TidyMergeby UpDog Technologies, Inc.
For Windows 11 File Explorer

Every Explorer window. One tabbed window.

Windows 11 gave File Explorer tabs — but it doesn't always use them. Open a few folders and you end up with five windows instead of five tabs. TidyMerge fixes that: one click, or one hotkey, and every open Explorer window collapses into a single tabbed window.

Get it from the Microsoft Store See how it works

$4.99 one-time·7-day free trial·Windows 11 22H2 or later

What it does

Built to do one job well

TidyMerge manages File Explorer windows — nothing else. Smart defaults out of the box, and every behavior is configurable if you want it to be.

Hotkey Ctrl+Shift+M

Merge everything with one click, one hotkey, or a right-click

Pin TidyMerge to your taskbar and click it whenever your Explorer windows have multiplied. Every open window collapses into a single tabbed window. Duplicate tabs are removed, tabs are sorted (by name, full path, or grouped by drive), and even special windows like Home, This PC, and Recycle Bin fold in as tabs too.

Prefer the keyboard? Enable the optional tray service and press the global hotkey from anywhere. Or right-click your desktop or any folder and choose Merge windows with TidyMerge — whichever fits your flow.

Hotkey Ctrl+Shift+Space

Jump to the exact tab — even when names collide

Twenty tabs open and you need that one? The quick-switcher pops up, you type a few letters, press Enter, and TidyMerge selects the exact tab — not just the window it lives in.

Every entry shows its full path, so two folders both named docs are never a coin flip. TidyMerge drives Explorer's own tab strip to land on the right one.

Also in taskbar Jump List — right-click the TidyMerge icon

Workspaces: save a set of folders, get it back anytime

Working on taxes? A client project? Save your current tabs as a named workspace. Restore it later with one click — every folder opens as a tab in a single window, even after a reboot.

Your workspaces also live in the taskbar Jump List: right-click TidyMerge's icon and they're right there.

And the rest

The details that make it stick

New windows become tabs — automatically

With the optional tray service running, new Explorer windows are routed into your existing window as tabs the moment they appear. Drag a tab out on purpose and TidyMerge leaves it alone. Pause auto-routing from the tray menu anytime.

Reopen a closed tab

Closed the wrong tab? Bring it back instantly, like in a browser — and the history survives a reboot, so yesterday's folder is still one keystroke away.

Ctrl+Shift+T

Your tabs survive anything

Explorer crashed? Rebooted with everything open? TidyMerge quietly remembers your folders and offers a one-click restore — reopening them all as tabs. It only ever offers; it never reopens uninvited.

Your folders, your hotkeys

Assign a key combo to any folder — press it and the folder opens as a tab in your merged window. Set them up in Settings; changes apply immediately.

e.g. Ctrl+Alt+1 → D:\Projects

Excluded paths

Some windows should stay windows. Mark specific folders as "always separate" and TidyMerge never touches them — not during merges, not during auto-routing.

Full dark theme

Every TidyMerge surface — Settings, Workspaces, the switcher, toasts — uses one consistent dark theme with the teal accent you see on this page. No jarring white dialogs.

Your data never leaves your PC

No cloud. No account. No tracking. Everything TidyMerge remembers — settings, workspaces, open folders — stays on your machine as plain files you can read. There's nothing for us to lose, because we never collect it, and no online account to breach: it's kept as safe as the rest of your files, by your own Windows sign-in. Verify it yourself — the privacy policy shows you how.

Why I built this

Made by someone with the same problem

I'm an engineer and business owner, not a software company. On a normal day I'm spread across three 32-inch monitors — or a laptop and two travel screens — with SolidWorks, Outlook, Excel, Chrome, and Word all open at once. Every one of them has me opening, closing, and digging through File Explorer windows, plus a search tool or two when a file's gone missing. By mid-morning I'd have a dozen Explorer windows scattered across every screen, and alt-tab had turned into a slot machine.

Windows 11 added tabs to Explorer back in 2022 — which I loved — but it never added a way to say "take all of this and make it one window," and new folders still keep opening in their own windows. I'd already used tab consolidators for my browser and loved them; I wanted that same one-keystroke "get it back under control" for File Explorer. So I built it — for myself first. The parts I'm proudest of aren't the flashy ones; they're the unglamorous reliability work that keeps it out of your way.

If you live in File Explorer the way I do, I think you'll feel the difference by the end of the trial. And if something's off, you email me — an actual person, not a ticket queue.

— UpDog Technologies, Inc.

Pricing

Pay once. That's it.

No subscription, no account, no upsells. Try everything free for a week first.

$4.99

one-time purchase

  • 7-day free trial — full features, no card games
  • All features included: merge, auto-route, switcher, Workspaces, hotkeys
  • One purchase, all your PCs — tied to your account, not one machine
  • Updates delivered automatically through the Store
  • No tracking, no account, no subscription
  • Support from the person who wrote it
Get it from the Microsoft Store

Available exclusively on the Microsoft Store.
Requires Windows 11 22H2 (build 22621) or later.

Deploying across a team or client fleet? Volume & IT licensing →

FAQ

Quick answers

Does it work on Windows 10?

No. TidyMerge uses File Explorer's native tab feature, which only exists in Windows 11 22H2 (build 22621) and later. There's nothing to merge into on Windows 10.

How does the free trial work?

Install from the Microsoft Store and use the full app for 7 days. The Store handles the trial mechanics. If you like it, convert to the full version any time from inside the app — your settings and workspaces carry over.

Does TidyMerge collect any data?

No. No tracking, no analytics, no network requests, no accounts. The only files it writes are your settings and workspaces in your local user profile, plus a local diagnostic log for troubleshooting. Details in the privacy policy.

What happens when a Windows update changes File Explorer?

Honest answer: Microsoft does change Explorer internals from time to time, and a utility like this has to keep up. TidyMerge detects the signature of a breaking change and tells you plainly instead of failing cryptically — and because it's distributed through the Store, fixes reach you automatically.

More questions and answers on the support page →

Be first to know

Get a heads-up at launch

One email the day TidyMerge goes live on the Microsoft Store — plus the occasional, only-when-it-matters update. No spam, never sold, one-click unsubscribe.

We'll only ever email you about TidyMerge. See our privacy policy.

Stop herding windows.

Try TidyMerge free for 7 days. If it doesn't earn its $4.99, don't buy it.

Get it from the Microsoft Store