Windows 7 / Getting Started

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Personalizing tabbed browsing

You can enable or disable tabbed browsing, or tweak how tabs work. Click Tools and choose Internet Options or choose Tools → Internet Options from Internet Explorer's menu. Then click the Settings button under the Tabs group. You'll see the options.

Here's what each option offers:

• Enable Tabbed Browsing: If you deselect this check box, tabbed browsing is disabled and all options that apply to tabbed browsing are disabled. Select this option to allow tabbed browsing. If you change this setting, you need to click OK. Then close and reopen Internet Explorer.
• Warn Me When Closing Multiple Tabs: Deselect this option to get rid of the warning that appears when closing Internet Explorer. Select this check box to bring the warning back.
• Always Switch to New Tabs When They Are Created: Choose this option to have new tabs open in the foreground automatically. For example, if this option is enabled and you right-click a link and choose Open in New Tab, the link opens in the new tab and that new tab appears in the foreground.
• Show Previews for Individual Tabs in the Taskbar: Select this option to have Windows display a preview for each tab when you hover over the Internet Explorer icon in the taskbar.
• Enable Quick Tabs: Deselecting this option removes the Quick Tabs button. The Quick Tabs button won't be visible to the left of the tabs. The Quick Tabs option on the View menu is disabled, and pressing Ctrl+Q has no effect. Select this option to enable Quick Tabs. After you change this option, click OK, close Internet Explorer, and then reopen Internet Explorer.
• Enable Tab Groups: When this option is enabled, Internet Explorer places new tabs that are opened from an existing page next to the original page, and color-codes the tabs the same, providing a logical and visual grouping for the related tabs.
• Open Only the First Home Page When Internet Explorer Starts: Select this option to allow for quicker startup. Only the first tabbed home page opens when you open Internet Explorer. To bring up other home pages, use the Home drop-down button on the toolbar.
• When a New Tab Is Opened, Open: Choose what you want Internet Explorer to display when you open a new tab.
• When a Pop-Up Is Encountered: A pop-up is any Web page that tries to open in a new Web browser. You learn more about pop-ups later in this tutorial. But in the Tabbed Browsing Settings dialog box box, your options are as follows:
  • Let Internet Explorer Decide How Pop-Ups Should Open: Choose this option to let Internet Explorer decide how to open pop-ups based on your pop-up blocker settings and the URL of the pop-up.
  • Always Open Pop-Ups in a New Window: Choose this option to have acceptable pop-ups open in a new, separate instance of Internet Explorer.
  • Always Open Pop-Ups in a New Tab: Choose this option to have acceptable pop-ups open in a new tab rather than in a new instance of Internet Explorer.
• Open Links from Other Programs In: These settings apply to other programs that can open Web pages, such as Windows Live Mail. They apply only if Internet Explorer is already open when you click a link in that other program:
  • A New Window: Pages you open from outside Internet Explorer open in a separate program window.
  • A New Tab in the Current Window: Keeps current tabs intact by opening the new page in a new, separate tab.
  • The current tab or window: The new page opens in the current Internet Explorer window, replacing what was showing before. Clicking Internet Explorer's Back button takes you back to the page that was showing before.
• Restore Defaults: Click this button to restore all Tabbed Browsing Settings.

Don't forget to click OK after making your choices. If you chose an option that requires restart, close Internet Explorer and restart it.