Window views
A window view sets how much of Acira's toolbar and sidebar you see. Full shows everything. Seamless shows only the page and brings the toolbar back when you point at an edge. Use a smaller view when you want more room to read.
The four views
| View | What you see | Shortcut |
|---|---|---|
| Full | Everything, always visible. This is the default. | None by default |
| Compact | A smaller toolbar. Everything is still there. | None by default |
| Focus | Only what you need to read and navigate: back, the address bar and the menu, plus the button that turns Focus off. | Ctrl+Shift+F |
| Seamless | Shows only the page. Point at an edge of the window for the toolbar or the sidebar. | Ctrl+Shift+L |
The tab layout (along the top or in a sidebar) is a separate choice. See Sidebar and Tabs. Window views work with all three layouts. With Sidebar + address, which puts tabs and the address bar in the sidebar, only Full and Seamless are offered, because there is no toolbar to make smaller or to hide.
Change the view
There are two kinds of change. Some set the default for every window. Others change only the window you are in.
Set the default for every window
- Open Settings › Appearance › Layout › Window view.
- Choose a card: Full, Compact, Focus or Seamless. Each card shows a drawing of the view with your current tab layout. With Sidebar + address there are two cards, Full and Seamless. If you had chosen Compact or Focus, Full shows as ticked there, and your choice comes back when you pick another layout.
- The View row in the Acira menu has three buttons for Full, Compact and Seamless (two, Full and Seamless, with Sidebar + address). They set the default too.
- Right-click the toolbar. The menu lists all four views with a check on the one in use. It also sets the default.
- The commands Full view and Compact view in command search set the default. They have no default key. You can bind one in Settings › Shortcuts.
Change only this window
- Press Ctrl+Shift+F to turn Focus on or off in this window.
- Press Ctrl+Shift+L to turn Seamless on or off in this window.
- Choose the Focus button in the toolbar (Turn Focus on or Turn Focus off). It is one of the toolbar buttons that are visible by default.
- Choose the Focus or Seamless switch in the Acira menu. In the default menu these sit under More tools.
A window keeps its own view when you restart Acira. Turning on the view you are already in returns the window to the default. If the default is that view, it returns to Full. Views never stack: choosing one replaces the one you had.
On a Mac, use Cmd+Shift+F and Cmd+Shift+L.
Compact
Compact shrinks the toolbar. With tabs along the top, the tab strip and the toolbar share one short row.
The full tab strip and toolbar open for a moment when you need them, then go back. They open when you:
- open a new blank tab,
- press Ctrl+Tab to cycle tabs, or
- press an address bar key such as Ctrl+L, Ctrl+E, Ctrl+K or Alt+D.
They go back when you press Enter or Esc, click the page, or switch tabs. Pointing at or clicking the row never expands it, so buttons do not move under the pointer. A menu or popup you opened from the toolbar keeps it open, and it closes a moment after you finish.
Focus
Focus keeps back, the address bar and the menu. The other toolbar buttons are hidden. The Focus button stays so you can turn Focus off, and with tabs in a sidebar the sidebar button stays too. In a narrow window, the buttons that no longer fit move into a More toolbar buttons menu.
Seamless
Seamless shows only the page. The toolbar and the sidebar float over it when you ask for them.
- Point at the top edge of the window to show the toolbar.
- Point at the sidebar's edge to show the sidebar (when tabs are in a sidebar): the left edge, or the right edge if you put the sidebar on the right.
- Press the keys that need the address bar, such as Ctrl+L, and the toolbar appears for you to type.
The pointer has to rest in a thin strip at the edge for a moment (about a tenth of a second). A fast move toward the edge, or pushing against it, counts as intent and shows it sooner. Settings › Appearance › Interface › Animation speed changes the wait: with Fast or None the pointer rests for about 60 milliseconds instead of 90. Moving across the edge onto another monitor does not show it. The toolbar or sidebar stays while a menu or popup from it is open and while you type in the address bar, and it hides a moment after you move away.
The first time you turn Seamless on, Acira says Seamless is on. Point at the top or left edge for the toolbar or sidebar. Leave with and your shortcut. With the sidebar on the right it says right edge.
If you used the older Hide until needed option, Acira changed it to Seamless once. It tells you the sidebar hides too, and that the shortcut keeps it open.
Settings that affect window views
| Setting | Where | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Window view | Settings › Appearance › Layout | Full |
| Show the toolbar at the top edge (Seamless only) | Settings › Appearance › Layout | On |
| Show the sidebar at the left edge (or right edge; Seamless with tabs in a sidebar, not Sidebar + address) | Settings › Appearance › Layout | On |
| Show the closed sidebar at the left edge (or right edge; Full, Compact or Focus, with tabs in a sidebar, not Sidebar + address) | Settings › Appearance › Layout | Off for Full, on for Compact, on for Focus. Each view has its own switch. It also shows in Settings › Tabs › Sidebar. With Sidebar + address a closed sidebar always comes back from its edge, so the switch is not shown. |
| Animation speed | Settings › Appearance › Interface | Premium. Fast and None shorten the wait before a hidden toolbar or sidebar shows. |
| Shortcuts Focus view, Seamless view, Full view, Compact view | Settings › Shortcuts | Ctrl+Shift+F, Ctrl+Shift+L, none, none |
| Which toolbar buttons show | Right-click the toolbar and choose Customize toolbar | Extensions, Focus mode and Profiles are visible. The Acira menu always stays. |
The edge switches show only for the view you have selected, so choose a view to see its switch. Toolbar buttons are described in Toolbar and menu.
Limits
- The edge zone is thin. If you use several monitors, rest the pointer at the window's own edge.
- In Seamless, a hidden toolbar means the buttons are not on screen. Use the keys: Ctrl+L for the address bar, F10 to move focus to the toolbar (Alt+Shift+T also does this on Windows).
- In a Tor tab or window, Ctrl+Shift+L runs New Tor circuit for this site instead of Seamless. See Tor.
- On Windows with Sidebar + address, the page reaches the top of the window and the window buttons sit in a small notch that shows when you point at the top. See Sidebar.
Last updated November 8, 2026