Effective tab management plays a crucial role when you work with dozens of tabs on your desktop. After all, it can be frustrating to be drowning in a sea of ​​open tabs and desperately searching for that one important website you want to find. While most desktop browsers offer multiple features to manage your tabs, Microsoft Edge takes the whole experience to the next level. Here are the top reasons why Microsoft Edge stands out from the crowd and allows you to eliminate tab chaos and reclaim your digital workspace in no time.
5 Vertical tabs
One of Microsoft Edge's standout features is vertical tabs, and I'm surprised Google Chrome hasn't copied this yet. As the name suggests, it moves your tabs from the traditional horizontal bar at the top to a vertical menu on the left. Admittedly, vertical tabs might not have much of an impact on a laptop, but if you're using Microsoft Edge on a large monitor, they improve readability, space utilization, and the overall user experience.
For example, when I'm working on my 32-inch Samsung monitor, I usually have two apps open in split view. With a horizontal tab layout, only a limited number of tabs are visible at once. However, vertical tabs allow me to see website titles and favicons, making it easier to identify and switch between open tabs, especially when there are many.
You also have the option to change the width of the vertical tab bar so that you can see the full page title. This is another productivity boost that may be especially interesting for users working with ultra-wide monitors.
4 Tab groups
Tab groups have become standard across most desktop browsers, and it's good to see Microsoft offering the same for Edge. However, unlike Google Chrome, Microsoft's approach is more intuitive and user-friendly. For example, you can simply drag and drop one tab on top of another and it will automatically create a tab group with a relevant shade. In Google Chrome and other browsers, this only takes a few clicks.
Another useful feature is auto-naming. When you drag and drop a tab over another, the desktop browser examines the contents and assigns an appropriate name. Suppose you have multiple tabs open from e-commerce websites like Amazon, eBay, Best Buy and others – when you try to group these tabs using drag and drop, Edge automatically assigns the name Shopping to the cluster.
3 AI Tab Management
With the recent update to Edge, Microsoft has added the ability to automatically group tabs. This is a killer feature that organizes all your tabs into relevant groups with a single click. I use it all the time as it saves me the hassle of manually managing my excessive number of tabs. Microsoft Edge is smart enough to identify similar tabs and group them accordingly.
Let's say you have more than 30 tabs open in Edge. Now just click on the Tab Actions menu and select Organize Tabs to see the magic in action. It organizes tabs into groups, gives them relevant titles and leaves unusual tabs at the bottom. You can still move a particular tab to another group or remove it from the group entirely. You can edit the group color and rename them too.
The best part is the consistency. In my brief experience, Microsoft Edge efficiently groups related tabs together so I don't have to worry about it.
2 Cross-platform tab synchronization
Microsoft Edge tabs are synced across all your desktop platforms. In my workflow, I use both a MacBook Pro and an AMD-powered Windows desktop, with Edge configured as the default browser on each device. If I want to access tabs from another device, I can simply go to Story Menu, slide to Tabs from other devices and access my tabs. It also shows the tabs I have open on my iPhone and Android phone.
The feature allows for tab groups, which I mainly use to organize my tabs and avoid clutter. I can also view these grouped tabs from the history menu.
1 Microsoft Edge Workspaces
Microsoft Edge Workspaces is another important part of my workflow. It provides a unified collection of browser tabs so everyone can access the same websites and documents at the same time and in real time. When I want to brainstorm Christmas gift ideas, I simply create a dedicated workspace and share it with my better half to create an Amazon wish list together.
It also supports a Skype-based chat menu where you can start a conversation with your teammates or family without leaving the Edge browser interface.
Taming the tab chaos
Whether you're a student, researcher, programmer, or power user, Microsoft Edge's tab management features help you stay organized and in control. Ultimately, it's not just about opening and closing tabs, but about creating a customized and efficient workspace that increases your productivity and focus.
What are you waiting for? Try Microsoft Edge and take control of your tabs in no time. You might even be surprised at how much difference effective tab management can make to your workflow. One downside is that when you first start using Edge, you'll be bombarded with irrelevant menus and options. Check out the most important Edge settings to get the most out of it.