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How to set up Firefox so tabs are on the bottom line of the tool bar.

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  • Last reply by cor-el

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I'm using Firefox 16.0.1. Currently the tabs for the Firefox windows are on the toolbar line just below the "File/Edit/.../Tools/Help" tool bar. Using the Customize function, how do I set up Firefox so that tabs for the Firefox windows are on the bottom line of the tool bars?

I'm using Firefox 16.0.1. Currently the tabs for the Firefox windows are on the toolbar line just below the "File/Edit/.../Tools/Help" tool bar. Using the Customize function, how do I set up Firefox so that tabs for the Firefox windows are on the bottom line of the tool bars?

Chosen solution

Beginning in Firefox 16 (or 15, maybe), the previous method of right-click in a toolbar area and de-selecting "Tabs on Top" has been removed by the developers. That option now appears only when tabs are not on top. As soon a you select the item "Tabs On Top" to move the tabs to the top, the item disappears from the right-click menu. I do not know the developer's reasoning for changing the way in which that option works. In my opinion, an easier way for users would be a check box in Options > Tabs for "Tabs on Top".

Beginning in Firefox 16 (or 15, maybe), to move the tabs to the bottom of the toolbar area (not "On Top"), you must edit a preference using about:config.

  • Info on about:config and using it - http://kb.mozillazine.org/About:config
  • To change the option so that tabs are not on top, find the preference browser.tabs.onTop using about:config, then double click that preference, or right-click then choose Toggle, to change the value to false. (true=Tabs on Top; false=tabs not on top)
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Chosen Solution

Beginning in Firefox 16 (or 15, maybe), the previous method of right-click in a toolbar area and de-selecting "Tabs on Top" has been removed by the developers. That option now appears only when tabs are not on top. As soon a you select the item "Tabs On Top" to move the tabs to the top, the item disappears from the right-click menu. I do not know the developer's reasoning for changing the way in which that option works. In my opinion, an easier way for users would be a check box in Options > Tabs for "Tabs on Top".

Beginning in Firefox 16 (or 15, maybe), to move the tabs to the bottom of the toolbar area (not "On Top"), you must edit a preference using about:config.

  • Info on about:config and using it - http://kb.mozillazine.org/About:config
  • To change the option so that tabs are not on top, find the preference browser.tabs.onTop using about:config, then double click that preference, or right-click then choose Toggle, to change the value to false. (true=Tabs on Top; false=tabs not on top)

Modified by TheOldFox

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Well this did work but it took me a long time to figure out how to apply the information. Too bad the developers made this much harder in Foxfire 16.

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You can submit feedback to the developers by using Help > Submit Feedback on the Firefox menu. You will not get a response and you have a limited number of characters input.

I have already submitted a suggestion to place a check box on the Options > Tab panel for "Tabs On Top" to make the selection/de-selection of that option easier for users. The more feedback they get, the more likely someone will pay attention, so I encourage you to post your feedback

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Some reading (please do not comment in bug reports)

  • bug 755646 - Hide UI for toggling tabs on top unless the user disabled tabs on top
  • bug 755593 - Remove tabs-on-bottom mode