taskbar combines all file explorer windows as 'file explorer'

how do I get separate tabs/buttons on the taskbar for each open folder like Windows 7, so I can see and in one click click to view any of them instead of only getting 'file explorer' with a pop-up preview list?

the taskbar 'never combine' setting only solves nesting for multiple iterations of Chrome and other programs, but not for Windows' own file explorer--all open explorer windows are unlisted on the taskbar with instead only 'file explorer' listed.

I suspect if I have to resort to a third-party file explorer it will work, but surely there's a way to restore the Win7 format, right?

dalchina said:

Try this:
How do I get Windows Explorer to show folder names in its taskbar buttons?

to get

how does that link get the result you show?

what the link itself shows is only explorer window titles and paths

I don't want to change either of those. I want the result like in your picture, where explorer windows are not renamed in any way but are made visible along the span of the taskbar

I get up to 16 separate labeled thumbnail previews, at 17 it turns to a list.

Edwin said:

I get up to 16 separate labeled thumbnail previews, at 17 it turns to a list.

... the problem is...
the more individual windows you have open, the more the Taskbar icons shrink, so you can't read the labels anyway!
And, as Taskbar icons are not combined, the thumbnail previews don't show a label either!

I highly recommend a 3rd party 'Tabbed Explorer' utility, namely QTTabBar