Automatic or manual
Create Islands as you browse, or build one yourself from selected tabs and the tab context menu.
Organize browser tabs with Tab Islands
Tab Islands group related tabs into customizable clusters in Opera. Create them automatically or manually, give each Island a name and color, collapse groups to save space, and move tabs between Islands as your browsing changes.
How Tab Islands work
Opera can create Tab Islands from browsing context, or you can build and rearrange them yourself. Each Island stays visible as a distinct, color-coded group in the tab strip.
Names and colors
Rename a Tab Island and choose its color so different projects, topics or browsing sessions are easier to identify.
Collapse and preview
Click an Island handle or title to collapse or expand the group. Hover over a collapsed Island to preview the tabs inside.
Move multiple tabs
Use Move to, Move out of tab island, drag and drop, or Shift-select several tabs when you want to reorganize a group.
Automatic grouping
New tabs can form Tab Islands automatically when the feature is enabled. You can also create an Island manually from selected tabs or through the tab context menu.
Keep the tab strip readable
Collapse an Island when you are not using it, then expand it when you return. The colored Island marker keeps the group visible without leaving every tab exposed.
Reorganize without rebuilding
Right-click a tab and use Move to, move it out of an Island, or drag tabs between groups. Shift-select several tabs when you need to move more than one.
Make groups easier to recognize
Give an Island a descriptive name so research, shopping, work and personal browsing remain distinguishable even when several groups are open.
Use visual labels
Assign colors to Tab Islands to make different contexts easier to scan in both horizontal and vertical tab layouts.
See what is inside first
Hover over a collapsed Tab Island to preview the tabs it contains and close individual tabs without fully expanding the group.
TAB ISLANDS
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Control tabs by group, context and layout
Tab Islands connect with Opera’s broader tab-management tools, including Workspaces, Search in Tabs, Split Screen, Tab Traces and the horizontal or vertical tab strip.
TAB MANAGEMENT
Automatic Islands
Let Opera create new Tab Islands automatically when new browsing contexts open.
Manual Islands
Select related tabs and create a Tab Island yourself when you want direct control.
New tab in Island
Open a new tab directly inside the current Tab Island from the tab context menu.
Alt+T
Use Alt+T to open a new tab in the current Island, creating an Island when needed.
Island names
Rename a Tab Island so its purpose is clear at a glance.
Island colors
Assign a color to each Island to separate projects and browsing contexts visually.
Collapse Islands
Collapse a group to reduce tab-strip clutter without closing its tabs.
Expand Islands
Open a collapsed Island again when you are ready to return to that context.
Hover preview
Hover over an Island handle to preview the tabs inside and close individual pages.
Move to Island
Move a tab into another Tab Island from the right-click context menu.
Move out
Remove a tab from its current Island and keep it available as a regular tab.
Drag and drop
Drag tabs between Islands or use Opera 135’s drag-and-drop flow to create new Islands.
Shift multi-select
Hold Shift to select several tabs, then move the selected tabs together.
Workspaces
Use Workspaces as a higher-level container for separate collections of tabs and Tab Islands.
Search in Tabs
Search open tabs when you know the page you need but not which Island contains it.
Tab Traces
Use recent-tab highlights to identify recently used pages when many tabs are open.
Split Screen
Place tabs side by side and keep Split Screen groups inside a Tab Island when appropriate.
Multiple Split Screens
Create several Split Screen groups inside a single Tab Island.
Move Split Screen
Move a Split Screen group into an existing Tab Island from Opera’s tab controls.
Horizontal tabs
Use Tab Islands in Opera’s traditional horizontal tab strip.
Vertical Tabs
Switch to Vertical Tabs while keeping existing Tab Islands and most Island functions.
Vertical Island counts
Vertical Tabs can display how many tabs each Tab Island contains.
Vertical Island names
Tab Islands receive names in the vertical layout and can be renamed from the context menu.
Vertical Island colors
Use color themes to distinguish Tab Islands in the vertical tab strip.
Pinned tabs
Keep essential pages pinned separately while using Islands for changing browsing contexts.
Tab previews
Enable tab previews when you want a visual preview before switching to a page.
Close tabs in preview
Remove individual tabs from an Island directly from its hover preview.
Right-click controls
Open the tab context menu to access Island creation, movement and tab-management actions.
Create from selection
Select multiple tabs first, then group the chosen pages into one Tab Island.
Context grouping
Keep pages from one research thread, task or browsing session together instead of mixing contexts.
Research groups
Separate sources, references and comparison pages into a dedicated Island.
Shopping groups
Keep products, reviews and checkout pages together while comparing options.
Project groups
Use a named Island for project dashboards, documents, references and related web tools.
Communication groups
Keep web apps and communication pages together when they belong to the same task.
Session cleanup
Collapse completed or paused groups instead of closing useful tabs prematurely.
Restore focus
Return to the Island that matches your current task instead of scanning every open tab.
Many-tab sessions
Use Islands with Search in Tabs and Tab Traces when the browser contains many open pages.
Island persistence
Switch between horizontal and vertical tab layouts without discarding existing Tab Islands.
Opera tab system
Combine Tab Islands, Workspaces, Search in Tabs, Split Screen and Vertical Tabs as one tab-management system.
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Tab Islands with Opera’s other tab tools
Tab Islands organize related pages inside one tab strip. Workspaces separate larger browsing contexts, Search in Tabs finds open pages, and Split Screen places selected tabs side by side.
Tab Islands + Workspaces
Use Workspaces for separate high-level contexts and Tab Islands inside them for smaller groups of related pages.
Tab Islands + Search in Tabs
Search across open tabs when a page is buried inside a larger session instead of expanding every Island one by one.
Tab Islands + Vertical Tabs
Use the same Island concept in Opera’s horizontal or vertical tab strip; your Islands remain available when you switch layouts.
Opera Tab Islands FAQs
What are Opera Tab Islands?
Tab Islands are customizable groups of related browser tabs. They keep pages from the same task or browsing context together instead of leaving every tab as a separate item in the tab strip.
How do I create a Tab Island manually?
Select the tabs you want to group, right-click one of them and choose Create tab island. Opera can also create Tab Islands automatically when automatic Island creation is enabled.
Can I name and color a Tab Island?
Yes. Tab Islands can be renamed and color-coded so you can identify different projects, subjects or sessions more quickly.
How do I collapse or expand a Tab Island?
Click the Island’s colored handle or title to collapse or expand it. Hover over a collapsed Island to preview the tabs it contains.
How do I move tabs between Tab Islands?
Right-click a tab and use Move to, or choose Move out of tab island and drag it where you want. You can also Shift-select multiple tabs and move them together.
What is the shortcut for a new tab in the current Island?
Use Alt+T to open a new tab in the current Island. If the current context does not already have an Island, Opera can create one as part of the action.
Do Tab Islands work with Vertical Tabs?
Yes. Opera’s Vertical Tabs preserve Tab Islands and most Island functions. In the vertical layout, Islands can show tab counts and can be renamed or recolored from their context menu.
How are Tab Islands different from Workspaces?
Tab Islands group related tabs inside the current browsing workspace. Workspaces are higher-level containers that separate larger sets of tabs and can contain multiple Tab Islands.
TAB ISLANDS
Group your tabs without losing your browsing context
Download Opera to create, name, color, collapse and move Tab Islands, then combine them with Workspaces, Search in Tabs and Vertical Tabs.
