Forum Discussion
Tab behaviour enhancements
A couple of tab behaviour enhancement suggestions:
- Add option to use most recent order when switching tabs with ctrl+tab
- Add option to always switch to new tabs when they are created
These are missing from Chrome and would be great to have in Edge.
Chrome refused it because some devs decided they didn't want it, then in typical fashion stuck to their decision with superhuman levels of stuborness. The basic argument was that it would be too confusing for new users. First off, that doesn't even address the question of it being an option (which is what people were asking for) and secondly it ignores the fact that every OS works with MRU so that's definately the expected behaviour for anyone who uses keyboard shortcuts as an integral part of their workflow.
Chrome refused it because some devs decided they didn't want it, then in typical fashion stuck to their decision with superhuman levels of stuborness.
I suspect it was leadership preference rather than developers. Anyway, it yet another time shows the value of extensions, giving users freedom of choice.
Absolutely. This is REQUIRED for my workflow, and it's ingrained in my muscle-memory.
I need Edge to behave consistently with Alt-Tab when switching tabs with Ctrl-Tab. I need Edge to behave consistently with IE (which had this option), FireFox (which has this option), and Visual Studio, SQL Server Management Studio, Notepad++ (all of which default to this behavior).
MRU tab-switching option for Ctrl-Tab is a MUST-HAVE feature for me, and the lack of it was the single biggest reason I wasn't a huge EDGE user previously.
- Elliot Kirk
Microsoft
Thank you everyone! This is a great discussion. I will let the team that does tab management know of your beliefs.
- As a reference, here's a link to the feature request on Chromium's bug tracker:
https://bugs.chromium.org/p/chromium/issues/detail?id=5569
It's over 10 years old, has more than 500 comments, almost 1000 stars and a ton of duplicate issues... More than that, lately, even @google.com & @chromium.org users got fed up and joined the discussion requesting MRU tabs...
Please make this happen! :(- Elliot Kirk
Hi IonutBotizan, thanks for the link, it was an entertaining, if slightly sad read. I will make sure that the tab management team sees this feedback.
Elliot Kirk Good. Show them that everyone except Chrome seems to understand this need, so Microsoft should be able to get 'er done without much trouble. See below
- Thank you! It's ridiculous that this hasn't been added as an option yet, especially since Windows Terminal just announced an option with 1.5 that allows enabling configuring MRU:
// Enables the tab switcher
"useTabSwitcher": "mru",
"useTabSwitcher": "inOrder"
- Yes, please, bring MRU tabs to Edge!
antlane I would really like to see tab switching in most recent order as an option. This works just like alt+tab for open programs and makes a ton of sense. It is also necessary for switching quickly between two tabs, a common use scenario. I've always been confused as to why Chrome does not have this feature. Heck, even IE has it!
regarding your question on why Chrome doesn't have it, if you read through some of the bug reports on it, it's basically the stubbornness of one dev (or product manager). They decided that its not intuitive, completely ignore anyone asking how having behavior that's the opposite of every OS and every other app is intuitive, and basically just bury their head in the sand. From there, the issue obviously snowballs because the longer you stick to your guns (against all logic) the worse it is when you finally change.
You can reference the main bug thread here;
https://bugs.chromium.org/p/chromium/issues/detail?id=5569
It's over a decade old and marked as wontfix.
Unbelievable, why can't Edge get an edge with some user over Chrome and do this?!?!
I got it working using this: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/tab-thumbnails-switcher/jpaiaplhepeiilhiegfnknedhjepknng/related- Add option to always switch to new tabs when they are created
As log as this is an option and not default behavior as I prefer to be on the same page even though I open links in new tab. Depending on my work, I keep opening few new tabs here and there and then get back to them later. So I think being on the same page when opening links in new tab would be first preference to me.
antlane MRU tab switching is what prevents me from switching to Edge at work. It's so important in the way that I work that I can't do without it.
I hope Microsoft devs integrate it, especially that it would give more consistency with Windows.
Deleted For the desperate, there is a pretty good extension called "Popup Tab Switcher" in the Chrome Web Store. I use it and change the keyboard shortcut to alt+Q instead of alt+Y.
JordanQ Thanks for the hints. I was able to get MRU tabs 100% working with the CTRL-TAB and CTRL-SHIFT-TAB keys by doing the following:
* Enable "Allow extension from other stores" in Edge
* Installing "Ctrl+Tab MRU" from the Chrome app store (it's very similar to what you suggested) at https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/ctrl%2Btab-mru/ialfjajikhdldpgcfglgndennidgkhik
* Follow the directions in the above extension URL in the section titled "IMPORTANT TO KNOW" on how to change the hotkeys to be CTRL-TAB and CTRL-SHIFT-TAB.
So now I have the tab switching to be 100% working with MRU behavior.
