Remove the limit on essentials

[Squidgical]

Currently there is a limit of 12 essentials tabs.

I know that Zen is perfectly capable of handling more, as I currently have 15 essentials. Whatever file they are stored in can be read if it contains more than 12 entries, and they will be rendered and linked up correctly.

Possible implementation

Under settings > tab management, add a config for "maximum essential tabs". Have it default to 12, have the input increment/decrement buttons limit it to 0-12 (or 0-15, 0-18, whichever you want to support), outright ban values less than 0, display a warning for typed-in values above 12 (or 15, 18, whatever) to say that this many tabs may cause issues and is not recommended.

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For now, where is the file (linux, ubuntu) that tracks essential tabs, or how can I edit essentials manually? I don't care for this arbitrary limit and want to add more essentials.

[dosubot[bot]]

Hi @Squidgical! I'm Dosu and I’m helping the desktop team.

Zen Browser enforces a hard limit of 12 essentials tabs in recent versions, but users who had more than 12 before the limit was enforced can still use them—though you can't add more through the UI now. Multiple users have reported having more than 12 essentials (even up to 32), and the browser will render and link them correctly, but the UI restricts adding new essentials beyond the limit. This limit is intentional to prevent UI issues, and maintainers recommend using bookmarks or pinned tabs for more than 12 essentials [source].

There is currently no documentation or discussion specifying the exact file or location where essentials tabs are stored on Linux/Ubuntu, nor instructions for manual editing. Users have requested a configurable limit or a way to edit essentials directly, but this is not implemented yet [source]. If you want to experiment, Zen's config and user data are likely stored in a hidden folder in your home directory (such as ~/.config/zen-browser or ~/.zen-browser), and the essentials list is probably in a JSON or similar file. If you find it, make a backup before editing, and be aware that the browser may overwrite changes or become unstable if the format is incorrect.

If you do discover the file and format, you can try adding more essentials manually, but there is a risk of data loss or UI breakage, especially after browser updates. For now, there is no officially supported way to bypass the limit or edit essentials directly [source].

To reply, just mention @dosu.

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