Vivaldi 5.1 Adds Ability to Scroll Through Browser Tabs Horizontally in the Tabs Bar

[MacRumors]

Vivaldi for Mac received an update today that brings yet more new features to the highly customizable web browser, including a handy way of managing multiple tabs using horizontal scroll.

Most modern web browsers usually handle multiple tabs by shrinking the tabs into smaller and smaller segments to fit them all in on screen, but this can quickly look cluttered and make it progressively harder to identify each tab in the squeeze.

In an effort to avoid this situation, version 5.1 of Vivaldi brings a new Scrollable Tabs feature that lets users scroll through the tab row horizontally to reveal more full-width tabs.

Tabs are navigated horizontally by click-dragging with the cursor, or using the arrows on the left and right of the tabs. Another way to view tabs is to long-click the arrows to get a full list of all open tabs.

The Horizontal Scrolling feature can also be combined with Vivaldi's existing Two-level Tab Stacks option, enabling users to scroll two rows of grouped tabs and take advantage of tab group previews for exhaustive tab management.

In addition to Scrollable Tabs, this version of the browser also brings a new built-in Reading List, a new repository for offline reading that maintains each article's read/unread state, with no service signup required.

Elsewhere, Vivaldi has also added a Quick Settings Panel on the Start Page, enabling quicker access to the full gamut of customizable Start Page options, including things like background images, favorites, speed dials, and search field settings.

Vivaldi browser 5.1 is a free download for Mac available directly from the Vivaldi website, featuring built-in tracking protection, tab tools, a translation feature, Chrome extensions support, and much more.

Article Link: Vivaldi 5.1 Adds Ability to Scroll Through Browser Tabs Horizontally in the Tabs Bar

 

[canadianreader]

Promising implementation of Chromium but too much bloatware from Bing, Google and many other not so privacy friendly companies.

 

[szw-mapple fan]

So basically what Safari has with compact tabs and always show website titles?

 

[carterx]

I do love the browser but as someone who works from a desktop browser and mobile I’d love to see it on iOS. I know they say it’s to much work to have for iOS but for me it’s a deal breaker.

Again a great browser and one of the best ones out there but for me having bookmarks and such synced with my mobile app is a big requirement.

Just need a browser that works.

 

[contacos]

looks neat but I am so "OCD" I never have more than 1 tab open even if I return to the same page 5 minutes later anyway. I know it is stupid, but I cannot help it. It is just part of my routine. Read page X, go read page Y, return to page X to read again and so on

 

[maxdefcon]

I do love the browser but as someone who works from a desktop browser and mobile I’d love to see it on iOS. I know they say it’s to much work to have for iOS but for me it’s a deal breaker.

Again a great browser and one of the best ones out there but for me having bookmarks and such synced with my mobile app is a big requirement.

Just need a browser that works.

I get it, but they would just be creating a skin for iOS since it’s all WebKit anyways. Your reasonings though… are why I have stuck with Safari.

 

[LV426]

looks neat but I am so "OCD" I never have more than 1 tab open even if I return to the same page 5 minutes later anyway. I know it is stupid, but I cannot help it. It is just part of my routine. Read page X, go read page Y, return to page X to read again and so on

Quite right, too. If only my wife's friend adopted this practise, it would have spared her some considerable embarrassment... I went round her house to fix an issue she was having with her iPad. Safari had loads of open tabs that I duly closed, one by one. Each and every one had a pron site open!

 

[iamgalt]

How many tabs do people have open at once that would require multiple rows of scrolling tabs? Seriously. I think the most I ever have is MAYBE three or four. I understand that not everyone works like I do, but I would think that if you have two rows that are filled beyond what your screen can show, you can't possibly remember all the tabs that are open, and the effectiveness of tabs gets lost. Just my personal opinion. I can see it being more useful on a mobile browser. But if people are happy with the feature, then congrats to them.

 

[Unggoy Murderer]

Quite right, too. If only my wife's friend adopted this practise, it would have spared her some considerable embarrassment... I went round her house to fix an issue she was having with her iPad. Safari had loads of open tabs that I duly closed, one by one. Each and every one had a pron site open!

This is a "should have used private browsing" issue, not a tabs issue

 

[applicious84]

Quite right, too. If only my wife's friend adopted this practise, it would have spared her some considerable embarrassment... I went round her house to fix an issue she was having with her iPad. Safari had loads of open tabs that I duly closed, one by one. Each and every one had a pron site open!

She could have been trying to tell you something

 

[wanha]

I don't use Vivaldi much myself, but I appreciate them for continually pushing the envelope on features.
Competition is good for users of any browser.

 

[veggiespam]

Firefox has does the scrolling once the tabs get to about "one-word" sized. Not sure I like the requirement to basically always scroll. Maybe there is a happy medium, like "two-words" or something in the Firefox config.

 

[emulator]

Promising implementation of Chromium but too much bloatware from Bing, Google and many other not so privacy friendly companies.

Right, not sure what's the point of even giving space to Vivaldi. There's Brave.

 

[bollman]

I really like Vivaldi, but as I work on many different platforms, there was not much choice.
So, I have gone down the Edge route.
I must say, it's a capable browser, has not let me down yet, except in Jamf Pro, but that's to be expected as only Safari is really supported there.
Big bonus for being available on the platforms I need: Mac, Windows, Linux and iOS (and Android, although I do not need that). Wonderful to be able to sync between anything I sit down behind.

 

[Enlightened Doggo]

I've gotten in the habit of bookmarking important tabs and closing my browser entirely every day. Helps a LOT with overall computer performance.

 

[AbSoluTc]

How many tabs do people have open at once that would require multiple rows of scrolling tabs? Seriously. I think the most I ever have is MAYBE three or four. I understand that not everyone works like I do, but I would think that if you have two rows that are filled beyond what your screen can show, you can't possibly remember all the tabs that are open, and the effectiveness of tabs gets lost. Just my personal opinion. I can see it being more useful on a mobile browser. But if people are happy with the feature, then congrats to them.

I work in education and there are MANY people with MANY tabs open in MULTIPLE windows!

I have seen users who have 5 Chrome windows with each window having a minimum of 50 tabs each. MINIMUM. People don't want to close tabs for fear of losing stuff they want to read later. I don't think many people have heard of bookmarks/folders lol.

A lot of problems users have are the result of Chrome using all their resources because of the HUNDREDS (no joke) of tabs they have open.

Same applies to their phones! I don't think they realize how many tabs they have open there either.

Don't get me started on desktops... and how they don't clean them. Physically and virtually.

 

[AbSoluTc]

I really like Vivaldi, but as I work on many different platforms, there was not much choice.
So, I have gone down the Edge route.
I must say, it's a capable browser, has not let me down yet, except in Jamf Pro, but that's to be expected as only Safari is really supported there.
Big bonus for being available on the platforms I need: Mac, Windows, Linux and iOS (and Android, although I do not need that). Wonderful to be able to sync between anything I sit down behind.

Firefox? That's my go to choice. Safari has been so terribly flaky the past year I can't trust it anymore. Chrome, I refuse to support that hunk of junk. Vivaldi I tried but it didn't work with my flow. I can't remember what it was but I didn't like it.

Jamf works in all browsers. Some more than others. No issues in FF.

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

This will definitely come in handy as I don’t mess around when it comes to Safari tabs.

Current status👇

 

[Marshall73]

I work in education and there are MANY people with MANY tabs open in MULTIPLE windows!

I have seen users who have 5 Chrome windows with each window having a minimum of 50 tabs each. MINIMUM. People don't want to close tabs for fear of losing stuff they want to read later. I don't think many people have heard of bookmarks/folders lol.

A lot of problems users have are the result of Chrome using all their resources because of the HUNDREDS (no joke) of tabs they have open.

Same applies to their phones! I don't think they realize how many tabs they have open there either.

Don't get me started on desktops... and how they don't clean them. Physically and virtually.


View attachment 1956430

AAAAARGH !!!! what is that abomination {sits rocking in corner of the room}

 

[Mr. Heckles]

I get it, but they would just be creating a skin for iOS since it’s all WebKit anyways. Your reasonings though… are why I have stuck with Safari.

You’re right, but it’s great for syncing bookmarks and open tabs. I use Firefox across my devices and I love I can sync across everything, and cross platform. Safari isn’t on Windows, Linux, or android. And I’m not a fan of Safari. It’s ok, but I don’t use it.

 

[contacos]

Quite right, too. If only my wife's friend adopted this practise, it would have spared her some considerable embarrassment... I went round her house to fix an issue she was having with her iPad. Safari had loads of open tabs that I duly closed, one by one. Each and every one had a pron site open!

???

not as Bad but my mum did not even know she could / know how to close tabs so she had like 7947293829839284 tabs open on her iPhone

 

[ignatius345]

I just realized you can move from tab to tab in the iOS version of Safari by swiping left and right on the address bar. Pretty cool!

 

[mansplains]

If you use MX mice with Mac you can bind the horizontal scroll wheel to switching tabs in any browser, I love it with Safari.

 

[VictorTango777]

So basically what Safari has with compact tabs and always show website titles?

Keep adding tabs in Safari and eventually tabs will start disappearing out of view and be hidden offscreen with no obvious way to quickly access them. In older versions of Safari, after the window contains a certain number of tabs, a “>>” button appears in the tab bar. Clicking this button displays a popup list of the open tabs that you can click on and switch to that tab.

In recent versions of Safari, that >> button is no longer displayed. The Tab Overview feature does not always work well because all those preview pictures means extra scrolling to see all tabs. And having to render all those previews often results in laggy response. Some users eventually discovered that it is possible to scroll through the tab bar using a mouse scroll wheel or multitouch gestures on a trackpad. But the problem is that not every mouse has a scroll wheel. And not everyone knows about or uses trackpad gestures. In the same way that Apple‘s Human Interface Guidelines warns developers to not make secondary clicking and context menus the only way to access a command, the same should apply to mouse wheels and multitouch trackpad gestures.

 

[grad]

I always used multiple web browsers in my browsing workflow, way back to my Amiga days or even Unix days. I use Safari too in some cases on the Mac nowadays even though I can't stand its UI, the lack of customisation, and the lack of functionality. But I mostly go multi/cross-platform if there is a chance. Vivaldi is the spiritual successor to Opera and this can only be a good thing (I was an early adopter to both). Too bad that it has to rely on Chromium and that it is not actually open source - I still take it as it suits my needs.

I rarely find myself opening just one tab or window. It's not about being afraid of losing stuff or opening tabs by accident. It is about doing things in parallel. I multitask like crazy for both work and leisure and I want the control. I have a desktop computer and a desk for a reason, and I have a 30" screen for a reason (actually 2); I do not need it to become a 30" iPad.