Explorer Session Saver
Explorer Session Saver is a Windows utility that enables users to save and restore File Explorer sessions, including open windows and tabs, as named workspaces. It addresses the daily friction of rebuilding sets of folders and tabs for different projects or tasks by allowing instant restoration from a Manager interface, system tray, or command line. Version 2.0 introduces collapsible session groups, custom ordering, and multi-session movement, along with an optional prefix for tab counts. Paths can be marked as required or optional, and the tool includes folder tracking to detect renamed or moved folders and prompt for review. Restored sessions can handle removable drives, network shares, and other intermittent locations gracefully. The restore experience features reduced-motion navigation, activity masking, and long-wait monitoring to ensure smooth recovery, with safe cancellation at any point. Session data is stored locally with atomic writes, backups, and automatic recovery from damaged files, ensuring privacy and reliability. Direct migration from previous formats is supported. The Manager and CLI support 11 languages, independent language preferences, light/dark themes, and custom accent colors. The CLI offers advanced features like stable-ID selection, JSON output, ordering, verification, and protected backups, making it suitable for automation and scripting. The application contains no advertising, telemetry, analytics, or cloud services.
- Category
- App Switcher
- Pricing
- Unknown
Problem solved
Windows users often work with multiple File Explorer windows and tabs across different projects, but restarting or switching contexts requires manually reopening these folders. Explorer Session Saver eliminates this repetitive task by capturing the current set of Explorer windows and tabs as a named session, enabling one-click restoration later.
Use cases
- Save and restore project-specific File Explorer layouts
- Re-open research folders and tabs across multiple drives
- Quickly switch between different workspace setups using system tray
- Automate restore operations via command-line interface
- Mark paths as optional for removable or network drives
- Track renamed or moved folders without breaking sessions
- Secure local storage without cloud dependency
Audience
- Developers
- Business Users
- Researchers
- Content Creators
Pros
- No ads, telemetry, or account required
- Supports session groups and custom ordering
- CLI with JSON output for automation
- Handles removable/network drives gracefully
- Folder tracking for renamed/moved locations
Cons
- Only available for Windows
- Limited to File Explorer (no other file managers)
- Does not restore open files, only folder paths
- CLI requires learning command syntax
- No cloud sync for multi-device access
Official website: https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9PG83ZSDFJ7S?hl=en-us&gl=US&ocid=pdpshare
Canonical LambdaBase page: https://www.lambdabase.com/tools/explorer-session-saver