Feature Request: Improve Tab Navigation

[nikvnt]

Currently, in Zen, the only built-in way to cycle through tabs via keyboard is by using Ctrl + Tab and Ctrl + Shift + Tab, which also loads tabs that are currently unloaded. This becomes problematic when users have many tabs open, especially when a large number of them are in an unloaded state.

Another option is using Ctrl + [number], but this only works for the first few tabs and becomes impractical for users who have dozens or even hundreds of tabs open (tag me in — and a few friends I know of, too).

The suggestion is:

It would be very useful to introduce custom tab navigation shortcuts like:

Ctrl + ↑ / Ctrl + ↓: Move to the previous or next visible tab, without loading unloaded tabs.
(or alternatively, allow Ctrl + Tab and Ctrl + Shift + Tab to be customized to behave this way, or some other way that the user might prefer when setting it up - like Alt + ↑, or Alt + ↓ too)

Ctrl + U + ↑ / Ctrl + U + ↓: Move to the previous or next tab, including unloaded tabs, and load them as needed.
(This is just a suggestion — it doesn't have to be the "U" key, but rather something to explicitly signal that the user wants to navigate and load unloaded tabs.)

This would provide a more predictable and efficient tab navigation experience for users, without relying on number-based shortcuts. It would also reduce accidental tab loading, which can be resource-intensive and inconvenient.

[nikvnt]

(Note: i'm currently working on implementing that)

[kritishd8]

any updates?

[nikvnt]

Should have it fully done soon! I'm a little busy with some other stuff, but part of it has been done already. I’m currently working on turning the “press U” feature into a configurable option in the menu. The available settings will be:

1. Always cycle through unloaded tabs
2. Never cycle through unloaded tabs
3. Press U to toggle while cycling

[JSGRD22]

There exists a shortcut key that serves equivalent functionality to your proposed Ctrl + U + ↑ / Ctrl + U + ↓. It's Ctrl+PgUp / Ctrl+PgDn, the universally accepted keybinds for switching tabs. It could be a good idea to create additional implementations around it rather than replace it or create redundancies.

That aside, I personally think there are three areas I would expand upon your suggestion that attempts to solve the same problems:

1. Ctrl+Tab in recently used order should be turned on by default and should not show the unloaded tabs. The latter is widely requested, while the former enables a feature that is a lot more efficient and makes a lot more sense on a browser with 3 separated tab zones by default. Note that Arc, a heavy source of inspiration for this browser, has this as the default behaviour. UPDATE: the latter seems to be already implemented, but I was not aware of it before.
2. An option for Ctrl+[number] to exclude essentials and/or pinned tabs so that it can be used for ephemeral tabs directly; and potentially separate keybinds to navigate these excluded tabs by numbering.
3. I would advise against having separate keybinds to decide whether to load unloaded tabs as it adds unnecessary confusion and friction to a common everyday use case that should be as simple as possible. It would be better to just have a configuration whether to skip unloaded tabs to appeal to people with differing needs without compromising on the intuitiveness and ease of use.

[nikvnt]

Oh, thanks a lot for your answer, man.

Regarding the existing Ctrl + PgUp / PgDn shortcut: that’s exactly where my point stems from. Many users, myself included, use TKL or compact keyboards that don’t include dedicated PgUp/PgDn keys. So the idea isn't to create redundancy, but rather to ensure accessibility and flexibility, allowing users to rebind those functions to whatever is available on their setup. In fact, the current support for both Ctrl + PgUp & PgDn and Ctrl + Tab & Ctrl + Shift + Tab already introduces a form of redundancy. Customization just builds on that by acknowledging different user contexts.

Addressing your points:

1. I do agree. Having "Ctrl + Tab in recently used order" as the default setting without including unloaded tabs would greatly improve usability. But i still think it should be customizable anyways,
2. Excellent suggestion. I have nothing to say about it.
3. I understand your concern about adding complexity. Still, I believe having an optional behavior... like "always include unloaded tabs," "never include," or "press U to toggle while cycling" could serve a broader range of users without introducing confusion, especially if it's implemented clearly in settings.

[mskelton]

Related to this is being able to customize ctrl+tab shortcuts. On macOS, ctrl+tab is an awkward shortcut to press and being able to customize to another set of shortcuts for forward/backwards would be huge.

[alessandromazza98]

100% agree

[mlelien]

It'd be best if we could choose the shortcut to go to next tab and previous tab. I have it set up on Arc as CMD + 2 (next tab) and CMD + 1 (previous tab). This is the only thing holding me back to switching to Zen. Thank you for working on this @nikvnt

[kritishd8]

any updates?

[nikvnt]

Hey there, thanks for checking in. So, actually, yeah. I've gotten busy throughout the last month and wasn't able to finish it - though i had already started developing it the first time you commented here -, but now i did it. I'm testing it and checking some stuff with Cheff before opening a PR.