Rudy’s OBTF Rudolf Adamkovič

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Tab Bar

A global minor mode in Emacs that maintains, per frame, a collection of named window configurations, called tabs. Similar to Emacs registers that store window configurations, but named and “more visual”.

Note. Not to be confused with the similarly looking Tab Line mode that focuses on buffers in windows instead of window configurations per in frames.

Enabled for all frames with M-x tab-bar-mode RET.

Key Description Note
C-x t 2 duplicate tab like C-x 2
C-x t b ... new tab w/ buffer like C-x 4 b
C-x t f ... new tab w/ file like C-x 4 f
C-x t d ... new tab w/ directory like C-x 4 d
C-x t p ... new tab w/ project command like C-x 4 p
C-x t t ... new tab w/ command like C-x 4 4
C-TAB next tab also <wheel-up>
C-S-TAB previous tab also <wheel-down>
[C-u N] C-x t m move tab right, N times also S-<wheel-up>
C-u - [N] C-x t m move tab left, N times also S-<wheel-down>
C-x t r rename tab to …  
C-x t RET find tab named …  
C-x t 0 close tab like C-x 0
C-x t 1 close other tabs like C-x 1

Show the tab bar.

(add-hook 'after-init-hook #'tab-bar-mode)

Hide the tab bar if only one tab exists.

(with-eval-after-load 'tab-bar
  (setopt tab-bar-show 1))

© 2025 Rudolf Adamkovič under GNU General Public License version 3.
Made with Emacs and secret alien technologies of yesteryear.