Firefox has a built-in tab management system that lets you manage multiple tabs in the same window. This is great for keeping track of important tasks while working on different tabs, or for managing multiple windows when using a browser that supports multiple displays. To use the Tab Sidebar, open Firefox and click on the three lines in the top left corner of the main window. This will open a new tab management window. In this window, you can select which tabs to show in a side by side view, or group them together so they are all shown at once. To manage your tabs in this way, click on one of the following buttons:
- Show all tabs in a side by side view: This will show all your tabs in one bigwindow, so you can see what’s important to you at any given moment. If you want to keep track of which tab is active while you’re working on another tab, this is the way to do it.
- Group by Tab: This will group yourtabs together so they are all shown at once. This is great if you want to work on two different tasks and want them to be treated as one task. You can also use this button if you want to switch between your groups of tabs quickly without having to go through each one individually.
- Switch between views: If you want to switch between views (top-left or bottom-right), just click on either of those buttons and Firefox will switch automatically.
Setup
After you have installed Tab Sidebar, the first place to start is in the options. Here you have many wonderful options for managing those tabs. You can choose to hide the Tab Bar while using the Sidebar, display navigation buttons if desired, select the options that you like for page previews, and best of all you can decide exactly where you want your Tab Sidebar to display!
Here is a look at the drop down menu for Sidebar location…five wonderful choices for you to select from!
Tab Sidebar in Action
After installing the extension, Tab Sidebar does not display by default…it will need to be activated.
You can activate Tab Sidebar by going to the “View Menu”, navigating to “Sidebar”, and then selecting “Tab Sidebar”. There is even a nice hotkey combination available for the extension.
Once you activate Tab Sidebar, your Tab Bar will automatically disappear (if you left this option selected). You get nice page previews with the names of the webpages displayed as well. Notice that you can get an enlarged preview that includes the webpage name and the address.
To navigate/scroll, hold your mouse over the Sidebar and use your mouse wheel to scroll through the tabs or you can use the navigation/scrolling arrow bars at the top and bottom of Tab Sidebar.
Conclusion
If you love using sidebars to work in Firefox, then Tab Sidebar just might make a perfect addition to your browser!
Links
Download the Tab Sidebar extension (Mozilla Add-ons)
Download the Tab Sidebar extension (Extension Homepage)
