Forum Discussion
Discussion - Set Aside Tabs and Warn on Close
Hi Insiders, we have received a lot of feedback about how you would like to close your tabs with the option of easily finding and reopening them later as you move between different workflows. Specifically, many of you are asking for the Tab Set Aside feature from the previous version of Microsoft Edge to be brought back. Some of you are also asking for a prompt to help avoid losing all your tabs such that you can’t find them again if you accidentally close the browser.
• Ask users if they want to close all tabs when they close a browser window
• Bring the tab set aside feature from the current version of Microsoft Edge
Each of these requests seem related to the fact that many of you have a lot of tabs open at once across many tasks and workflows. This leads to a situation where it can often be difficult to manage all of your tabs at the same time, and each additional tab makes it difficult to deal with all of the rest (e.g. tabs get smaller, harder to read each titles, many similar tab icons begin to blur together, etc.). But it can also be scary to close tabs and declutter your workspace, for fear of not being able to find things again later if you need to. We have definitely experienced this problem ourselves, observed it in our research and conversations with users, and agree it is an area where we want to invest in tools to help you be more productive across various tasks. We are actively investigating the best way to address this problem and would love your help and input as we proceed to make sure we get the experience just right.
We have looked through your feedback, and there are definitely some very valid reasons for why there was value in the Set Aside feature such as: Helping you pick up on a task later without leaving the tabs open when you aren’t using them, organizing your tabs into groups related to a similar task, and a short term home for more transient tasks that didn’t warrant saving in a permanent location such as Favorites.
We also reviewed feedback on the Set Aside feature itself from people actually using it in the previous version of Microsoft Edge, and there were some very valid critiques on how it worked and how it could be improved. For example, the Set Aside buttons being in a location where they were often accidentally clicked causing some to think their tabs had disappeared, requests to be able to set aside a subset of the currently open tabs rather than “all or nothing”, or requests to rename and personalize tab groups further to more easily find them again later.
The request for a prompt before closing the browser also feels related, because if people could always confidently find and reopen any of their previous tabs, then there would be less fear or concern about losing tabs if they are accidently closed. This would allow people to feel free to declutter and reduce the number of open tabs with no fear about finding them later if needed, and more easily focus on the subset of tabs they are working on now.
As we begin this journey of investigating how best to address these requests, we are asking for your help. Please continue to tell us more about your experience with Set Aside and closing tabs in Microsoft Edge, why these features are important to you in which types of tasks, what did and didn’t work for you about previous implementations, and how you would improve on these scenarios going forward.
337 Replies
- In legacy Edge and IE this was a nice feature reminding about closing multiple tabs, and there was simple checkbox 'don't ask me again' why not bring it back in that form?
Elliot Kirk thanks for hosting a discussion on these important features.
- Warn on close:
Please make this optional. It would drive me nuts to get this warning every time I close the browser. Do people not like or know about the "On startup: Continue where you left off" option? It's one of the first things I set when configuring a new browser instance. Once set, you never have to worry about all your tabs being accidentally closed again. - Set tabs aside:
This feature absolute should be brought back, but I don't miss it as much as some. I prefer OneTab extension from the Chrome store because it addresses the Set tabs aside shortcomings you mentioned, such as allowing a choice of which tabs to set aside instead of all or nothing and allows naming saved collections. I also prefer OneTab's more compact list to the way legacy Edge's Set tabs aside generated large thumbnails which just got in the way and forced me to side-scroll a lot to see the same size list I can view in OneTab without scrolling at all. OneTab's auto-naming based on number of tabs and date-time is also very convenient. Make Set Tabs Aside more like OneTab and I'll switch.
As for placement of the controls, I like the idea someone mentioned of keeping the set aside tabs page pinned in the upper left and the control button moved over to the toolbar on the right (which is exactly how I have OneTab set up). - Combining Collections with Set tabs aside:
Please do not combine these features. Those who use them for the same purpose and don't get why we need Collections at all would be happy to see them combined. But the rest of us wouldn't like it at all.- I used Set Tabs Aside (and now OneTab) for temporarily holding random groups of tabs that accumulate when multitasking. I have to jump from topic-to-topic a lot.
- Collections are better-suited for focused research where all tabs are related and thumbnail images are actually helpful. I rarely name tabs that are set aside, but always name my Collections.
- As already mentioned in the OP, favorites are for long-term/permanent storage which is a third unique category for tab management.
OneTab extension is buggy, when I restore my open tabs and then quickly before they are loaded I add them back by clicking on the extension icon, it discards all my tabs and only remembers its own tab.
- Warn on close:
I frequently have many tabs open and using the edge://flags/#tab-groups extension has been great so far. Likely you could build onto that extension to be able to minimize the groups into it's label. Grouping Tab Groups themselves would also be useful for larger projects. eg.
-Tab Group: SharePoint
--Tab Group: Admin
---Site 1
---Site 2
---Site....
--Tab Group: Team
---Site 1
---Site 2
---Site....
-Tab Group: Youtube
--Tab Group: IT Stuff
---Site 1
---Site...
--Tab Group: Music videos
---Site 1
---Site...
etc, etc
Being able to set aside these groups of course would be useful as well and can be integrated with it....
As a student I'd really appreciate the set aside tabs function, as it allows me to resume my research from a particular day in a much easier manner than adding all of the tabs to a collection.
Perhaps a new way of setting aside these tabs could be found under the 'Collections' tab, where a second option/tab within that area could be to set aside all currently-open tabs and title them after the date they were saved (like how it previously functioned). This would keep everything a user wishes to save for later in one single place.
Thank's for the opportunity.
- Set tabs aside is an opportunity for Edge to differentiate itself. I didn't use the feature very much because I didn't use Edge much. Now, with Chromium, it's my default browser. It was one of the features I was hoping was going to be carried over.
- Definitely need to support selecting which tabs to set aside.
- Warn on close: I have to admit I didn't read every other response, but one thing that catches me off guard is when I have multiple browser windows open. I have my settings to continue where I left off, so I close my browser window usually without fear of losing anything... Until I close browser windows "in the wrong order," meaning when I close my "main" browser window with the tabs I wanted to preserve first.
- This also relates to pinned tabs: if the last browser window you close isn't the one where tabs are pinned, they are lost too.
Hopefully this input is useful.
- Sven Aelterman Elliot Kirk
"Until I close browser windows 'in the wrong order,' meaning when I close my "main" browser window with the tabs I wanted to preserve first."
Yes, I definitely relate to that! I've done that on a number of occasions! I think that tabs that have been set aside need to remain in the set aside list, even when brought into the main browser window, to prevent losing them.
Regards,
Dan
- Set tabs aside is an opportunity for Edge to differentiate itself. I didn't use the feature very much because I didn't use Edge much. Now, with Chromium, it's my default browser. It was one of the features I was hoping was going to be carried over.
I think that in order to address accidental clicks, and the ability to set aside only some of the tabs,
the tab set aside feature should behave somewhat like the following:
The button should stay at the same location as the old edge, clicking it will open a dialog, with a list of open tabs which you can select or deselect, and a OK button - by default all should be selected, so that setting all aside will only take one more click.
I also think setting aside the current window should be somewhat simple, and either put the current tab at the top, or add a specific button for it in the dialog.
Nice to have, would be some way to identify the selected tabs, other than their names, maybe a quick view.
It could also be something small on the bottom or on the side, and adding selection to the browser tabs, allowing you to change tabs, and select them in the browser, instead of a dialog.Elliot Kirk, I thought Collections was to replace Set Aside Tabs. It's not as quick to save tabs but it is a better way to organize your tabs that you want to save or reopen quickly. I could see how Collections doesn't fully replace Set Aside Tabs but it could be in some way. Either set the tabs aside and give it a date and time in Collections and people can continue to use Collections as it's intended, organizing information for a trip, project or quick links to certain websites like royalty-free content (which I use to do with Favourite folders). I can see collections to replace Favourites in my use case unless you favourite random websites instead of websites themed, in my case, royalty-free content.
- Elliot Kirk, Well, I used Set-aside Tabs a lot in classic Edge, and I never thought that Collections was meant to replace S.A. Tabs. I've tried Collections, and it's nothing like S.A, Tabs. My point is, S.A. Tabs and Collections are meant for different purposes. My inference from what I've seen is that Collections is meant for researching, collecting recipes, and so forth, including sharing with someone. S. A. Tabs is meant to reopen specific tabs (websites) at a later time.
Again, it frustrates me when folks tell me that I don't need Set-aside Tabs because they've given me Collections. They're two different things, for different purposes. I say this with trepidation, because someone might say, "Well, just use that," but Favorites works better than Collections as a replacement for Set-aside Tabs.
Regards,
Dan- Spoiler
Dan_AI4GK wrote:
Well, I used Set-aside Tabs a lot in classic Edge, and I never thought that Collections was meant to replace S.A. Tabs. I've tried Collections, and it's nothing like S.A, Tabs. My point is, S.A. Tabs and Collections are meant for different purposes. My inference from what I've seen is that Collections is meant for researching, collecting recipes, and so forth, including sharing with someone. S. A. Tabs is meant to reopen specific tabs (websites) at a later time.
Again, it frustrates me when folks tell me that I don't need Set-aside Tabs because they've given me Collections. They're two different things, for different purposes. I say this with trepidation, because someone might say, "Well, just use that," but Favorites works better than Collections as a replacement for Set-aside Tabs.Collections need improvements if they are intended to do the job of Set aside tabs.
- a quick way to add all open tabs to an out generated Collection.
Benefits of doing this:
- Collections feature is already here and implemented in Edge, the core, the sidebar, the UI.
- Collections can be renamed/named, that's what users asked in the thread, to be able to give a custom name to the group of tabs they put aside.
- Collections have the ability to show the contents inside the tabs set aside, not just their title.
- pbilk Elliot Kirk, there is no way that Collections can replace the ease and functionality of Set Aside Tabs. They're two different things that serve two different purposes, as far as I can see. Would it be possible to modify Collections so that it serves two purposes? Possibly; I don't really know. But, Set Aside Tabs was something that Microsoft already has developed and implemented.
- Spoiler
Dan_AI4GK wrote:
pbilkElliot Kirk, there is no way that Collections can replace the ease and functionality of Set Aside Tabs. They're two different things that serve two different purposes, as far as I can see. Would it be possible to modify Collections so that it serves two purposes? Possibly; I don't really know. But, Set Aside Tabs was something that Microsoft already has developed and implemented.it is possible, collections just take more than mouse clicks and also Microsoft would need to add an option to add all open tabs to a collection.
Elliot Kirk It's funny because it's one of those things that you really realise it's missing and needed after it's gone. I did use it before but in two circumstances. 1. When I want to clear up resources and come back to whatever research I was doing and 2. When I wanted to restart my PC for whatever reason but didn't want to add each tab as a favourite, just so I can revisit it upon restart. Let's say I installed a program that's requiring a restart. While that program was installing, I was doing extensive research on how to use it so I've got 10 tabs open, all of which I need to start using the program but in order to start using it, I need to restart. I also must add, that the position of where the "set aside" button was located, did deter me from using it as much as I would like. The two are too close together; the set-aside and the see all your tabs.
JSyder wrote:Elliot Kirk It's funny because it's one of those things that you really realise it's missing and needed after it's gone. I did use it before but in two circumstances. 1. When I want to clear up resources and come back to whatever research I was doing and 2. When I wanted to restart my PC for whatever reason but didn't want to add each tab as a favourite, just so I can revisit it upon restart. Let's say I installed a program that's requiring a restart. Why that program was installing, I was doing extensive research on how to use it so I've got 10 tabs open, all of which I need to start using the program but in order to start using it, I need to restart. I also must add, that the position of where the "set aside" button was located, did deter me from using it as much as I would like. The two are too close together; the set-aside and the see all your tabs.
I can totally relate to these situations too,
on chrome I used to just close the browser, restart my computer then right-click on top bar and choose reopen closed tabs/windows.
Elliot Kirk Setting tabs aside in the legacy Edge quickly became one of the most useful features, the lack of it in the new version has been painful - it was super useful when researching topics or working on a particular project and being able to set all tabs aside for later when moving on to something else. If you could bring it back that would be wonderful.
The warn on close dialogue was never as clear as it could be - there should always be a way to close the app while retaining tabs, as well as closing the app and deleting all tabs.
Elliot Kirk Another former Edge Legacy user here. I loved Set Tabs Aside feature and I miss it in Edge Chromium. Sometimes I use Collections instead and its cumbersome for this use case at best. (I understand Collections are not meant to be used as a replacement of Set Tabs Aside.)
Many great ideas in this thread, I tend to agree with most of them.
Usually, I have more than one Edge windows open, each for a given context/task. It helps me focus on a given task, and I do not like too many tabs open in a single window, as I find it hard to navigate. I also rely on "Restore tabs from last session" feature, however it works only for the last closed windows. In multiple-windows scenario, I can restore only one of them this way. Set Tabs Aside would prove very useful.
While using Set Tabs Aside in Edge Legacy, I missed a few things (most already mentioned by others):
- Sometimes I needed to name a group, as a reminder what I was doing with these tabs.
- Sometimes I wanted to keep the group after reopening the tabs (or single tab). I want to have an option to either reopen all and let the group disappear, or keep it for later.
- Sometimes I want to add a tab to an existing group. Otherwise I had to reopen the whole group, open one more tab and set it aside again.
- Sync to other devices (esp. mobile Edge on Android) would be very helpful.
- I can imagine using a whole tab for Set Tabs Aside interface instead of a flyout. Might use better screen real estate with bigger thumbnails.
- I might be a minority on placement of the buttons though. I have a Surface Book with a touch screen and I use it a lot. Sometimes when I pressed Back button, I accidentally hit Set Tabs Aside instead, as these were really close to each other. It was really annoying 🙂
I believe Warn on Close might be useful for some people, as long as it is optional (like e.g. in Firefox). Especially when the dialog would have, besides Ok/Cancel buttons also Set Tabs Aside button as an option.
Also, as a multi-windows user, I would love to see an option to restore any session after I accidentally close a window or the browser crashes, not only the last one (which is, when browser crashes, basically random one). I believe using Set Tabs Aside interface for restoring such sessions would be natural.
