Add Tabs to Windows 8 Explorer

With Windows 8, and the soon to released Windows 8.1, Microsoft made massive changes to its flagship product, a few of which frustrated some customers. While most of this surrounds the new Start screen and the missing Start button, which makes a bit of a return in version 8.1, these were by no means the only changes present in the operating system.

Windows Explorer, a long time staple of each Windows iteration, also received revamp, adding the ribbon interface that has been used in the past couple of versions of Office. However, one feature that a number of people were looking forward to was left out of the update.

Tabs, prominent in all of today’s web browsers, are not a part of Explorer, despite the fact they would greatly improve the functionality. Over the years a number of apps have attempted to change this. One of these is Clover, which is currently at version 3.

The download is quick thanks the tiny file size, and setup is non-existent, as the app begins working immediately upon execution of the installer.

Once running, tabs will appear across the top of Explorer, above the menu bar. You will also note that, despite opening Explorer, the icon will now appear as a green clover leaf in your task bar.

The tabs work similar in fashion to those in Chrome. Each contains a small “X” to the far right side of it, which represents a way of closing that particular tab.

There is also a small blank box to the right side of the last tab in the line. Click this to open a new tab and then navigate to where you wish.

You will also note a wrench to the left of the tabs. This provides a menu that includes options for opening a new tab or window, as well as Settings.

Settings contains several choices, including the option reopen tabs from the last session, the ability to use a theme, and several check boxes that allow you to control how Clover 3 works.

Over the past couple of years I have used a couple of different apps to add this functionality to Explorer, but Clover seems to work the best. Plus the app is free and easy to use, making it a clear choice for anyone in need of a tab option for easily browsing different files in Windows.