Workspaces
A workspace is a separate set of tabs inside one profile. Use workspaces to keep work, study and home apart without opening more windows. Each workspace has its own tabs, pinned tabs, tab groups and split views, and its own name, icon and color.
What belongs to a workspace and what to the profile
| Belongs to the workspace | Belongs to the profile (shared by its workspaces) |
|---|---|
| Tabs, pinned tabs, tab groups, split views, the closed-tab list | Sign-ins and cookies, history, bookmarks, Favorites, the Pull requests folder, extensions, settings |
A workspace does not give you separate sign-ins. For that, make a profile, or lock the workspace so it has its own temporary sign-ins (see Locked workspaces, a beta feature). The workspace panel reminds you of this with Need different sign-ins for a site? and a link to Profiles.
Limits
- A profile can have up to 8 workspaces. Acira says A profile can have up to 8 workspaces. when you try for a ninth.
- Names can be up to 40 characters. Each name in a profile must be different (capital letters do not count as different). Acira says There is already a workspace called {name}.
- A profile always keeps at least one workspace. Acira says Keep at least one workspace.
- Private windows and Tor windows do not use workspaces. Acira says Private windows don't use workspaces. Private and Tor tabs cannot be moved into a workspace.
- A workspace's tabs live in one window at a time. If another window has the workspace, the list marks it window 2 (or the window's number), and choosing it brings that window forward.
Make a workspace
Your profile starts with one workspace, called Main. The workspace switcher appears in the window once you have a second one. Until then, find workspaces in these places:
- Open the profile panel (choose your profile name in the sidebar, or the profile button on the toolbar) and choose New workspace….
- Or open command search (Ctrl+Shift+K) and run New workspace….
- Or right-click a tab, choose Move to workspace, then New workspace…. This starts the new workspace with that tab.
- With two or more workspaces, choose the + button at the end of the switcher row, or New workspace… in the workspace menu.
The new workspace form has these fields.
| Field | What it does | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Up to 40 characters. The empty field suggests Work, Study, Home. | Empty. You must type a name to create it. |
| Icon | Pick one of 16 icons, or type a letter or emoji in A letter or emoji. The icon follows what you type until you pick one yourself. A name like Study takes a book, and Work takes a bag. | The first icon not already used by another workspace |
| Color | No color, Blue, Purple, Pink, Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Cyan or Gray | The first color not used by your profile or another workspace |
| Start with | A new tab (your tabs stay in the workspace you are in), This tab (the tab on screen moves, along with its split view), or All N tabs (every tab moves, and the old workspace starts with a new tab). A line under the choice says where your tabs go. | A new tab, or This tab when you started from a tab's menu |
| Lock this workspace Beta | Gives the workspace its own sign-ins and hides its tabs when you leave. It opens with Windows Hello on Windows, or your Mac's own device verification. See Locked workspaces. | Off |
Choose Create. Press Enter to create it or Esc to leave without changes. Acira then says where your other tabs are and offers Go back.
Switch between workspaces
| Way | How |
|---|---|
| Shortcut | Alt+1 to Alt+8 opens the workspace in that position. On a Mac, use Ctrl+1 to Ctrl+8, because Option plus a number types a character. |
| Next and previous | Ctrl+Alt+PageDown and Ctrl+Alt+PageUp move to the next or previous workspace and wrap around. Both are also rows in the workspace menu. |
| Switcher row | With tabs in a sidebar, click an icon in the row at the bottom of the sidebar, above your profile. The open workspace shows a raised pill, with its name when there are four or fewer workspaces. |
| Workspace chip | With tabs along the top, click the chip at the left end of the tab strip (icon, name, arrow) to open the workspace menu. |
| Title line | With tabs in a sidebar, the top of the tab list shows the open workspace's icon, name and tab count. Click it for the workspace menu. |
| Profile panel | Lists your workspaces. Choose one to open it. |
| Command search | Type the workspace name, or choose Switch to {name}. |
| A tab from another workspace | Choosing a tab from another workspace in tab search switches to it. |
Each workspace remembers the tab you were on and returns to it. If the window has no switcher on screen (in Seamless or Focus view, or with the sidebar closed), a small message names the workspace when you switch, for example Work workspace, 12 tabs.
A workspace that is playing sound shows the sound meter in place of its icon, so you can see where the audio is coming from.
The workspace menu shows your profile and the line in {profile} · same sign-ins and history in each, each workspace with its tab count (or empty), its shortcut and a check on the open one. You can rebind all of these keys in Settings › Shortcuts: Go to workspace 1 to 8, Next workspace, Previous workspace and New workspace…. New workspace… has no default key.
Work inside a workspace
- New tabs open in the workspace you are in.
- Tab shortcuts and commands act on the open workspace's tabs: Ctrl+1 to Ctrl+9, Ctrl+PageDown and Close other tabs.
- Ctrl+Shift+T brings back the newest tab you closed in the workspace that is on screen.
- Right-click a workspace's icon and choose Put workspace to sleep to put its tabs in this window to sleep. The tab you are on, pinned tabs and any tab that cannot sleep right now stay awake. The row is not shown for a locked workspace. See Tab sleep.
- Tab search finds tabs in every workspace. In the tab viewer and command search, matches from other workspaces are listed under In {name}. Choose one to switch there.
- The open workspace's color tints the window frame, but only when the profile has two or more workspaces. The first workspace uses the profile's color unless you give it one of its own.
Move tabs and groups between workspaces
- Right-click a tab, choose Move to workspace, then the workspace. Acira says Moved to {name} and offers Undo.
- Right-click a tab group's header, choose Move to workspace, then the workspace, to move the whole group. Acira says Moved {group} (3 tabs) to {name} and offers Undo. This menu has no New workspace… row.
- With tabs in a sidebar, drag a tab, a split view or a tab group's header onto a workspace icon in the switcher row. While you drag, a banner above the row says where it will go, for example Move to Work or Move Research · 3 tabs to Work, and the icon gets a ring in that workspace's color. Let go on the icon to move it. A group header can go only onto a workspace icon: let go anywhere else and nothing changes.
- A locked workspace shows Unlock {name} first in the banner and takes nothing.
- A tab leaves its tab group when it moves. A split view moves with all its panes. A pane that is also in a tab group stays in the group and leaves the split.
- A group moves whole, with its name, color and tabs. If the other workspace already has a group with that name, the moved group gets a 2 after its name (then 3, and so on).
- You stay in the workspace you are in. If you moved the tab you were on, Acira opens the next tab of this workspace, or a new tab if none is left.
- Private and Tor tabs stay where they are: dragging one onto a workspace icon does nothing.
Rename, change the icon or color, delete
- Right-click the workspace's icon, or choose the ⋯ by the title line, or use the workspace menu.
- Choose Rename… or Icon and color…. You can also double-click the title line, or press F2 on a focused workspace, to rename it.
- Change the fields, then choose Save.
To delete a workspace, choose Delete workspace. If the workspace has pages open, Acira asks once, for example Close 4 tabs and delete Work?, and you choose Delete. Acira then says Workspace {name} deleted with Undo. Undo brings back the workspace and its tabs and groups. Acira remembers your last five deleted workspaces for Undo. You cannot delete your only workspace.
Locked workspaces
You can lock any workspace except the first one. A locked workspace gets its own sign-ins and hides its tabs until you unlock it with Windows Hello (on a Mac, your Mac's own device verification). This is a beta feature. See Locked workspaces.
Import from Arc
When you import from Arc, each Space becomes a workspace with its name, emoji and color. See Bring your data.
Last updated November 8, 2026