Feature: Command-line support for opening folders as new tabs

[Foadsf]

What feature or improvement do you think would benefit Files?

The ability to open a folder from command-line/terminal as a new tab in an existing Files instance. Currently, there's no documented way to open a specific folder location from the command line, which makes it difficult to integrate Files with terminal workflows or custom scripts.

Requirements

• Add command-line parameter support to open a specified folder path in a new tab
• Ensure it works with both relative and absolute paths
• If Files is already running, open the folder in a new tab instead of a new window
• Document the command-line syntax in the Files documentation
• Support launching from various terminal environments (Command Prompt, PowerShell, Windows Terminal)
• Provide a consistent and predictable exit code to indicate success/failure
• Consider supporting additional parameters (like opening in a new pane instead of tab)

Files Version

Files 3.9.1.0

Windows Version

10.0.19045.5487

Comments

Many users who work frequently with the command line would benefit from this feature. Other file managers like Explorer can be launched from the command line with a path argument (explorer.exe C:\path\to\folder), but Files appears to lack this basic functionality or at least doesn't document it clearly.

For my specific use case, I want to set up an alias in my terminal to open the current directory in Files (similar to open . on macOS). While I can launch Files, I cannot get it to open a specific directory, which severely limits integration with command-line workflows.

I've tried various approaches such as:

• Using the App ID (explorer.exe shell:AppsFolder\Files_1y0xx7n9077q4!App "path")
• Protocol handlers (files:?folder="path" and files-uwp:?folder="path")
• Direct executable access

None of these methods appear to work consistently, suggesting this functionality either doesn't exist or isn't properly documented.

[Josh65-2201]

Thanks for the feedback, you can already open folders in new tabs or Files by itself using files-<branch>.exe <path to folder> replacing <branch> with stable, preview or dev depending on what version you have installed. Adding support for more arguments is being tracked in #13021. You can check there or click subscribe in the right sidebar for updates.