Mozilla is working on two highly requested features, tab groups and vertical tabs, for its Firefox web browser. These features are still in active development at the time of writing, but that does not mean that you can give them a go already in stable Firefox.
This guide provides you with everything you need to get started. It explains how to enable the features and highlights the current functionality.
Vertical Tabs in Firefox
What is it? Vertical tabs move the tab bar from the horizontal placement to the sidebar. Firefox users can display tabs on the left or right side of the browser.
Why do some users prefer vertical tabs? Vertical tabs give tabs more room in the browser window. This gives users more control and an improved overview, especially on widescreen monitors.
How to enable it? Here is how you enable the functionality:
- Load about:config in the Firefox address bar.
- Confirm the security page that is displayed.
- Search for sidebar.verticalTabs.
- Click on the toggle-icon to set the preference to True.
To disable, set the preference to False.
Firefox switches to vertical tabs right away. The default displays just icons, but you can use the Expand Sidebar button to display page titles as well. There is also a shortcut, Alt-Ctrl-Z, to switch between icon and expanded view.
A click on the settings icon in the sidebar displays a few related options. There you find the option to move the sidebar to the right side, if you prefer that.
The implementation supports several features already:
- Create or close tabs.
- Move tabs using drag & drop.
- Right-click on open tabs to get he tab context menu.
But it is beta, right? Yes, Mozilla has not enabled the feature yet in Firefox Stable. It worked without any issues in my preliminary tests though.
Tab Groups in Firefox
What is it? The ability to group tabs together. This improves organization and management of tabs in the browser.
How to enable Tab Groups in Firefox? Here is how that is done:
- Load about:config in the Firefox address bar.
- Confirm that you will be careful.
- Search for browser.tabs.groups.enabled.
- Use the toggle to set the preference to True.
To disable, set the preference to False.
Firefox enables the tab grouping functionality right away. It works with horizontal and vertical tabs, which is great.
You can create a new group by right-clicking on a tab and selecting the “Add tab to group” option. You get the option to create a new group or add the tab to an existing group.
Each group has a name and a color.
The following functionality is supported at the time of writing:
- Create and delete Tab Groups in Firefox.
- Move tabs into groups or remove them from groups.
- Change the position of groups on Firefox’s tab bar.
- Save and close tabs.
- Move tab groups to new windows.
- Collapse tab groups to show only the icon/title.
The feature is also in development. It worked well and without any hitches during tests in Firefox Stable.
Closing Words
Mozilla is playing catch-up in regards to the two features. Chromium-based browsers have supported tab groups for ages and more are starting to support vertical tabs.
While that is the case, it is still welcome that Mozilla is implementing the features finally in Firefox, as they may improve usability when used.
Now it is your turn. Vertical or horizontal tabs? Tab groups or individual tabs? What is your preference in this regard and why?
I’ve tried vertical tabs with dedicated Firefox extensions, but I prefer traditional horizontal tabs rendering.
Tab groups? I open tabs individually, but should I wish to group a few that I’d install a dedicated bookmarks folder and open its content with a middle-click on the folder.
Often, not always, new features are either gadgets or another way of doing things which can already be performed even if maybe in a less sophisticated way.