572 in the Dev channel, you will not immediately see the tab function in the Explorer and Microsoft does not report its presence in its release notes. This is a hidden function that is still in the testing phase and that can be activated with Rafael Rivera’s ViveTool software. The same Rivera reports the discovery of the tab function† If you have too many tabs open, you will see an arrow in the Explorer to scroll to the other tabs. Since this is an experimental feature, it is not certain that it will eventually be available to everyone in Windows 11.

It is not the first time that Microsoft is working on a tab function for the Explorer. In the past, the company envisioned the Sets function for Windows 10, in order to be able to use tabs in windows within multiple applications of the OS. The software company eventually removed that feature.

An extension that is immediately available to any Insider user of build version 22572 of Windows 11 is Clipchamp. This is an application for editing and creating videos that will come standard with Windows 11. In addition to basic editing functions, users can add animated texts and take screenshots, among other things. There is also a text-to-speech function that works via Microsoft’s Azure service. The application came into the hands of Microsoft after the acquisition of the eponymous company Clipchamp in September 2021.

Windows 11 and Windows 10 will also have a ‘highlights’ feature in the search. Windows will highlight moments such as birthdays in the search window, supplemented with illustrations. According to Microsoft, these are topics that “help you discover more, be connected and stay productive.”