Vivaldi Browser, contender for the world’s most customizable desktop browser, is available as a new version. Vivaldi 6.6 is a major update for the web browser. The update improves web panels, a feature of Vivaldi that allows users to display websites in a sidebar.
A web panel may display websites, e.g., Spotify, YouTube, yours truly Chipp.in, or eBay, next to other sites. One of the main uses for web panels is to control functionality of one site or service while using others.
Other new features include mail search improvements, an interesting new overview of website permissions, and the ability to set a preferred webpage color theme.
Vivaldi 6.6 is available already. Most installations of the web browser should update automatically. Users may also download the latest installer from the official Vivaldi website.
Vivaldi 6.6: web panel improvements
Vivaldi includes a few default web panels that you may launch directly from the sidebar. There is the Wikipedia web panel, for instance, which opens Wikipedia in the sidebar. You may add custom webpages and sites as web panels for easy access.
Existing web panel users may notice the new navigation options for web panels. This makes it easier to navigate back and forward, as the browser’s default navigational items are reserved for its main website view.
The second big change in regards to web panels is that extensions work there now. This means that you may install extensions, e.g. content blockers, media players, or other extensions, and use their features there as well.
Last but not least, extension developers may use the new Side Panel extension API to add “entire new Panels” to the browser.
Central Website Permission Management
Vivaldi, being a Chromium-based web browser, already includes options to manage website permissions. These can be configured globally or individually.
Global permissions apply to all websites except for sites with custom permissions. You could disable JavaScript globally and allow it to run on some sites. Other popular permissions are autoplay of media, sound, location detection, access to the microphone or camera.
Changing custom site permissions is not a straightforward process. You have to open the site in the browser and activate the Shield icon in the address bar and select Site Settings to manage them for the site in question.
This is identical in all Chromium-based browsers. Vivaldi 6.6 introduces a centralized management interface for custom permissions.
Just load vivaldi://settings/privacy/ in the browser’s address bar and scroll down to the Website Permissions section. Note that you may also go there manually by following this path: Settings > Privacy and Security > Website Permissions.
Vivaldi lists all websites with custom permissions. Just select one and you get the option to change permissions for that site right there. Custom permissions are highlighted in color, making it easy to detect them.
Note that there is no option to set permissions for individual sites to their defaults. You may reset all of them to the defaults though using the interface.
Website Color Theme setting
Another new feature in Vivaldi 6.6 is the option to set the default color theme to dark for websites. This is independent of the theme used by the browser or the operating system’s color preference.
Vivaldi 6.6 includes the option “force a dark theme on all websites” to make sure it is used on sites, even on those that do not support dark mode.
You find the options under Settings > Website Appearance, or by loading vivaldi://settings/appearance/ directly in the address bar.
Other changes in Vivaldi 6.6
The new browser version introduces a number of other updates. Here are the most important ones:
- Improved the translation quality and performance of Vivaldi’s built-in translation service.
- Search in Vivaldi Mail, the browser’s built-in mail client, includes advanced search options now. New filters displayed underneath the search field allow users to narrow down results, e.g., by limiting search results to a specific account or the email subject.
- Import and export data from Vivaldi Notes and Reading List now.
Closing Words
Vivaldi 6.6 is a major update for the browser. It introduces several improvements for users of the browser. Notable are the permissions management interface to control custom permissions from a central page, extensions support in web panels, and the new dark mode option for websites. Vivaldi Mail users get improved search options on top of all that.
Now You: have you tried Vivaldi recently?