Summary
Add an option to display tabs vertically in a left sidebar (similar to VS Code's activity bar), with icons by default and labels on hover. The primary motivation is reclaiming vertical space so more terminal output is visible when working with 6–15 tabs open.
Problem
The current horizontal tab bar consumes a fixed strip of vertical screen real estate. When a user has a moderate number of tabs open (6–15), this means less room for terminal output. There is no option to move tabs to a vertical sidebar, which is a common layout pattern in modern developer tools (browsers, editors, IDEs) that allows the tab list to scale without eating into the primary content area.
Expected behavior
- A setting or toggle to switch the tab bar from horizontal (top) to vertical (left sidebar).
- In vertical mode: tabs appear as icons by default; hovering reveals the full tab label.
- The sidebar would function like VS Code's activity bar — a narrow strip on the left that does not intrude on terminal output height.
- Clicking a tab switches to that session, just as today.
Actual behavior
Tabs are only available in a horizontal bar at the top of the window. There is no vertical tab option. When many tabs are open, the horizontal bar truncates or overflows, and the bar itself permanently reduces the visible terminal output area.
Reproduction steps or desired workflow
Current friction:
- Open Warp with 6+ tabs.
- Notice the horizontal tab bar consumes vertical space that could otherwise show terminal output.
- There is no setting to move tabs to a sidebar.
Desired workflow:
- In Warp Settings, enable "Vertical tabs / sidebar tab bar."
- Tabs move to a narrow left sidebar showing session icons.
- Hovering an icon shows the session label as a tooltip.
- The full terminal output area is now taller, with no horizontal tab bar overhead.
Artifacts
None attached.
Impact
Users with many sessions open lose meaningful vertical space to the horizontal tab bar and have no recourse. A vertical sidebar tab mode is a widely expected layout option in terminal and developer tooling, and its absence is a blocker for users who prefer or require compact, information-dense terminal views.
Warp version
0.2026.03.18.08.24.01
Operating system
macOS 15.7.4
Summary
Add an option to display tabs vertically in a left sidebar (similar to VS Code's activity bar), with icons by default and labels on hover. The primary motivation is reclaiming vertical space so more terminal output is visible when working with 6–15 tabs open.
Problem
The current horizontal tab bar consumes a fixed strip of vertical screen real estate. When a user has a moderate number of tabs open (6–15), this means less room for terminal output. There is no option to move tabs to a vertical sidebar, which is a common layout pattern in modern developer tools (browsers, editors, IDEs) that allows the tab list to scale without eating into the primary content area.
Expected behavior
Actual behavior
Tabs are only available in a horizontal bar at the top of the window. There is no vertical tab option. When many tabs are open, the horizontal bar truncates or overflows, and the bar itself permanently reduces the visible terminal output area.
Reproduction steps or desired workflow
Current friction:
Desired workflow:
Artifacts
None attached.
Impact
Users with many sessions open lose meaningful vertical space to the horizontal tab bar and have no recourse. A vertical sidebar tab mode is a widely expected layout option in terminal and developer tooling, and its absence is a blocker for users who prefer or require compact, information-dense terminal views.
Warp version
0.2026.03.18.08.24.01
Operating system
macOS 15.7.4