Microsoft Edge Gets Vertical Tabs, More
- Paul Thurrott
- Mar 04, 2021
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31
Among the new features coming to Microsoft Edge on desktop this month is vertical tabs, which seems ideal for the 16:9 displays that most of us are still stuck with.
“To make tab management and organization easier, vertical tabs is now generally available this month,” Microsoft corporate vice president Liat Ben-Zur writes in the announcement post. “Now everyone can view and manage their tabs from a pane on the side with a single click. This allows you to clearly see the tab titles and controls, making it easier to find and switch between the tabs you need, regardless of how many you have open.”
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You can toggle between traditional and vertical tabs by clicking the new “Turn on vertical tabs” control at the far left of the tab row in Edge. By default, vertical tabs appear as icons, but you can pin the pane to the left side of the browser window to see each tab’s page title.
In addition to vertical tabs, Edge now features a controversial new History experience that appears in a drop-down instead of a pane as before. But you can pin that drop-down to the right side of the browser window as a pane if you miss the old style.
Finally, Edge is also picking up a new Startup Boost feature that significantly reduces the time it takes to open the browser after your PC reboots or you reopen the browser. Microsoft claims this improves startup times by 29 to 41 percent.
The first two features should be available now, though you’ll want to make sure you have the latest version of Edge installed. Startup boost will be automatically enabled later this month, Microsoft says.