Forum Discussion
Discussion: Add ability to close tabs via double-click
Hey Insiders, thanks for your continued feedback to help us improve Microsoft Edge! Recently we have noticed a growing trend in requests to support double clicking on a tab to close it. Even just receiving this feedback is helpful in highlighting the importance of efficiency and ease when managing and closing tabs, and also communicates a user problem that the tab close button can sometimes be difficult to interact with quickly.
As for the best way to address this user problem, we’d like to get additional context from you on the benefits and risks of different options. While double clicking on a tab can indeed be a very easy and quick way to close a tab, it also comes with the risk that if users are quickly clicking to switch between tabs, they might accidentally close a tab unintentionally by clicking on one twice. Given accidentally closing tabs is another top pain point users have shared with us, we want to be especially careful that we aren’t making that problem worse. We also wanted to share that another existing mouse-centric method for quickly closing a tab with a single click is to middle (mouse-wheel) click on a tab, which it could be argued is easier and faster than double clicking, though of course not everyone has a mouse that supports middle (mouse-wheel) click.
Given the potential risks of double clicking and the alternative middle click solution discussed here, please let us know if and why you feel double clicking is a superior method. We're also curious to know if you have any additional solutions to the problem of easily and quickly closing a tab that haven’t been discussed and avoid some of the risks discussed here. Thanks for your thoughts and suggestions, we couldn't do this without you!
- The Microsoft Edge Team
165 Replies
- Personally, I have been using the middle-click to close the tab (also sometimes the Ctrl+W) for way too long and do not find the need for double click to close the tab.
If double-clicking to close the tab be implemented please by default keep it off because I am pretty sure I or someone else would accidentally close the tab if it were on by default. I have been middle-clicking on a tab to close it in every browser I've used since tabs first appeared in browsers back in the early 2000s ... and I haven't even had a mouse to middle-click with since moving to laptops around 10 years ago. My only temporary issue was on my last laptop change from one where a two-finger tap was a 'middle click' to my current one where 'middle click' is a three fingered tap. I too would hope that any double-click to close a tab would be an option that can be turned OFF.
Then again, my opinion probably doesn't matter as the desktop and mobile Edge teams appear to have no interest in addressing any - let alone all - of the issues that are preventing me from even thinking about using Edge to browse with other than the more and more tedious and depressing test (usually takes all of one minute) of each new desktop and mobile Edge releases to see if there's any sign of any of those issues being addressed (which there never is - I have the same list of issues with both desktop and mobile Edge as I had last November). Frankly this endless stream of 'we're so excited ...' posts that sound like some over-eager bouncing, tail wagging puppy about things I don't care about and deafening silence about everything I do just tells me your teams' priorities are so different to mine I'd be foolish to rely on your development programme.
MissyQ I love double-click to close tab and I miss it in Edge! It is possible to double-click tab to close in Firefox and Vivaldi. It makes closing tabs easier and faster as I don't have to aim for stupid small X sign. I never accidently closed tabs by using this feature. There is no reason to be afraid of it, but you can make it an optional feature.
- What if as an accessibility feature, they offered an option to make the X mark bigger?
So
I use accessibility - I have all the elements enlarged due to productivity, there are no mistakes in applying icons and context and many random mistakes.
But all the bars I have = hide and hover the cursor shows the toolbar = I would like to default in Edge such application .
certainly does not need to close tabs for 2 clicks! But the additional feature that will make this possible is a very reasonable idea - providing more options - giving the user a choice in New Edge
Thank you very much
Double clicking on tabs to close them is disastrous. It would totally ruin my browsing experience if it was a thing. imagine every time I clicked on a tab, which sometimes I do it twice, would have my tab closed, very frustrating. it's the main mouse button.
other than that, there is really no point in doubling clicking on tabs to close them.- it doesn't save time. if someone wants to double click on a tab to close it, they can already do so, not even with 2 but with 1 click, just click on the X mark! that's the most obvious thing about each tab.
- if it's about speed, double clicking is no way faster than clicking 1 time on the X mark. whoever thinks otherwise, lets record it in milliseconds and compare the results.
- There is Middle Mouse Button click on each tab to close them.
double click close tab needed as an option!!
here is my point, first, double click is more confirmative than mid button, sometimes when I click the mid button(especially on those free spinning scroll wheel mouse), it scrolls a little bit rather than click down the button right away, not all the users are esports player.
there's also a scene when I'm using trackpad, there's no mid button at all, I have to find the small "x" button on the tab to close it, and sometimes I just don't feel like move away from my trackpad to press the ctrl+w. In addition, if I accidentally opened a background tab, and I want to close it without a mouse, I have to switch to that tab and hit ctrl+w, instead of that, I still have to find that tiny "x" button, if the browser support double click to close tab, I can easily location the wide tab area and close the background tab.
overall please add this as an optional feature to let user to choose! thanks
- disastrous??????
if you asked me to show what does it to for less time compsumping, it does resize the window - I agree, it seems like IMO an unnecessary feature that can cause accidental closing of tabs even for users who wish to use it. We need a usability test for this and put a feature flag for Edge Dev. Considering that middle mouse button is a standard mouse button, all mouse that have scroll wheel will have one, this double-clicking to close convenience is already renders it unnecessary. Good thing with middle-click, it is already a universal way to open new tab and close an app or tab. Task View and Alt+Tab, it already does this behavior that it will close an app with middle-click and on Taskbar, it creates new instance. Why create new interaction especially when double-click is now well known for "opening files", and in case of a web browser like Edge, the empty area of tabs means to maximize and restore a window. This adds complexity and confusion to regular users.
Hi, I have used windows for more than 20 years, and I just learned from you today that I can use middle button to close app during alt-tab. Very good trick. Thank you.
Since that, I don't believe "middle button to close" is a universal operation, and I bet 99% Windows user don't know this.
The biggest reason why I hate to use middle button is that the middle button is usually the scroll wheel, which is hard to press down, because it scrolls! Even if it doesn't scroll, it feels not good to press. A wheel is not design to press down, but to scroll up or down, cos' it is not a button in the first place!
And of course, instead of scroll wheel, many mouse has a independent middle button, but it is still not good to use. You have to move your finger from the left(or right) button to middle, which slows down. Staying at where you are is fast and convenient.
Come on, Edge is not the first browser in the world, don't worry at all. Double-click closing tab is a feature that exists for very long period time in many popular browsers. It is reasonable to add this feature.
I suggest make it optional, so it won't bring anything of complexity or confusion to regular users.
And last , I have used this feature for many years, I can assure you that I never accidentally close tab that I don't want to close. Double-click is safe to use. Trust me.
