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Setting Up Vertical Tabs for Research Windows
With multiple research windows open in Edge, keeping track of which tab belongs to which topic can become confusing quickly. Vertical tabs give you a side panel view that shows tab titles in a readable list format, making it easier to scan through your open pages. To turn this on, click the vertical tabs icon in the upper-left corner of the Edge window, which looks like a small stack of squares. The tab strip moves from the top to the left side, and each tab shows a longer portion of its title so you can identify the page without hovering.
Once vertical tabs are active, the main browsing area stays wider because the tab bar no longer takes up horizontal space at the top. This layout works well with several research sources open at once, such as articles, documents, and reference pages. For those who prefer the traditional top tab bar later, click the same icon again to switch back. The setting does not close or rearrange your open tabs, so you can toggle between layouts without losing your place.
Grouping Related Research Tabs by Topic
After switching to vertical tabs, the next step is organizing your research windows into groups that match each topic. Right-click any tab in the vertical list and select “Add tab to group,” then choose “New group.” A colored circle and a label appear on the tab, and you can name the group something clear like “Climate Data” or “Market Trends.” To add more tabs to the same group, right-click each tab and select the group name from the list. The vertical panel shows the group label above its tabs, so you can quickly see which pages belong together.
Using tab groups in vertical view helps you avoid scrolling through a long list of unrelated pages. After finishing work on one topic, you can collapse the entire group by clicking the arrow next to its label. The tabs stay open but hidden until you expand the group again. This keeps the vertical panel tidy while you focus on a different research area. Moving a tab between groups is done by dragging it directly to the target group label in the vertical list.
Using Collections to Save and Organize Research Sources
For longer research projects, tab groups alone may not be enough because closing Edge removes the grouping. Edge Collections let you save links, notes, and screenshots permanently in a panel that stays available across sessions. Open the Collections panel by clicking the puzzle piece icon in the upper-right corner and selecting “Collections.” Create a new collection for each research topic, then drag a tab from the vertical list into the collection panel. The link is saved with the page title and a thumbnail, and you can add a note about why the source matters.
Collections work alongside vertical tabs rather than replacing them. Keeping your most active tabs grouped in the vertical panel while moving less urgent sources into a collection for later review is a practical habit. This habit prevents the vertical list from becoming overloaded with tabs you no longer need open. Upon reopening Edge for the next research session, the collection is still there, so you do not have to search for the same pages again. Exporting a collection to Excel, Word, or OneNote is also possible if you need to share your source list.
Saving and Restoring Research Windows with Vertical Tabs
Closing Edge accidentally or restarting your computer may cause your vertical tab groups to disappear unless you use the startup setting to restore previous tabs. Go to Edge settings by clicking the three-dot menu in the upper-right corner, then select “Settings” and “Start, home, and new tabs.” Under “When Edge starts,” choose “Open tabs from the previous session.” This setting tells Edge to reopen all tabs exactly as they were, including their vertical layout and group labels. The next time you open the browser, your research windows appear in the same order on the left side.
Another option for preserving research organization is to use a vertical tab workspace. Click the workspace icon in the upper-left corner next to the vertical tabs icon, then create a new workspace for each research topic. Each workspace saves its own set of tabs, groups, and vertical tab settings. Switching between workspaces is possible without closing tabs from the other workspace. This is useful when you are researching multiple broad topics at the same time and want to keep each topic fully separate without mixing tabs in one vertical list.
