The newest desktop release, codenamed R2020, improves one of the most important parts of a web browser – tabs – and helps people become more organized.
Oslo, Norway
Workspaces: tab organization redefined
Many of us know the pain and frustration associated with having a disorganized browser. We might be neat freaks at home but we still often end up with numerous open tabs in various windows or even with different browsers in an attempt to keep them organized.
According to a study by Opera, 66 percent of Americans use the same internet browser for work and personal browsing, and 65 percent would like to keep it more organized. More than half of them also admit that a messy browser has a negative impact on their mood.
According to the survey results, 60 percent of people would also like to group tabs according to the contexts they need them for, e.g. work, shopping or free-time activities.
Today’s release is an answer to these needs. Workspaces is a new tool which lets Opera users organize their tabs according to the different life contexts they use them for. One can add up to 5 workspaces, name them, and designate their icons. This makes it possible to keep tabs for work, free time activities or any other projects in separate groups within the same window.
Workspace icons are quickly accessible at the top of the sidebar, with the active workspace icon highlighted in blue. To open a link in a different workspace, it’s enough to simply right-click it and send it to the workspace of choice. Tabs can be moved between workspaces just as easily.
“Opera invented browser tabs, and today we know that people need more support from their browser interface to handle them,” said Joanna Czajka, Product Director, Opera for PC. “Everybody wants their environment to be more tidy, ideally without having to clean. Workspaces let you get organized from the first moment you use them, without you having to learn how to use a new tool.”
Cycle through tabs and spot duplicates
We also frequently switch between open tabs throughout a day of browsing. Opera 67 makes this easier with a handy new feature – a new visual tab-cycler. In a manner similar to switching between applications on MacOS, one needs to simply use the Ctrl+Tab shortcut to switch between tab thumbnails without even lifting one’s hands from the keyboard.
The new version of the browser also includes a useful tool which highlights duplicate tabs. When hovering the mouse pointer over a tab, websites with the same url are highlighted, which makes it easier to spot them and close redundant tabs, avoiding a mess.
A large growth in user base
Opera continues to provide more built-in features and new functionalities typically not found in other browsers. Throughout 2019, the company launched seven major versions of its PC browser, bringing a range of innovations to its already feature rich offering. These included the new crypto currency wallet, Web 3 browsing capabilities, an improved free and unlimited browser VPN as well as a new tracker blocker, which helps protect users’ privacy. Opera also premiered Opera GX, the world’s first gaming browser, which soon after won the Red Dot Design Award.
“We are thankful to everyone who actively chooses Opera over more simple, default browsers on their operating system,” added Joanna Czajka.
Opera’s PC browser user base grew more than 17% between the third quarter of 2018 and the same period in 2019, becoming the browser of choice for more than 68 million monthly users.
About Opera
Opera is a leading global internet brand with an engaged and growing base of over 350 million monthly active users. Building on over 20 years of innovation, starting with browser products, Opera is increasingly leveraging its brand as well as its massive and highly active user base in order to expand its offerings and business. Today, Opera offers users across Europe, Africa and Asia a wide range of products and services that include its PC and mobile browsers as well as a AI-powered news reader, Opera News, and app-based microfinance solutions. https://investor.opera.com/