hidden tabs & windows and how to identify open windows

Haim Gurman 0 Reputation points
2026-10-16T20:02:40.9+00:00

hidden tabs & windows, how to unhide and how to identify open windows when pressing window selection -desk-1 -2 etc that should show which web site it's on

Microsoft Edge | Tabs, address bar, and search | Windows 11
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  1. AI answer

    2026-10-16T20:03:35.87+00:00

    Windows 11 Task View identifies open windows and virtual desktops, while Edge’s tab controls identify the individual websites open inside each browser window.

    Show every open window across Desktop 1, Desktop 2, and others

    1. Open Start → Settings → System → Multitasking.
    2. Expand Desktops.
    3. Set On the taskbar, show all the open windows to On all desktops.
    4. Set Show all open windows when I press Alt+Tab to On all desktops.

    This makes windows from every virtual desktop available from the taskbar and Alt+Tab, rather than showing only windows from the current desktop.^1^

    To inspect and manage desktops:

    • Press Windows key + Tab to open Task View. The open window thumbnails appear above the Desktop 1/Desktop 2 row.
    • Select a desktop to see its windows.
    • Click a window thumbnail to open it.
    • To make the desktops easier to identify, click a desktop’s name and rename it—for example, Personal websites or Work.
    • Use Windows key + Ctrl + Left/Right Arrow to move between desktops.^1^

    Task View can show the Edge window’s title, which is usually the active tab’s page title, but it does not expand that window to list every website tab.

    Make Edge websites appear in Alt+Tab

    Go to Start → Settings → System → Multitasking, then find the setting for displaying tabs from apps when snapping or pressing Alt+Tab. Select:

    • 3, 5, or 20 most recent tabs to show Edge webpages as separate Alt+Tab entries.
    • Don’t show tabs if you want Alt+Tab to show only complete Edge windows.

    After selecting a recent-tabs option, hold Alt and repeatedly press Tab. Edge tab entries should display their page titles, making the websites easier to identify.^2^

    Find tabs hidden inside an Edge window

    If tabs are present but have been compressed or pushed out of view:

    1. Right-click any visible Edge tab.
    2. Select Turn on vertical tabs.
    3. Use the scrollable tab list on the left to locate and select the website.

    Vertical tabs are a practical workaround when a large number of tabs no longer fit across the horizontal tab bar.^3^

    Useful Edge shortcuts include:

    • Ctrl+Tab — next tab
    • Ctrl+Shift+Tab — previous tab
    • Ctrl+1 through Ctrl+8 — select a numbered tab
    • Ctrl+9 — last tab
    • Ctrl+Shift+T — reopen the last closed tab
    • Ctrl+W — close the current tab
    • Ctrl+Shift+W — close the current Edge window^4^

    A minimized window is not hidden permanently: open Windows key + Tab or click its taskbar icon to restore it. If an Edge tab was actually closed, use Ctrl+Shift+T or open History with Ctrl+H.

    References

    1. Configure Multiple Desktops in Windows | Microsoft Support
    2. Windows 11
    3. When I open a new tab, it disappears into a black hole on the right side of the tab bar. Why? - Microsoft Q&A
    4. Windows
    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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  2. Hendrix-V 20,225 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-10-17T03:47:54.7833333+00:00

    Hi Haim Gurman,

    Thanks for clarifying what you’re trying to identify. The important point here is that browser tabs and Windows virtual desktops are managed separately.

    Windows can identify which Edge window is on a particular virtual desktop, but the individual websites inside that window are Edge tabs rather than separate Windows windows.

    A simple workaround is to:

    • Use one separate Edge window for each virtual desktop.
    • Keep the appropriate website tabs within that window.
    • Rename the virtual desktops so their purpose is easy to identify.

    This should make it much easier to tell which group of websites belongs with each desktop.

    I hope this helps make your desktop and tab organization easier to manage.

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