If you're one of many Windows Insiders who have been constantly asking Microsoft to bring tabs to File Explorer, we may have some good news for you. According to sources familiar with the matter, Microsoft is currently experimenting internally with a new feature called "Tabbed Shell", which brings the familiar browser tabbing module to all app windows in Windows 10, including the File Explorer.

Per our sources, Tabbed Shell is a feature being worked on at an OS level, and doesn't require work from app developers to take advantage of it. By default, Tabbed Shell works with any app window, whether it be Photoshop, File Explorer, or Microsoft Word. Any UWP, Win32 or Centennial app will work. Much like in Edge, you'll find a tabbed interface at the top of a window where you can switch between instances of the same app. Best VPN providers 2020: Learn about ExpressVPN, NordVPN & more This means that right away, any app can take advantage of the new tabbing experience without any developer work. If an app features a titlebar, it will be able to function with Tabbed Shell. Microsoft will also offer API's to developers if they wish to "integrate" their apps with Tabbed Shell, which will give the app more control over the tabbed experience. For example, an app that isn't optimized for Tabbed Shell will likely display two window controls, titles and icons, as the app in question isn't integrated with Tabbed Shell. Based on internal designs, we've created a mock-up below in which you can see how this would work. In our example, we're using Word 2016 as an unoptimized Tabbed Shell app.

Unoptimized Tabbed Shell app mock-up by Windows Central

However, if an app developer does want to take advantage of Tabbed Shell, they can do just that. Developers will be able to adjust titles, tab colors, create custom New Tab experiences and more. In our second example, you can see that in this scenario Word 2016 is integrated with Tabbed Shell, making for a much more streamlined user-experience.