Edge Tips: Smarter Tab Management – Tech Tip for October 22, 2025

In this week’s tech tip, we’re exploring how to stay organized in Microsoft Edge using vertical tabs, tab groups, and locked tabs. Vertical tabs and tab groups help you manage busy browsing sessions in any Edge window, while locked tabs are a Workspaces-only feature—great for keeping shared projects organized. Let’s take a look at how these tools can make multi-tasking easier and collaboration smoother.

Use Vertical Tabs to See More, Scroll Less

Vertical tabs move your open tabs into a side panel, giving you a clearer view and freeing up space at the top of your screen. Let’s take a look!

Turn on Vertical Tabs Edge and Edge Workspaces::

• Open a Microsoft Edge browsing or Workspaces session.
• Click the ‘’ (Tab actions) menu (upper-left corner above your tabs).
• Select ‘Turn on vertical tabs’ and ‘Pin’ the tab panel to keep it open.

Once enabled, your tabs appear in a collapsible sidebar. You can scroll, drag to reorder, or right-click for more options.

In Edge Workspaces: Each participant can choose whether to view tabs vertically or horizontally—your layout is personal and doesn’t affect others.

Group and Name Tabs for Better Organization

Tab groups let you collect related pages together under a named, color-coded label—perfect for managing multiple projects or research topics.

Create a Tab Group:

• In an Edge browsing session or Workspace, right-click on a tab.
• Select to ‘Add tab to new group’ to create a new tab group.
  • Assign your new tab group a ‘name’ and ‘color.’
• Right-click on a tab and select ‘New tab below’ for a new tab in the group.
  • Navigate to a website you want to appear in the tab.
  • In Workspaces: Right-click to ‘lock’ the tab in place.
• Select ‘New tab’ to add another new tab.
  • Alternatively, right-click on a tab to select ‘New tab below.’
• Right-click on a ‘tab section’ to access menu options such as ‘+ New tab in group,’ ‘Ungroup,’ ‘Close grouped tabs,’ ‘Move tab group to a new workspace,’ and others.

TIP: In Edge Workspaces tab groups are shared among participants. When one person adds or renames a tab group, everyone in the Workspace sees the update—keeping your team informed and aligned.

Lock Tabs to Keep Key Pages Open in Workspaces

Locked tabs can help prevent your collaborating team in Edge Workspaces from accidentally closing important sites. Locked tabs automatically reload when the Workspace session is reopened (even if a locked tab was closed in a previous session).

Lock a Tab in a Workspace:

• In a Workspace: Right-click on a tab you want to stay locked in place.
• Select ‘Lock tab,’ or ‘Lock all tabs.’
• A small ‘’ (Lock) icon appears, showing that the tab can’t be closed until you unlock it.

Unlock a Tab in a Workspace:

• Right-click the tab and choose ‘ Unlock tab’ or the ‘ Unlock all tabs’ option.

TIP: Locking a tab only affects your personal view. Other participants (collaborators) in the shared space can still close or move the tab. Your own browsing—such as scrolling, signing in, or completing forms—remains private to your session.

TIP: Use locked tabs (available in Workspace sessions only) for essential pages you reference frequently, such as dashboards, web apps, or project documents, to prevent accidentally closing them in your session.

By using vertical tabs, naming tab groups, and locking key pages, you can keep your Edge Workspace browsing sessions—both personal and shared—more organized and efficiently. These features help you stay focused and make collaboration in Edge Workspaces smoother. We hope you’ll give these newer features in Edge a try!

Reach Out to TechWise Group

Interested in learning more about Microsoft Edge and Workspace features? Reach out to TechWise Group. We’ll help you make the most of your Microsoft tools.