QTTabBar on Windows 11

TaskbarTactician

Has anyone here actually gotten QTTabBar to work reliably on Windows 11? I’ve been a long-time fan, but after every update something breaks — tab bar disappears, crashes on startup, right-click context menu errors, etc.

Not to mention, Microsoft seems determined to break anything that customizes File Explorer. Native tabs are finally a thing, but they’re so barebones compared to QTTabBar’s features (grouping, custom buttons, folder previews, etc.). Has anyone found stable settings or workarounds to make QTTabBar play nice with the frequent Windows 11 updates? Or is it finally time to admit defeat and look elsewhere?

Would love to hear if there’s still hope or if everyone’s moved on to something else (if so, what?).

TechGuru123

Honestly, I’m in the same boat. QTTabBar worked grat for ages but Windows 11 updates just keep breaking stuff—I’ve had the tab bar vanish after an update more than once. I’ve tried running the latest betas, and sometimes toggling “Restart Explorer” in the settings helps temporarily, but it’s never fully stable. Lately, I’ve been eyeing alternatives like Files App (from the Microsoft Store) because it feels less fragile with updates, though it doesn’t do everything QTTabBar did. Has anyone found something with as rich a feature set, or are we just stuck with basic tabs for now?

WindowsOverseer

Yeah, I feel your pain. I haven’t found anything that matches QTTabBar’s customizations yet. Files app is nice but super basic by comparison. Directory Opus and Total Commander get mentioned a lot, but they replace Explorer entirely, not just add tabs. Honestly, I’m just hoping a QTTabBar update eventually catches up, or Microsoft finally opens up tabs to extensions!

WinUpdateWarrior

Sadly, “living on a prayer” seems to be the best practice for QTTabBar on Windows 11 these days. If anyone uncovers a magic combo of settings or an up-to-date fork that actually survives an update cycle, please share! In the meantime, I’m stockpiling aspirin for the inevitable “where did my tabs go?” moments.