Sync workspace tabs across windows

[PirateRacham]

What feature would you like to see?

When opening multiple windows of Zen-Browser, the workspaces are available in every window, but only contain tabs in the original window.

Would be nice if the tabs sync between windows as well.

Linked issue #911

[flifloo]

Same idea as in #1775

Personally I seek the same behavior as Vivaldi or the Simple Tab Groups extension

Native workspace is great, but I work with multiples windows and I really need to store some tabs aside across them
I don't want to lose a bunch of tabs when closing a single window

[everyx]

The Simple Tag Groups extension met all my needs for Workspace in Zen, but it was too unstable and kept losing tabs. I wanted to keep things stable while still using multiple windows in Zen.

[Fxxxlei]

I would love to see something like this as well.

I'd prefer windows to be a view into a shared set of workspaces. Workspaces and tabsa thus wouldn't be owned by a specific window.
If I select a tab that is currently open in an other window, the other window should switch to a different tab and the current window would show the tab I selected.

The tab to show in the window I took the tab view from should be either:

1. the last tab viewed in that window not viewed in any other window,
2. or the tab viewed in the current window before the switch.

The latter option is probably more robust and useful, since the condition given in the first option may not match any open tab.
Furthermore, the second option would allow me to switch the views back by selecting the previous tab again.

An option (browser configuration) for the second window to switch back to the view that was taken from it once it is not viewed anymore, might be useful as well.

Following scenario for visualization (windows A-C, tabs 1-4, select tab 2, then 3, then 4 in Window A):
Option 2a:
A shows 1, then 2, then 3, then 4
B shows 2, then 1, then 1, then 1
C shows 3, then 3, then 2, then 2

Option 2b:
A shows 1, then 2, then 3, then 4
B shows 2, then 1, then 2, then 2
C shows 3, then 3, then 1, then 3

Option 2a is just a swap when necessary.
Option 2b seems more complex but less disruptive, since swaps are temporary.

[digiaust]

Just adding my voice. I think you are going to see a lot of users start to come over from Arc (They're hemorrhaging users atm) and having this feature where every browser window is just a window into your workspace. This is super useful for people with multiple screens.

[Fxxxlei]

Because I just saw how synced pinned tabs across windows was implemented, I wanted to make sure I am understood correctly.
Pinned tabs are currently cloned across window (a bit buggy, reset URL doesn't work in some windows).
What I want is not cloning across windows but sharing across windows. Opening a tab from a different window should move that tab to the current window, not open a new instance.

[RichardShift]

Hi team,

I’d like to add to this discussion with a detailed use case and expanded feature suggestion. This synchronized tab view across windows would greatly enhance workflow fluidity, particularly for users who rely on multiple windows to manage tasks across different screens.

Proposed Feature: Optional Synchronized Tab Display Across Windows

An optional feature that enables synchronized tab views across all windows within the same workspace. This would allow all windows open within a workspace to display the full set of open tabs for that workspace, regardless of where the tabs were initially created.

Key Functionalities:

• Unified Tab View Across Windows: When multiple windows are open within the same workspace, each window would automatically display all tabs open in that workspace without the need to pin or duplicate tabs.
• Real-Time Tab Syncing: Any new tab opened in one window would immediately appear in all other windows displaying the same workspace.
• Seamless Workspace Switching: When switching a window to a different workspace, that window would display all tabs associated with the new workspace, no matter which window was initially used to manage those tabs.

Benefits:

• Enhanced Multitasking: This feature supports users who need immediate access to their workspace tabs across different screens and windows without manual duplication.
• Flexible Workflow: The option to enable or disable this synchronized view allows each user to customize their tab experience to their preference.
• Improved Efficiency: A synchronized tab view streamlines the process of managing multiple tabs across windows, especially beneficial for users who frequently toggle between topics and tasks.

Personal Need:

This feature is crucial for my work setup. I often jump between topics, requiring immediate access to related tabs on multiple screens across different windows. With Zen’s existing workspace and container functionalities, this feature would complete my setup, allowing me to work more efficiently without needing to manage tabs individually in each window.

Thank you for considering this addition — I believe it would make Zen an invaluable tool for multitaskers and power users. 🙏

[SaylorAdam]

I like this idea greatly. To up the game even further, we could have persistent pinned tabs in the synced workspaces. Having workspaces in containers and persistent between windows will make working on multiple projects and managing multiple clients/jobs far easier. It is the only thing holding me back from being able to use one browser at a time. Right now, I am stuck with Zen and Vivaldi for different workflow needs.

[Fxxxlei]

@SaylorAdam I don't understand what you are requesting.
We already have persistent pinned tabs (of course they should also be synced between windows), they are just bugged in the latest Alpha releases.
We also have "workspaces in containers". Either you use different profiles, or assign default containers to workspaces.
I'm not sure what your non-covered workflow is.

[OfflinePing]

I’d also love to see this feature implemented!

[jsblanco]

This would be amazing to implement. Id love to share my tabs between my windows like in Arc browser. I work with several windows and desktopr, and having unified tabs would be a godsend.

[mr-scrpt]

Really needed!

[sheepman4267]

I completely agree with this suggestion as well. I'm a long-time Vivaldi user, and this is my favorite thing from Vivaldi that I miss on Zen. On balance I like Zen better for lots of reasons, but this would really take it to the next level.

[TheGhostHybrid]

Absolutely agree. I am another Vivaldi user, and I have been loving Zen so far! Right now, if I want to move a workspace to another window, I have to open a new window, switch to the proper workspace, then drag the tabs over from the main window. It works, but is a fair bit clunky. 😆

Heck, just a simple “open workspace in new window” option would go a long way towards this!

[berot3]

I guess the question is, can tabs be window-agnostic in Firefox? Can I open any number of windows and have the same open tabs in all?

I would love this feature.

[RichardShift]

If an "Essentials" tab can be shared across multiple windows, the question arises: could the essentials be further tailored to specific workspaces? This is not what we need here, but:

If so, it might be possible to introduce a new feature — a kind of "active tabs" group designed for workspaces. These would function similarly to essentials but would automatically include the tabs opened and on each different workspace, without requiring users to set/pin/tag/whatever them manually.

This feature could operate in the background as an optional setting, allowing users to enable something like "Share active tabs across all windows". With this enabled, it would be possible to: "open any number of windows and have the same open tabs in all".

[Fxxxlei]

What do you mean by tailoring essential tabs to workspaces? isn't that just pinned tabs?

[RichardShift]

My earlier comment was based on the idea that Essentials could be shown and loaded with the same content across multiple windows. However, after testing again, I realized I was mistaken—Essentials are essentially just pinned tabs outside of workspaces.

That said, if I understand correctly, Essentials remain loaded and visible as you switch between workspaces, provided you stay within the same window. This only makes them workspace-agnostic, unlike pinned tabs, which are tied to specific workspaces. Right?

Building on that distinction, here’s my updated thought:

Could we go the extra mile and extend this workspace**-agnostic behavior** not just to Essentials, but also to pinned and non-pinned (regular open) tabs? Essentially, could all tabs be made window-agnostic? This would mean any open tab (pinned, Essentials, or otherwise) would appear consistently across multiple windows, as long as they belong to the same workspace.

I’m not a developer, so my understanding of Zen’s architecture may be limited, but I assume each window currently operates with its own "loaded data" (for lack of a better term). My question is:

Would it be possible to make this loaded data universal across windows?
Think of it like having multiple windows as portals to or around a single Zen sandbox (that physical thing one can play with). No matter which window you use, you’re interacting with the same unified sandbox. Could this concept work?

[Fxxxlei]

I think you mean the same thing as I explained in my first two comment (second and 4th from the top of the discussion).
Windows should just be views (you call it portals) into a shared state (for all tabs and workspaces (though it could be made configurable per workspace for non-essential tabs)).

I think this should be doable, since you currently can move tabs between windows more or less seemlessly. But mirroring could lead to all sorts of issues and might not be wanted anyway, so opening the same tab in different windows simultaneously should probably be prevented. I've explained more about that in my first comment.

[friendywill]

[Fxxxlei]

I think you are talking about a different feature? AFAIK, this discussion was about synchronizing tabs between windows on the same device, not multiple devices.

[friendywill]

Yes thankyou, removing this now.

[FancyFurret]

I would absolutely love to see this feature as well. I am an Arc user looking for an alternative, and Zen seems perfect except for this issue. Once this is in I'll be able to move away from Arc.