V7 Workaround | "Remove Tab Spacing in Maximized Windows"

RammsteinAM

"Remove Tab Spacing in Maximized Windows" can not be turned off

In Windows and Linux I restore and move the maximized windows by dragging the top bar. To make this work on Vivaldi, I have the "Remove Tab Spacing in Maximized Windows" option turned off, which used to create a small bar between the tabs and the top edge of the screen, acting as the window's title bar.
However, in Vivaldi 7.0, this feature is broken. Instead of dragging the window, it drags the tab underneath the cursor.

I reported it (VB-109998) on October 1st, and on October 18th I learned that it has been confirmed, but no developer has been assigned to it yet. To be honest, the whole situation feels frustrating because:

A feature I use frequently is now broken.
It was reported quite some time ago.
In my opinion, fixing it shouldn’t be too difficult (yes, I am a software engineer).
The bug is tied to the new UI, meaning it’s not an entirely unexpected issue or one caused by highly unpredictable circumstances - new features often introduce bugs. However, leaving these issues unresolved makes me feel that the product's quality control has room for improvement.
This discourages me from filing bug reports in the future.

I wish I could be excited about the release of a new major version of Vivaldi, but alas...

In case someone else also needs, here’s a custom CSS workaround. Of course, this doesn’t restore the "Remove Tab Spacing in Maximized Windows" functionality; it simply hides the elements that activate tabs from the top edge:

.tabs-top#browser.maximized:not(.mac, .tabs-at-edge) .accordion-toggle-arrow:before,
.tabs-top#browser.fullscreen:not(.tabs-at-edge) .accordion-toggle-arrow:before,
.tabs-top#browser.maximized:not(.mac, .tabs-at-edge) .tab-wrapper.extended:before,
.tabs-top#browser.fullscreen:not(.tabs-at-edge) .tab-wrapper.extended:before {
  display: none;
}

--
ModEdit: Title

DoctorG

@RammsteinAM said in "Remove Tab Spacing in Maximized Windows" can not be turned off:

(VB-109998

I confirmed for 7.0.

blackguard

Confirming as well.
7.0.3495.6 (Stable channel) (64-bit)
Windows 11 24H2 26100.2033

neltherion

@RammsteinAM
I can confirm too.

Vivaldi 7.0.3495.6 (Stable channel) (64-bit)

andysh

Thanks to @RammsteinAM for the workaround, this was driving me crazy, such a stupid bug. Slowly beginning to lose faith in Vivaldi.
Just to clarify for people looking to use the custom CSS: it has to be first enabled in vivaldi://experiments/ (Allow CSS modifications checkbox), then in Settings/Appearance there is Custom UI modifications section, Select folder with a css file where you paste the code above.

Carmantir

Confirming that it's still an issue.
7.0.3495.18 (Stable channel) (64-bit)
Windows 10 Version 22H2 (Build 19045.5131)

neltherion

New update just rolled and the issue continues to irritate me

Vivaldi 7.0.3495.23 (Stable channel) (64-bit)
Windows 11 Version 23H2 (OS Build 22631.4460)

mib2berlin

@neltherion
Hi, please check the change logs, these updates are mostly security updates and important fixes, Vivaldi crash for example.
VB-109998
Tab spacing in maximized window couldn't be enabled
Confirmed, no developer assigned.

Change logs:
https://vivaldi.com/blog/desktop/

neltherion

@mib2berlin Thanks. Is there a way to upvote VB-109998 to bring it to attention?

mib2berlin

@neltherion
No, the Vivaldi team decide the priority of a bug and these graphical glitches get even lower priority then bugs let Vivaldi stop working or major feature not working for the users.
The report was updated for Vivaldi 7.0.

Cheers, mib

RammsteinAM

@mib2berlin said in V7 Workaround | "Remove Tab Spacing in Maximized Windows":

No, the Vivaldi team decide the priority of a bug and these graphical glitches get even lower priority then bugs let Vivaldi stop working or major feature not working for the users.

It makes perfect sense that bugs causing Vivaldi to stop working should have a higher priority (even though Vivaldi still crashes almost daily on my Linux machine). However, I disagree that this is just a graphical glitch. To me, this feature is more important than, let's say, Calendar and Email features combined (well, because I don't use them). This is why I wish "low priority" bugs had higher priority than implementing new features, because the more features Vivaldi gets, the lower the priority for such issues will become.

RammsteinAM

Not fixed in 7.1

I wish Vivaldi's UI was open source so the community could fix and open pull requests for things like this,
or this visual bug
any some other "irrelevant" bugs.

treeshateorcs

this switch cannot be turned ON on wayland, linux! (using sway wm)

Cretec

@treeshateorcs Still works for me on Wayland in KDE.

treeshateorcs

@Cretec maybe it has to do with the fact that sway has no real maximize

Cretec

@treeshateorcs Yeah that is entirely possible. It may not be able to detect it. I'll have to try it on my other system when I get a chance. Not Sway, but has Hyperland on it, will likely react similar.

xMarkos

Still broken in March 2025. Kind of ridiculous to be honest, as the checkbox in options actually adds a 1px gap. Seems like a "feature" rather than a bug. I think I am finally ready to move away from chromium based browsers for a while.

Pesala

@RammsteinAM said in V7 Workaround | "Remove Tab Spacing in Maximized Windows":

I don’t use it, but it is clearly an issue for those who do. Workarounds are fine, in the short-term.
Apparently, it was reported the same day that version 7.0 was released.
Fixing regressions like this should be a top priority and should be fixed by the next stable build.
Yes, it damages the brand to leave regressions unfixed. VB-97070 Panel Toggle button is on Navigation Toolbar, but on Panel Toolbar Edit Dialog. This regression was introduced with a UI change (which moved the Panel Toggle button to the address bar). Reported on 27/4/2023, it is still not fixed.
Do submit bug reports. It is the only way to have a realistic hope of regressions being fixed.

RammsteinAM

@Pesala said in V7 Workaround | "Remove Tab Spacing in Maximized Windows":

Apparently, it was reported the same day that version 7.0 was released.

Nope, that's what frustrates me the most. Vivaldi 7.0 stable was released on October 24th, I reported this on October 1st, 23 days before the stable release. I reported as soon as I discovered it in the developer build because I was afraid it wouldn't be fixed for a long time if reported late. Unfortunately, reporting early didn't help either.

Fixing regressions like this should be a top priority and should be fixed by the next stable build

I totally agree, after this was reported, there were many stable builds including a major 7.1 update. But this is not fixed even in the current latest snapshot v7.2.3617.3.

I don't know, maybe the "Remove Tab Spacing in Maximized Windows" feature visually doesn't fit the new Vivaldi UI, but frankly, I don't care about the UI at this point. I just want to be able to drag the entire browser window, not a tab, when I drag from the top edge of the screen. That was the point of this feature for me, not the visual difference.