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
Let's, make this simple I gave up Microsoft Edge altogether months ago, and I have NO interest of returning to it.
The Set Aside Function is offered, albeit to a limited function mimicked by developers who offer it on Chrome & other Browsers.
It was the Set Aside tab function & the peek function (expanding the tab without having to open/switch to them) that kept me using Edge as I was even starting to prefer it over Chrome.However the elimination of the aforementioned features coupled with the limitations we are forced to suffer regarding our personal information security have led me to avoid the app altogether.
Even with the constant barrage of
- advertisement reminders suggesting downloading or using Edge (with no option to dismiss the suggestion
- the forced mandatory download of Edge in the latest feature updates and NO option to uninstall or excuse it
- Cortana & Settings inquiries ONLY use Edge as the default browser, regardless of preference for another browser (that even over Internet explorer) with no manner or possibility of changing the browser.
It is this and other feature limitations that are beginning to cast my doubts as to whether I trust Microsoft. It is my opinion that many of these features go against the "open platform" usage that was synonymous with what the company stood for in the past (giving you the edge over Apple). I did not purchase a cell phone and I don't prefer the usage of disreputable apps & service that merely data farm and/or sell personal information & data. We should more content other what is and what is not accessible online and which apps we need and use.
I find your explanation above lacking. The "fear" you mention hardly seems indicative of what clearly appears to be a well liked, ESSENTIAL feature of the previous version of Edge. Furthermore in my opinion of your explanation appears to me to be more indicative of corporate/executive usage of deflection & false equation of another the issue. I noticed the response contained no reference to the possible return of the feature what are the possible "improvements" expected to be made in order to appease our concerns.Elliot Kirk
Like mentioned earlier lets keep it simple, that is restore capacity to use set aside in the newest version of the app. These many responses are more indicative of an expression of popular demand.
- Spoiler
Bohique wrote:Let's, make this simple I gave up Microsoft Edge altogether months ago, and I have NO interest of returning to it.
The Set Aside Function is offered, albeit to a limited function mimicked by developers who offer it on Chrome & other Browsers.
It was the Set Aside tab function & the peek function (expanding the tab without having to open/switch to them) that kept me using Edge as I was even starting to prefer it over Chrome.However the elimination of the aforementioned features coupled with the limitations we are forced to suffer regarding our personal information security have led me to avoid the app altogether.
Even with the constant barrage of
- advertisement reminders suggesting downloading or using Edge (with no option to dismiss the suggestion
- the forced mandatory download of Edge in the latest feature updates and NO option to uninstall or excuse it
- Cortana & Settings inquiries ONLY use Edge as the default browser, regardless of preference for another browser (that even over Internet explorer) with no manner or possibility of changing the browser.
It is this and other feature limitations that are beginning to cast my doubts as to whether I trust Microsoft. It is my opinion that many of these features go against the "open platform" usage that was synonymous with what the company stood for in the past (giving you the edge over Apple). I did not purchase a cell phone and I don't prefer the usage of disreputable apps & service that merely data farm and/or sell personal information & data. We should more content other what is and what is not accessible online and which apps we need and use.
I find your explanation above lacking. The "fear" you mention hardly seems indicative of what clearly appears to be a well liked, ESSENTIAL feature of the previous version of Edge. Furthermore in my opinion of your explanation appears to me to be more indicative of corporate/executive usage of deflection & false equation of another the issue. I noticed the response contained no reference to the possible return of the feature what are the possible "improvements" expected to be made in order to appease our concerns.Elliot Kirk
Like mentioned earlier lets keep it simple, that is restore capacity to use set aside in the newest version of the app. These many responses are more indicative of an expression of popular demand.
the new Edge is not being installed on new Windows 10 installations, it is Replacing the old Edge.
obviously every OS should have a default browser, and Windows 10's default browser is Edge, now Microsoft made a new Edge and they replaced the old one. nothing "new" or "extra" is being added, just replaced. and again obviously, the built in browser of OS isn't supposed to be uninstall-able, you can't uninstall Chrome from Android, can't uninstall Safari from Mac OS, can't uninstall Chrome from ChromeOS, so why Windows should allow it and cause lots of issues that no one wants?
plus, Edge is not just a browser, it's the core functionality for Web apps (PWAs) that users download from Windows store, those apps rely on the new Edge components to operate.
Tab peak, or tab preview, is already in Edge, from Edge stable all the way to Edge canary, the feature is currently behind a flag but will soon be turned on by default.
if you want to try it, enable this flags:
edge://flags/#tab-hover-card-images
edge://flags/#tab-hover-cards
about Tabs set aside, "function mimicked by developers who offer it on Chrome & other Browsers." that's not really true.
Edge developed their own thing, Collections, it was good and multi-purpose, so they decided to use it as tabs set aside too, because it just works, all they had to do is to add an option "add all open tabs to a collection". so with 1 single action you get the same result of tabs set aside.
nothing is being mimicked from other developers.
there is logical explanation for everything.
HotCakeX wrote:Edge developed their own thing, Collections, it was good and multi-purpose, so they decided to use it as tabs set aside too, because it just works, all they had to do is to add an option "add all open tabs to a collection". so with 1 single action you get the same result of tabs set aside.
Last time I used "Set Aside Tabs" the history of each tab was preserved. Last time I used Collections, the only thing preserved was the state of the page open in that tab at the time the tab was added.
For my modus operandi, that simply doesn't cut it. Collections is not Set Tabs Aside, and none of the mimics other developers have done in other stores does the job either.
I'm still looking for a way to reinstall the old edge, while keeping it secure. So far, no luck,
Elliot Kirk I read all the info about set aside - and also about Warn on close.
To me it's quite simple. Warn on close is very important - never mind all the justification about losing where you and so on.
I may have only one have one tab open and do something else, not web based. I accidentally hit the X in the top right hand corner and bang my browser is gone.
How do I come to accidentally hit the X. It's easy. I clumsily think I am closing something quite different or I double tap by mistake and the second tap is interpreted as Edge's X.
Don't advise me not to be clumsy. everybody is from time to time!
- I totally agree with you, I can't wait to have this feature in Edge, it'll add peace of mind to the browsing experience
add the option to be asked if you want to close all tabs!
I'm someone who loved the concept of the 'Set Tabs Aside' feature however, it wasn't perfect. First off there was no way to manually sort (through) tabs you'd set aside. You could only set tabs aside and then open all of them up again at once, even if you only wanted one tab that you'd set aside. You also couldn't group tabs that you'd set aside without opening them up. I'd like 'Tab Set Aside' to be reintroduced but have an interface to organise and group tabs that you've set aside. And allow you to open all tabs in a group or just one and also dismiss tabs you've set aside. The button should also be in the top left like before, even if it has to share with the 'Vertical Tabs' feature.
Ask to close all tabs on closing the browser was something I hardly utilised and found irritated me more than it helped. I understand others have different views and it should be reintroduced but allow it to be disabled for those who don't wish to use it.
Sleeping Tabs is something I like but shouldn't be a full replacement for the 'Setting Tabs Aside' feature. It should reduce the size of tabs sleeping and move all sleeping tabs to the left maybe restoring its original position once woken from sleep.
Collections is also good but shouldn't be a direct replacement for the 'Setting Tabs Aside' feature.
Of course we are expecting the number of the running tabs when we get the warn on close just like Firefox! Otherwise you will be adding half the function!
Elliot Kirk Please at this feature to the new edge, it's so annoying having to reload 30+ pages...
- I think that if Edge does not want to add Tab set aside to Edge because of the Collections feature then they could just add all of the features from tab set aside from the legacy edge plus the features already in collections to merge the two into one cohesive thing.
Elliot Kirk Instead of having the tab set aside features in the top left we could bring back the Do you want to close all tabs popup with closing multiple tabs and **bleep** a check box that says something like Add all tabs to a new collection. This way it won't be cluttered when we have tab previews and verticle tabs in the top left.
- ethanmenzel We have Collections in place of Set Aside Tabs. The only thing pending is Warn on Close.
P.S. How did you get a combination of the two Edges? In your screenshot, it says "Surf safely" but there was no surf in the old Edge, and you have square tabs instead of round tabs.- Are all the features from set aside tabs added in collections because I hear that a lot of people are still waiting for Microsoft to add the features from tab set aside.
Also, that isn't my screenshot I got it off of the internet Here is the link: https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=oQP2boQs&id=141E324C68DDA8CBBDBE88CE8FAF46AE21CF4FF9&thid=OIP.oQP2boQskvymHj-krteiaAHaE6&mediaurl=https%3a%2f%2fimg.raymond.cc%2fblog%2fwp-content%2fuploads%2f2012%2f04%2fedge_close_tabs_warning.png&exph=482&expw=726&q=edge+close+all+tabs&simid=608044718076724445&ck=3F57FBB9EA0192B60FDF7AE607D210FB&selectedIndex=0&FORM=IRPRST&ajaxhist=0
- Now that vertical tabs feature is available (in canary and dev channels), set tabs aside feature can now be integrated into the vertical tabs much more seamlessly making the use of tab grouping.
