[Rant] File explorer tabs UI interaction

spapakons · Feb 19, 2024

fruh said:
Nevermind, I've found the "solution". My laptop is usually set at the recommended 125% scaling while the desktop PC is set at 100% scaling (quite a bigger monitor)

Indeed, if I set my laptop's screen scaling at 100% the deadzone is gone. Clearly there's something wrong with the tabs design, be it on purpose or not

Posting another reply because one edit seemed enough

You can download Winaero Tweaker which among many settings you can set the thickness of the border as many pixels as you want. I used a similar utility in Windows 7 to reduce the ridiculously wide border to 2 pixels.

fruh · Feb 19, 2024

Winuser said:
You can use the Feedback hub to report it.

would be nice to have a web version of that but I will do it eventually

spapakons said:
You can download Winaero Tweaker which among many settings you can set the thickness of the border as many pixels as you want. I used a similar utility in Windows 7 to reduce the ridiculously wide border to 2 pixels.

didn't think about that, thanks :) I do have winaero tweaker installed, but I think that function involves the aero theme for non-maximized (normal) windows (I don't remember if the padding goes away in W7 for maximized windows, my bad)

The tabs deadzone is an issue only when file explorer is maximized, otherwise I wouldn't throw the cursor at the edge of the screen to start with. For normal windows the padding above the explorer tabs is bigger, but when the window is maximized is should disappear, as it does at 100% scaling. Also the top edge padding is the only one changing so I don't think it has something to do with the traditional window borders

Edwin · Feb 19, 2024

fruh said:
The tabs deadzone is an issue only when file explorer is maximized, otherwise I wouldn't throw the cursor at the edge of the screen to start with. For normal windows the padding above the explorer tabs is bigger, but when the window is maximized is should disappear, as it does at 100% scaling.

Yeah..., that's weird!!!

Can't wheel-click at the bezel in 125%!

spapakons · Feb 20, 2024

Did you mean the scrollbars? I know they are hard to click on them and almost annoying. Fortunately there is a setting in Settings, Accessibility, Vision (or similar) to never hide the scrollbars. Also you can set their width in Winaero Tweaker.

Winuser · Feb 20, 2024

@fruh Because I need new glasses I had to increase the scale on my old desktop that has a 24" monitor from 100 to 125% and File Explorer Is doing the same thing. Apparently the tab size is not increasing and is causing the small dead space.

fruh · Feb 20, 2024

@Edwin @Winuser that's exactly it. I'm glad I've been able to explain myself. Unfortunately since setting 100% scaling on my laptop means I'd also need glasses, I never thought about it o.o

@spapakons I mean this

which at 125% scaling on my 1080p laptop monitor is approximately two pixel wide. Enough for the cursor to miss the tabs.

On the windows taskbar you can click in the corner of the screen an the start button will be triggered even if you are missing the actual graphical button; it's been a known usability trick for quite some time so it makes sense that tabs should work like that too (for any scaling setting :3)

Winuser · Feb 20, 2024

spapakons said:
Did you mean the scrollbars? I know they are hard to click on them and almost annoying. Fortunately there is a setting in Settings, Accessibility, Vision (or similar) to never hide the scrollbars. Also you can set their width in Winaero Tweaker.

I'm assuming that you have the display setting on your computer set to 100%. Increase the size to 125% and open up the new tabbed File Explorer and open a couple of tabs. At the very top of the tabs you will see a small space that if the mouse cursor is on will not do anything when you click your mouse button. What I think is happening is that the tabs are not increasing their size causing the blank space.