38
Workshop
11 – 24 May 2022 • Issue 631STEP
2Files App is easy to find your way around. The
sidebar^1 is always visible, no matter what you’ve
selected in the main pane. Windows libraries
appear at the top of the main pane^2 , with your drives^3 and
recent files below. This is similar to Windows’ File Explorer.
However, each of the elements in the main pane is a widget
that you can turn on and off by clicking the Widgets button^4
and using the switches^5.STEP
3You can open several locations at once and switch
between them using tabs. Navigate to the first drive or
folder you need to work with, then click the ‘+’ button
on the title bar^1. This opens a new tab. Use this to navigate to
the second location. You can then switch back and forth
between tabs by clicking them, and use the ‘+’ button to open
further tabs and navigate to more locations.F
ile Explorer is about to receive
an upgrade – but only if you’re
running Windows 11. As we
reported in Issue 630 (page 6),
Microsoft is adding tabs to the
latest version of its file-navigation
tool, so if you’ve upgraded to
Windows 11, you’ll be able to keepseveral folders open at the same
time and switch quickly between
them. Thankfully, if you’re stuck
with Windows 10 – or you simply
don’t want to upgrade – you can
get the same feature for free using
an alternative tool called Files
App. It works in Windows 11 too.STEP
1Download Files App from
the Microsoft Store (www.
snipca.com/41679), then
launch it. We think it’s good enough
to use as a full-time replacement for
Windows’ File Explorer. So, when it’s
up and running, right-click its icon
on the taskbar^1 and click ‘Pin to
taskbar’^2 on the pop-up menu. This
will make it easy to access at all
times. While you’re there, you might
also right-click the File Explorer icon(^3) and select ‘Unpin from taskbar’ to
save space and avoid confusion.
3 2
1
3
2
4
1
1
Add tabs to File Explorer
What you need: Files App; Windows 10 or 11
Time required: 30 minutes
5