How do you minimize tabs in Edge?

You can effectively minimize the visual clutter and impact of tabs in Microsoft Edge by closing unnecessary ones, utilizing built-in tab management features like Sleeping Tabs and Vertical Tabs, or by minimizing the entire browser window.

Effectively Managing and Reducing Tabs in Microsoft Edge

Managing your tabs efficiently is crucial for a smooth browsing experience, preventing your browser from consuming too much memory and keeping your workspace organized. While individual tabs don't "minimize" in the same way a window does, you can significantly reduce their presence and impact.

1. Closing Unnecessary Tabs

The most direct way to "minimize" the number of tabs is to close those you no longer need. This frees up system resources and declutters your browser window.

Quick Keyboard Shortcut

A highly efficient method to close tabs is using a simple keyboard shortcut. The tab you are currently viewing will be closed. Continue using this shortcut key until you have closed all the tabs you wish to remove, saving you significant time and effort.

• Windows: Press Ctrl + W
• macOS: Press Cmd + W

Other Ways to Close Tabs

• Click the 'X' icon: Each tab has a small 'X' button on its right side. Simply click it to close the tab.
• Right-click and select "Close": Right-click on any tab and choose "Close" from the context menu. You can also select "Close other tabs" or "Close tabs to the right" to quickly manage multiple tabs.
• Close multiple tabs: Hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Cmd (macOS) and click on multiple tabs to select them, then right-click on one of the selected tabs and choose "Close tabs."

2. Utilizing Edge's Built-in Tab Management Features

Microsoft Edge offers several powerful features designed to help you organize and "minimize" the visual and resource impact of numerous open tabs without closing them permanently.

Sleeping Tabs to Conserve Resources

Sleeping tabs automatically put inactive background tabs to "sleep" after a set period, freeing up system resources like memory and CPU. This makes your browser run smoother, especially when you have many tabs open.

• How to enable/configure:
  1. Go to Settings and more (...) > Settings > System and performance.
  2. Under "Optimize Performance," ensure "Save resources with sleeping tabs" is toggled On.
  3. You can adjust the "Put inactive tabs to sleep after" duration and add sites to "Never put these sites to sleep."
• Benefit: Reduces resource consumption, making tabs less burdensome on your system.

Vertical Tabs for Optimized Layout

Vertical tabs move your tab bar from the top to the side of the browser window, allowing you to see more of each tab's title. This can significantly reduce clutter, especially when you have many tabs, as it provides a longer, scrollable list.

• How to enable:
  1. Click the "Turn on vertical tabs" icon in the top-left corner of the browser window (next to the first tab).
  2. Alternatively, go to Settings and more (...) > Vertical tabs.
• Benefit: Offers a more readable and organized view of many tabs, saving horizontal screen real estate.

Grouping Tabs for Better Organization

Tab Groups allow you to categorize and organize related tabs together. Once grouped, you can collapse a group to "minimize" its visible space, showing only the group's name until you need to access its contents.

• How to create a tab group:
  1. Right-click on a tab and select Add tab to new group.
  2. Give your group a name and color.
  3. Drag and drop other tabs into the group, or right-click on another tab and choose Add tab to group > [Your Group Name].
  4. Click the group name to collapse or expand it.
• Benefit: Keeps related tabs together and allows you to hide them when not in use, reducing visual clutter.

Pinning Essential Tabs

Pinning a tab keeps it small, at the far left of your tab bar, and prevents it from being accidentally closed. Pinned tabs don't show their full title, effectively "minimizing" their visual space while keeping them easily accessible.

• How to pin a tab: Right-click on the tab you want to pin and select Pin tab.
• Benefit: Keeps important, frequently used tabs readily available and compact.

3. Minimizing the Edge Browser Window

If you want to "minimize" all open tabs in Edge at once, you can simply minimize the entire Microsoft Edge browser window.

• Click the Minimize button: This is the underscore-like icon usually found in the top-right corner of the window (Windows) or the yellow circle in the top-left (macOS).
• Use keyboard shortcuts:

Operating System	Shortcut	Action
Windows	Win + Down Arrow	Minimizes the active window.
Windows	Alt + Spacebar, then N	Opens system menu, then minimizes.
macOS	Cmd + M	Minimizes the active window to the Dock.

By combining these strategies, you can maintain a clean, efficient, and less cluttered browsing environment in Microsoft Edge.