How to enable Tab Groups in Firefox
Mozilla has been working on integrating tab groups in Firefox for quite some time. The organization confirmed in May that it was working on a set of features that would allow Firefox users to use features that other browsers, including Google Chrome, offered already.
Good to know: Firefox Stable users may enable tab groups in the browser already. The feature is disabled by default, but it can be activated in less than a minute and with minimal effort. This guide explains how that is done further down below.
Firefox Tab Groups Features
Firefox Nightly users were the first to test the new tab groups feature. It works similarly to that of Chromium-based browsers. You can create new tab groups and place website tabs inside. You may name each tab group and assign a color to it for improved identification.
A double-click expands or collapses the entire group. Tab groups furthermore carry over between sessions, if you select to reload the last session on start of the browser.
How to enable Tab Groups in Firefox
Note: you need to use Firefox 133 or newer, as Tab Groups were introduced in that version of the browser. Select Menu > Help > About Firefox to update the browser to the latest version.
Here is the step-by-step guide to enable Tab Groups in Mozilla's browser:
- Load about:config in the Firefox address bar and press the Enter-key.
- Confirm that you will be careful if the warning page is displayed.
- Type tabs.group in the search field on the page that opens.
- Activate the toggle button at the far right of the preference browser.
tabs. groups. enabled to switch the value to true. - Restart Firefox.
Working with Tab Groups in Firefox
How to create a new tab group?
To create a new tab group in Firefox, right-click on a tab and select Add tab to group > New group.
How to add websites to an existing tab group?
Right-click on the tab and select Add tab to group > Name of existing group.
Alternative: drag & drop the website on an existing tab group.
How to create a new tab in a tab group?
Right-click on a tab in the tab group and select New tab to right.
How to remove a website from a tab group?
Right-click on the tab and select Remove from group.
Alternative: drag & drop the website from the tab group to a location outside of it.
Closing Words
Mozilla is not ready to roll out tab groups to the entire stable population at this point. It might not take that long before the rollout begins though, as the feature looks complete, even in the stable version.
The new feature should give Firefox users a productivity boost and close the feature-gap with Chrome and other Chromium-based browsers.
Do you use Firefox? Did you miss tab groups until now? Is it a feature that you use in other browsers? Feel free to leave a comment down below.
I am so glad that I found your article and am bookmarking you for whenever I have other issues. I wish you (or someone) would address the impossibility of getting clear instructions (like yours) from the originator of extensions or the browser for which they are made. I have done everything, searching Firefox help, joining GitHub and asking there, et. al and it seems that all IT people assume that anyone using software can “figure it out” by themselves. Also that we all can just code (ie. type in coded instructions as admins). For the millions of people born prior to computers being ubiquitous from grade school years, this is not the case. I’m not stupid nor am I lazy. I have been told by computer builders and coders that I am “intuitive” in figuring things out in software use, yet I feel it is a huge waste of time to have to do so. Ultimately, I give up on lots of software because of the lack of explanations or tutorials. Why do software developers not get this?
Edge has had this for while too. Never use it but it’s OK I gues.
done a first trial and I like it.
have made 5 tab groups, and each have 2-3 tabs in it.
you can close a group by double click on group tab.
and you open a group by double click on group tab
the pinned tabs stay open not influenced by groups.
so with some 7-8 tabs open , I can make only my 5 group tabs visible, very clean view
some questions:
– what happens with an update of FF, will the tab groups be maintained? hope so.
– what happens with the tabs in tab groups when my computer or only FF crashes? will I loose the groups and its content, or is there a back-up??
-what if I close a group , will the open tabs be muted and clear the memory or will they stay open?
Yes , I do use tab groups daily in FF. However after was it Panorama? , had to use extensions. Ido use Simple Tab Groups (STG) for many years now. I will try the new inbuild FF tab groups , as it reduces the number of ext I have, it should however sufficient features like STG to be acceptable on the long run.
Does anyone know if this is compatible with the old implementation, repackaged as the Panorama Tab Groups addon? That is, will the data from that addon be picked up by the new Firefox implementation? Will the two conflict? Given I’ve got over 100 tabs meticulously organized into groups already, I’m a bit loathe to try the new implementation without knowing it won’t corrupt the old one AND fail to import into the new.
What about Containers? How does this differ?
Hi all, been away a long time.
I am glad Firefox has finally tried to implement Tab Groups. It is only something for people who manage a lot of tabs would care about. Either you feel it or you don’t. Tab Groups is probably the most important feature for me. I have not used FF as a main browser for years since they left the ability to let addons create Tab Groups.
This early version seems pretty… not robust. But hopefully it starts to get better over time. At least they finally have it in the main build.
I found it a bit confusing to use, at first, but I’ll try it for more time before giving a conclusion, considering Mozilla has some other nice experimental features I like (the the automatic PiP window when changing tabs).
I can see people using this feature.
I never have more than three or four open tabs, because I much prefer a well-organized bookmarks sidebar over a space- and memory-wasting jungle of open tabs. Using your time and energy to somewhat organize and contain such an open-tabs-jungle, feels to me like trying to put rolling marbles back in a bucket after you first willingly emptied that bucket on the floor. First create a mess, then try to make that mess less messy again? Why not avoid making that mess in the first place?
Why would anyone use Firefox nowadays when Chrome exists? It’s a lesser browser and life is too short to deal with the numerous faults Firefox had. No Chrome or Chrome-based browser ever made me open a portion of the browser that had a threatening unwelcoming message that tells me that I’m going to break the browser if I’m not careful just to enable a basic feature.
Many reasons, one recent one is that Chrome will stop supporting uBlock Origin.
ublock Light works as good…don’t see ads at all using Edge browser even on YouTube. Edge is the best browser anyway, at everything.
Well, primarily in order to NOT use Chrome ?
I mean technically, Chrome isn’t too shabby, but by now everyone should be aware why using Chrome is problematic (and not just since Manifest V3): for exactly the same reason why it was problematic using IE in the distant past. You are just asking to be taken advantage of. But this problem will persist, as long people are unable to associate causes and effects.
BTW, telling people that they might break things (and you can break thing when playing around in about config, not knowing what you are doing) and to be cautious is actually good practice.
People on average, when it comes to computing, don’t know what they are doing. They are absolutely clueless
Don’t forget, the average computer user has an IQ of 100, no technical skills or understanding at all and already starts hiding under the bed if you just whisper “command line”. And if you say “untar and compile the file ” they either start crying for their mom or throwing objects.
uBlock Origin, is one of the reasons
Plus I like my browser pretty specific to my liking, about:config I have been tinkering(!) for years to have Firefox how I like it, plus userChrome to the exact UI I want.
Also I have been using Firefox for I don’t know how many years, in fact since Netscape days in mid 90’s I simply don’t want to change my main browser as Firefox is working perfectly fine for me.
Mind you, I do use elsewhere Brave and Edge so guess I am a Chrome/Chromium user. ;)
Seems like they copied Brave tab manage, or is this standard in chrome?
This is just messy if you have a lot of tabs. I kind of like Floorps implementation of using tab work-spaces. it’s much much much more cleaner.
Tab groups are nice but work spaces are better. Best is groups + work spaces. Thats why I still can’t go to FF and have to stay on Vivaldi.
Try as I might, I can think of no reason to ever use such a feature. Sounds like bloat to me.
Feels a bit rough right now.
No need to restart Firefox.