Discussion: Add ability to close tabs via double-click

[MissyQ]

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

[#2]

For point 2, this is indeed an issue with touchpad user, but there is a solution that were kept turned off by default. 3 finger press/tap should simulate middle-click, and so far, I have not experience accidentally closing something with this config. I have been doing this even with Synaptic drivers before, and it is bit easier now with Precision driver setting. Not sure why this option is always turned off, but this is already a solution for middle-click on a touchpad.

For point 3, the good thing with middle-mouse is that you can close that tab without a precise target like a close button, just hover the mouse pointer to that tab you want to close. Since it is a 3rd button, it is a distinct button that harder to accidentally trigger, it needs intent but also not hard to trigger since it sits between left and right mouse button. I have done closing like 20 tabs for example using middle-click and it is quick to do with no errors.

[#3]

@MissyQ instead of the double click, i would find very great to close it with clicking on the scroll wheel. I was a firefox user coming to edge.
It would be great if by clicking on the scroll wheel on a tab, the tab closes, and if clicking on the scroll wheel next to the "+" for opening a new tab, would open a new tab.

That would be extremely awesome

[#4]

@MissyQ 
I don't think there is any risk.
First of all, the scroll wheel depends on the hardware. If there is no scroll wheel or it is broken, what should I do?
Secondly, if the user wants to switch tabs, there will not be a quick click, so this kind of mis-closed tab does not exist.
Finally, I think the function of double-clicking to close the tab can be combined with two other optional functions. One is to hide the close button when the tabs are opened enough, and the other is that the mouse wheel can be switched in the horizontal tab bar.

[#5]

there is almost no mouse without scroll wheel today. Furthermore, since when programs and features are developed according to user's broken hardware? Here is the user's responsibility to fix the own hardware. What if the left mouse button is broken? Still, windows works with the left mouse button for most of his functions.
The alternative for such users, is to just move the mouse pointer towards the X of the tab and click it with the left mouse button.
There is no reason for not including a fast tab closing clicking on the scroll wheel

[#6]

@yunior89 

Friend - I have not used a mouse with a wheel for years - I just do not have time for it!
So everyone uses a computer differently.

[#7]

Friend, being part of the 0,05% of the world users should not impact negatively the use of this feature for the other 99,95% of users. Have a check to some internet statistics regarding mouse usage.

You do not have time for using the mouse wheel? Believe me, learning this mouse feature will save you further time in the future.

[#8]

How long ago I had a mouse when I clicked on the wheel - it scrolled automatically!
So this is unacceptable!

[#9]

@archtech 

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.

[#10]

Friends, it is all about choices.
Agree to disagree :\

Here is a choice for all of the rest find this feature useful.
https://www.microsoft.com/store/productId/9N27WRS6LFRW

[#11]

@hereafter 

Your proposal is not a choice - but a necessity, for all who need it!

The choice will only be if - as in Edge everyone will be able to turn it on , or off!

[#12]

Hello @MissyQ
Double click to close tab takes browsing to next level.

[#13]

disastrous??????
if you asked me to show what does it to for less time compsumping, it does resize the window

[#14]

我来告诉你为什么会有双击关闭选项卡这种事情。据我所知，最早来自 XP 时代的 360 安全浏览器，它在当时提供了种类繁多的关闭选项卡的方法，比如左键双击、右键双击、左右键同时击、中键单击、中键双击。默认情况下，左键双击和中键单击是关闭网页的方法。然而大多数电脑使用者不知道鼠标中键是可以按下去的，因此会有更多的人习惯通过双击来关闭网页。

[#15]

@MissyQ 

Thank you for the status change!

When it will be possible to test it - everyone is waiting for it!

[#16]

@HotCakeX 

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

[#17]

have you ever thought about trackpad users?
if a trackpad user wants to close a tab in background, the user has to switch to that tab and then press ctrl+w, otherwise this user has to find that tiny little x button to close it.

[#18]

I don't know where the stats come from
OK 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.

[#19]

It isn't an obvious toggle in the mobile version and just results in tabs closing randomly when you select them.

[#20]

@MissyQ 

Some people think this is good, but some people want to never add this feature. For me, I'm used to using the "Ctrl + W" keyboard shortcut to close the index tab. If Microsoft adds this feature to Edge, I think it will make Microsoft Edge harder to use. Come to think of it, if edge I'm using now has added this feature, it would be very serious if I just wanted to toggle the index tab and accidentally press it twice to turn it off. I don't want Edge to be like that, and I don't want Edge to do that, so I still hope not to add this feature.

[#21]

@pptlove_1 

Have you ever use cent browser, it's also chrome based. And this browser has an option in setting allow user to toggle if "double click close tab" is enabled. 

So as Firefox, in Firefox, you just go to "about:config"(something like "chrome:flags") there is also an option to enable close tab by double click. And it doesn't hurt anything, if you don't want this feature, you can disable it anytime.