Using Tabs on Firefox for Android

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  • Revision id: 89422
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  • Creator: Joni
  • Comment: added link to tablet ui article on certain sections.
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  • Reviewed by: heyjoni
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Firefox for Android lets you easily create and manage multiple tabs. This article will show you how it's done.

Where are my tabs?

To view your tabs in Firefox for Android:

  1. The numeric tab icon on the upper right corner of your screen shows you how many tabs you have open. Tap on it to view all your open tabs.
    Android Numeric Tab Icon phone 480 2
  2. Firefox displays your open tabs as thumbnails (for tablets, this list will be on top for portrait and on the left side for landscape). Visit any tab by tapping on it.
    Android Tab List phone 480tab list android 36
  3. To close a tab, tap on the X next to it.
For Firefox on a tablet, see Getting started with the Firefox for Android tablet browser.

Tap the title bar and start entering text. If you type something that matches one of your open tabs, Firefox will display the "Switch to tab" option in the auto-suggestions. Tapping "Switch to tab" will take you to your existing tab instead of opening a new tab.

Android switch to tab jelly bean 480 wide

How do I open a tab?

Open a blank tab

  1. Tap the tab icon to display the panels.
    numeric tab
  2. Tap the + (the plus sign) at the top right corner of the screen (bottom left corner on tablets in landscape mode) to open a new tab.
    new tabm36 new tab
  3. The new tab will load the Awesome Screen and a list of your Top Sites, Bookmarks and History. You can choose from these home screen options or type in a new search or URL.
For Firefox on a tablet, see Getting started with the Firefox for Android tablet browser.
  1. To open a link in a new tab, do a long-tap on the link to open the contextual menu.
  2. On the contextual menu, tap Open Link in New Tab, or Open Link in Private Tab if you don't want Firefox to save that site in your history.
    Mobile Tabs9opentab m36{/for)
  3. To switch to your new tab, view your tabs and tap on its thumbnail.
    To quickly switch to your new tab, tap on the Switch option that appears immediately after you open a new tab.
    switch tab 33

Private Tabs

Switch to Private browsing mode if you don't want Firefox to remember your browsing or search history. Tap the tab icon at the top of your screen, then tap the mask icon.

private tabsm36 private browsing

From here, you can view a list of tabs you've opened in Private browsing mode, or open a new, private tab by tapping the plus icon private plus.

For Firefox on a tablet, see Getting started with the Firefox for Android tablet browser.

How do I share my tabs?

Firefox Sync lets you share tabs with your other devices.

Retrieving synchronized tabs on your Android device

If you have tabs open on another device, you can access them on your Android device by tapping the number at the top of your screen, and then tapping the Sync icon.

synced tabs

If you have tabs open on another device, access them on your home screen:

  1. Tap on the address bar to bring up your home screen.
  2. Scroll to the left until you see the Synced Tabs panel:
    m36 sync tabs
  3. You will see your open tabs on the list grouped by device.
Tip: Pull down on the Sync screen to manually refresh any synchronized tabs.

Send a tab from your Android device

If you have a tab open on your Android device, you can use the Send Tab to Devices feature to open that tab on another computer:

  1. Tap the menu button (either at the bottom right on some devices or in the upper right of the browser) and then the share button android share (you may need to tap More first) .
  2. Choose Send Tab to Devices on the drop down menu.
  3. Select the devices you want to share the tab with, and then tap Send.
    share tab
  4. The tab will load on your other device after it syncs (usually within a minute). If you've sent the tab to a desktop or laptop computer and want the tab to load sooner, go to the Tools menu and choose Sync Now.

How do I close tabs?

View your tab list and tap X next to the tab you want to close.

For Firefox on a tablet, see Getting started with the Firefox for Android tablet browser.

If you've closed a tab by mistake, don't worry! You can recover that last tab by quickly tapping the Undo option that appears for a short time after you close a tab.

recover tab androidundo close tab m36

Close all open tabs

To close all your open tabs, tap on the tab list icon, then tap the menu button The template "androidmenulocation" does not exist or has no approved revision., then Close All Tabs.

close all tabs androidm36 close all tabs

View and reopen previously closed tabs

To see a list of tabs you've recently closed, return to the Awesome Screen (if you're not already on it, tap on the URL bar) and swipe to the right until you see the Recent Tabs panel. From here, you can view and reopen individual tabs or an entire session:

recent tabs android