How to enable vertical tabs in Microsoft Edge

Microsoft Edge has introduced a new option , currently not yet active for everyone, to display the open tabs vertically in a sidebar : let’s see together how to enable this option .

MARCH 15, 2021 | Microsoft continues the process of improving the vertical tabs in its browser: the latest news concerns the possibility of hiding the title bar of Edge when vertical tabs are active , gaining space even in height. When you switch to horizontal tabs, the title bar is restored. You can enable this option by taking advantage of a new flag introduced on the latest browser versions released on the Canary channel .

1. Open Microsoft Edge Canary.
2. In the address bar type edge: // flags / # edge – vertical – tabs – hide – titlebar and date Enter .
3. From the drop-down menu set the Vertical tabs hide title bar itemto Enabled and restart the browser .

1 MARCH 2021 | Microsoft Edge vertical tabs gain a major usability improvement : now the sidebar that hosts them can be resized to the user’s liking . This capability is currently being rolled out to Microsoft Edge Canary users. To resize Edge’s vertical tab bar, simply drag the border to adjust it to your preferred width .

We also take this opportunity to remind you that, although vertical tabs are enabled by default only in Microsoft Edge Canary and Dev, you can also enable them on the stable version of the browser :

1. Open Microsoft Edgestable or Beta.
2. Typein the address bar edge : // flags / # edge – vertical – tabs and date Enter .
3. From the drop-down menu select Enabledand restart the browser .

27 OCTOBER 2020 | The option to enable vertical tabs is now being released for all on the Canary and Dev channels . To enable or disable vertical tabs go to Settings > Appearance and, under Customize toolbar, enable the Show vertical tabs button toggle .

29 SEPTEMBER 2020 | The option to enable vertical tabs is now being released as of the latest build 87 . 0 . 645 of the Canary channel . To enable or disable the vertical tabs go to Settings > Appearance and in the Customize toolbar item enable the Show vertical tabs button toggle .

Vertical tabs in Microsoft Edge

Continue the Microsoft Edge improvement process. The latest version of the browser released on the Canary channel, in fact, introduces a new flag that allows you to have a vertical view of the open tabs – a feature announced by Microsoft as early as March 2020 . Once activated, a new button will appear in the browser interface, located at the top left, which allows you to quickly switch between viewing the tabs horizontally and vertically. With the vertical view of the open tabs , the Edge title bar will not disappear , but will display the full name of the site and the favicon in the center;the list of open tabs will be on the left . Each open site will only show the favicon, but just hover over one of the icons to automatically expand the sidebar and reveal full names and the ability to close tabs . The pin icon allows you to keep the side menu always open. You can get a brief preview of how vertical tabs work in Edge by taking a look at the animated .gif below.

Enable vertical tabs in Edge

Enabling this option is very easy, here’s what you need to do:

1. Start Microsoft Edge Canaryand make sure you are running version 86.0.598.0 or higher.
2. In the address bar, type edge: // flags / # edge – vertical – tabs – recently – closed  and date Enter .
3. From the drop-down menu choose the item Enabledand restart Edge .

At the next start of the browser you will notice the button – located at the top left – to access the vertical view of the tabs .

NOTE | At the moment Microsoft seems to have restricted the operation of the flag to PCs running an Insider version of Windows 10 – in particular, it seems to be activated only on PCs registered in the Dev and Beta channels.

Over the next few weeks that will also feature on the Dev channel , Beta and , possibly , on the stable channel Edge – once Microsoft will feel the full functionality. Will you enable this flag to have vertical tabs? Are you using Microsoft Edge as your browser? Tell us below in the comments.