# File Explorer in Windows 11: tabs, context menus and what actually changed

> What the new Explorer does differently, where the old right-click menu went, and the settings that change behaviour rather than looks.

**Tested on**

- Build: 26300.9457
- Edition: Pro (26H2)
- Architecture: x64
- Evidence: E1
- Verified: 2026-10-29

## The short answer

Windows 11's Explorer changed three things that matter, and a lot that does not:

1. **Tabs** — one window, several folders, like a browser.
2. **A new context menu** — fewer entries, icons, and the legacy menu behind **Show more options** (`Shift + F10`).
3. **A command bar** — New / Cut / Copy / Rename / Share / Delete moved to the top.

Everything else people complain about (rounded corners, the "gallery", the home page) is presentation. The behaviour changes are the three above.

## Where the old right-click menu went

The full menu still exists. Ways to reach it:

- **Show more options** at the bottom of the new menu;
- **`Shift + F10`** (or the menu key) on the selection;
- **`Shift` + right-click** in most builds.

If a shell extension only appears in the legacy menu, it is not broken — it has not been updated to the new extensibility model. That is a vendor issue, not a Windows setting.

## Tabs: what they do and do not do

| Works | Does not |
|---|---|
| Open a folder in a new tab (`Ctrl + T`) | Share a tab across windows |
| Duplicate a tab | Restore tabs after a restart |
| Drag a tab into its own window | Keep tabs per-monitor |

Tabs persist per window while the window is open. After a reboot or an Explorer restart, you get the previous windows back depending on **Settings → System → For developers**? No — on the **View → Options → General → Restore previous folder windows** setting.

## Settings that change behaviour

| Setting | Where | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Show file extensions | View → Show | the single most useful change |
| Show hidden items | View → Show | needed for `AppData`, `.git` |
| Restore previous folder windows at logon | Options → View | tabs/windows come back |
| Open Explorer to | Options → General | This PC vs Home vs a folder |
| Use compact mode | View | more rows, less padding |
| Clear File Explorer history | Options → Privacy | removes Quick Access entries |

```powershell
# what Explorer is configured to do (per-user)
Get-ItemProperty 'HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced' |
  Select-Object HideFileExt,Hidden,LaunchTo
```

`HideFileExt = 1` means extensions are hidden — the reason a `.pdf.exe` looks like a PDF.

## The home page and Quick Access

The Home page mixes **Quick Access** (pinned + recent) with **Recent** and **Shared**. It is convenient and it is also an information leak on a shared screen: recently opened files are visible before anyone clicks anything.

Turn off recent files in **Options → Privacy** if the machine is used in front of other people.

> **Tip: Pin the folder, not the file**
>
> Pinned folders survive most profile changes; pinned recent files disappear when the file moves. For anything you open daily, pin the folder and navigate inside it.

## What still breaks

- **Long paths** — a deep folder tree can exceed the classic 260-character limit; see [symlinks and long paths](https://winbook.fyi/en/windows/files/symlinks-long-paths/).
- **Network locations** — some tabs and preview features behave differently on SMB shares.
- **Cloud files** — OneDrive placeholders show a status icon; the file may not exist locally. See [OneDrive Files On-Demand](https://winbook.fyi/en/windows/files/onedrive-files-on-demand/).
- **Third-party shell extensions** — mostly legacy menu only.

## Related

- [Storage Sense and Disk Cleanup](https://winbook.fyi/en/windows/files/storage-sense/)
- [OneDrive Files On-Demand](https://winbook.fyi/en/windows/files/onedrive-files-on-demand/)
- [Symlinks, junctions and the long-path limit](https://winbook.fyi/en/windows/files/symlinks-long-paths/)

## Lab boundary

E1. Explorer behaviour is documented by Microsoft and verified visually on Windows 11 26H2 in this lab's desktop VMs, but no setting-by-setting measurement was recorded for this page.

## Sources

- [Microsoft Learn — Windows Shell](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/shell/)
- [Microsoft Learn — Shell file and folder overview](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/shell/fa-intro)
- [Microsoft Learn — What is new in Windows 11](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/whats-new/windows-11-overview)

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Source: https://winbook.fyi/en/windows/files/explorer/