Mozilla has released a test version of Firefox Nightly that includes vertical tabs. The feature is highly anticipated by users and ranks third on Mozilla’s Connect website.
Vertical tabs in Firefox Nightly:
The vertical tabs move tabs from the usual horizontal bar at the top to a vertical sidebar, facilitating drag-and-drop functionality, sorting, hierarchical views, and better screen space utilization on wide monitors or sites with limited width.
While Firefox is not the first browser to offer vertical tabs, others like Microsoft Edge, Brave, and Vivaldi already do so. Vivaldi stands out for its extensive customization options.
The new Firefox Nightly build displays both horizontal tab bar and sidebar simultaneously by default. Users can hide the tab bar and view only the sidebar by clicking the “hide tab strip” button.
The sidebar shows icons initially, but clicking the expand icon reveals labels next to the icons. Users can access open tabs along with other sidebar actions and options.
The sidebar’s middle section lists open webpages, allowing easy tab switching and access to the tabs menu through right-click or one-click new tab opening.
Uncertainty about Mozilla’s future plans:
It is unclear if Mozilla will proceed with integrating vertical tabs. A Reddit post by a project member referred to the build as a “rough proof-of-concept,” and some features tested in the build might not be retained.
Mozilla aims to incorporate surviving features into Firefox, but specific details are lacking. The credibility of the Reddit post author as a project team member is unverified, requiring caution in interpreting the information.
In Conclusion
The future integration of vertical tabs in Firefox remains uncertain. Mozilla’s response to user requests by adding desired features to the browser is promising, although tab groups may be introduced before vertical tabs.
Image Source:
Sundry Photography / Shutterstock
