This site will have limited functionality while we undergo maintenance to improve your experience. If an article doesn't solve your issue and you want to ask a question, we have our support community waiting to help you at @FirefoxSupport on Twitter and/r/firefox on Reddit.

Search Support

Avoid support scams. We will never ask you to call or text a phone number or share personal information. Please report suspicious activity using the “Report Abuse” option.

Learn More

How Do You Move/Keep Newest Active Tab Kept The Left?

  • 11 cavab
  • 1 has this problem
  • 1 view
  • Last reply by StevenB

more options

Every time I open a new website, no matter if I have other/older tabs going , and when I start a New Tab, I want all new tabs when open to stay LEFT and NOT slide to the right each time I open a new tab. Essentially I want the new tab to do the opposite of what does now by default. Any fix or extension/app for this? Thanks for your help.

Every time I open a new website, no matter if I have other/older tabs going , and when I start a New Tab, I want all new tabs when open to stay LEFT and NOT slide to the right each time I open a new tab. Essentially I want the new tab to do the opposite of what does now by default. Any fix or extension/app for this? Thanks for your help.

Modified by StevenB

All Replies (11)

more options

This is a default setting of firefox and if you want to change this. Your required to use "userChrome.css" edits to makes those changes.

more options

Hi Steve, I'm not 100% sure what the behaviour you want is, but could you try the following add-on, and tell us if this creates the behaviour you want:

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/move-active-tab-left/

more options

There are two prefs available on the about:config page that specify where to open a new tab that you can check.

  • browser.tabs.insertAfterCurrent
  • browser.tabs.insertRelatedAfterCurrent

You can open the about:config page via the location/address bar. You can accept the warning and click "I accept the risk!" to continue.

more options

Hi StevenB, if I understand your question:

When you open a new tab, Firefox scrolls the tab bar to make sure the new tab is visible on the bar.

You want Firefox not to do that, and just leave the bar positioned as you had it.

I don't know whether an add-on could do that.

more options

Thank you for your reply. I just simply want the new tab that is open to stay to the left and not slide to the right every time I open a new website.

more options

That's what I think you mean is correct. Basically every time I open a new website I want the new website tab to stay to the left and the old website moves to the right I always want the new website tab to remain to the left every time I open a new website, and all the other websites or tabs move to the right. I do not want tab a slide to the right I wanted to remain static to the left. There used to be an app for this a while ago before Firefox had a big makeover and changed a lot of things were apps we no longer work anymore. Thank you very much.

more options

StevenB said

I just simply want the new tab that is open to stay to the left and not slide to the right every time I open a new website.

Let's discuss it in more concrete examples.

Let's say you are viewing tab #1 on the bar and you open a new tab using Ctrl+T. Where should the new tab open?

  • immediately to the right of tab #1, before tab #2 if a tab #2 is open
  • immediately to the left of tab #1, moving tab #1 to the #2 position
  • to the right of all existing tabs (default behavior)
  • somewhere else

Second example, you Ctrl+click a link in tab #1 to direct it to open in a new tab. Where should the new tab open?

  • immediately to the right of tab #1, before tab #2 if a tab #2 is open (default behavior
  • immediately to the left of tab #1, moving tab #1 to the #2 position
  • to the right of all existing tabs
  • somewhere else

Or maybe the problem is that you don't want Firefox to switch tabs when you direct a link to a new tab, but instead stay on the same page until you are reading to look at those tabs. Is that the problem?

Note: I use a "left to right" language and new things open to the right. Possibly if you use a "right to left" language new things open on the left.

more options

You can pin a tab to make it stay steady at the left end. In Firefox 69 you can find pin tab item in the three-dot page action drop-down list and you can add this button via the right-click context menu to the location bar in the related page actions container.

more options

Sorry for the vast delay in replaying here. Personal issues kept me away here.

Just like old Windows Explorer years ago, when you initially launched the browser and enter a URL, a new tab would appear to the far LEFT of course as it's the first active solo new tab. Then if you typed a second URL, the the first tab you opened would slide RIGHT and the second new active URL would be to the left of the first one you opened. So all old tabs slide RIGHT and active new tab stays permanently far LEFT .

SO in other words, I want any new URL that opens to open in a' static LEFT tab "cemented" far LEFT each time I open a new URL...where all the older tabs would continue to slide to the RIGHT.

Right now in FF, the active tab slides to the left when you open a new URL --I don't want it to do that. I want to keep the active newest tab permanently to stay to the LEFT. Also I do not want to keep right mouse clicking each time a new tab one opens and slide it far LEFT . Defeats the purpose.

There is no app that I know of that does this. Seems so simple. Maybe in About:Config page there is. There was an app that did this but no longer compatible with FF 69.

This isn't that complicated. Just keep the active new tab static to the LEFT permanently. Thanks for everyone's help here.... Steven

Modified by StevenB

more options

StevenB said

I want any new URL that opens to open in a' static LEFT tab "cemented" far LEFT each time I open a new URL...where all the older tabs would continue to slide to the RIGHT. Right now in FF, the active tab slides to the left when you open a new URL --I don't want it to do that. I want to keep the active newest tab permanently to stay to the LEFT. Also I do not want to keep right mouse clicking each time a new tab one opens and slide it far LEFT . Defeats the purpose.

Hi Steven, it's possible to write an extension that detect a new tab opened somewhere on the tab bar and move it to the first position. There is already an open source one to move it to the last position (https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/everything-right/), so someone could create a derivative that switches from end of bar to start of bar.

more options

Thanks very much I'll look into it.