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Move over, Chrome. Watch out, Edge. Firefox has finally caught up with the competition courtesy of a helpful new skill.
Now baked into the latest version of Mozilla's browser is the long-awaited Tab Groups. Yes, that means you can organize related web pages into specific groups to keep track of them more easily and prevent the Tab bar from getting too crowded.
How to use Tab Groups in Firefox
To use Tab Groups, make sure you are running Firefox version 137 or higher. To check, click the hamburger icon at the upper right, select Help and then click About Firefox. The latest version automatically downloads and installs, prompting you to restart the browser.
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For now, the new feature is still in the rollout phase, which means it is not available to all Firefox users yet. Give it a few days and it should eventually pop up. OK, but how do you actually use Tab Groups?
Open two or more related web pages, maybe some stories on ZDNET. Move the tab of one page on top of the other. If the Tab Groups option is accessible, the tab you are moving takes on a dark blue border. At that point, let go of your mouse button or touchpad. A small "Create tab group" window prompts you to name the group and assign a color. After you have done both, tap Done.
You then see a tab with the name and color you assigned. Select the tab to open the group and see the web pages inside. Select it again to close the group. With the group open, simply click on each individual tab to view the page itself. Beyond helping you organize your tabbed pages, Tab Groups also uses the space on the Tab bar more efficiently.
Now, close Firefox and then open it again. To see your tab group, click the down arrow toward the end of the Tab bar. In the section for Recent tab groups, click the group you want to view and use.
And there is more.
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Right-click on the tab for your group. From the menu you can change the name or color, add a new tab to the group, move the group to a new browser window, save and close the group, ungroup the individual tabs or delete the group.
And here is another way to set up or modify a group. Right-click on a page that you want to add to a group and select Add Tab to Group. You can then add the page to an existing group or create a new group to house the tab.
Works with the vertical tab layout
Tab groups also work with the vertical tab layout that Firefox added in early March. With vertical tabs on display in the left sidebar, just drag one tab up or down on top of another tab. Otherwise, right-click an individual tab to add it to a new or existing group. Right-click on a group to manage it.
Though Tab Groups is a welcome addition to Firefox, Mozilla is a few years late to the party. Chrome unveiled support for tab groups in 2020 with version 83. Microsoft Edge introduced tab groups in 2021 with version 93. Likewise, Apples Safari adopted tab groups for iOS, iPadOS, and the Mac in 2021. Still, better late than never.
Other surprises
Beyond Tab Groups, the latest version of Firefox offers other surprises.
The new unified search button lets you switch between different search engines such as Google or Bing and different search areas such as your bookmarks or browser history. Modifying a search term in the browser history retains your original search query so you can easily return to it if you wish. And depending on the web page you visit, the search window may serve up common commands such as one to print the page.
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Firefox can also now tell if a page has its own search capability. If so, it lets you access that search directly from the address bar. Use a specific search engine at least two times and the browser asks if you want to add it to its list so it is more easily accessible. You can also now search specific areas by adding an @ to them, such as @bookmarks, @tabs, or @history.
A few more tidbits remain. Firefox now turns all links in a PDF into hyperlinks that you can click. You are able to sign PDFs directly without leaving the browser. And you can turn the address bar into a calculator by entering an equation and receiving the result.
As a long-time Firefox user, I am always glad to see these kinds of helpful tweaks and enhancements. Yes, I know that Chrome is still king of the browser world. But I am thankful that Mozilla continues to advance Firefox as a sign that it still has plenty of life left and more room to grow.
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