The introduction of tabs to web browsers is arguably one of the most useful innovations that have been made. Advances in security and performance are all great, but tabs made a real difference to the usability of browsers, making multi-tasking a great deal easier. Clover is a free Windows add-ons that enables you to take advantage of this very same feature in Explorer so you can navigate between your folders in tabs rather than having to have multiple windows open.

The addition of tabs to Explorer may seem like a fairly minor change, but it is amazing just how much of a difference it can make. If you’re a fan of the way tabs work in Firefox, Chrome, et al, you’ll love the similar way in which Clover works. All of the shortcuts you have become used to can be used here – Ctrl+T to open a new tab, Ctrl+W to close it, Ctrl+Tab to move the next tab etc.

Clover

Just as with your browser you can drag and drop tabs to re-order them, and you can access additional options – such as re-opening closed tab, closing all of the tabs to the right of the current one – by right clicking a tab. You can also create duplicates of any open tab, and create bookmarks so that you can access your favorite folders faster than ever. Another browser style feature means that it is possible to ‘pin’ tabs so that they are always available.

The Bookmarks toolbar is optional, but it certainly comes in very handy. It enables you to have instant access to all of your most frequently used folders so you don’t need to battle with Explorer’s tree structure all of the time. One area in which Clover stands apart from the competition is in that it is an add-on rather than a standalone app; as such you can still access a tabbed version of Explorer without having to launch a different program.

You can find out more and download a free copy of the add-on by paying a visit to the Clover review page.