FIrefox - Vertical tab bar with auto hide

instructions.md

What to expect

Graphical aspect may vary depending on your choices in following the instructions below, but the end result should look something like this:

Enable Firefox features

Go to about:config and set all of the following to true:

    toolkit.legacyUserProfileCustomizations.stylesheets
    layers.acceleration.force-enabled
    gfx.webrender.all
    gfx.webrender.enabled
    layout.css.backdrop-filter.enabled
    svg.context-properties.content.enabled
    
    # LINUX ONLY - WORKAROUND FOR BAR HIDING ON DRAG EVENT
    widget.gtk.ignore-bogus-leave-notify = 1

Write your userChrome.css

1. Find your Firefox profile folder (about:support --> "Profile Directory")
2. Create a folder named chrome inside it.
3. Create a file named userChrome.css inside the chrome folder you just created.
4. Paste in userChrome.css whatever you like from above
5. Restart Firefox for changes to take effect. If nothing changes, try going to about:profiles and click the "Restart Normally" button in the upper right portion of the screen. Thanks @kr1s7ian for pointing this out.

To hide the "classic" horizontal tab toolar entirely

Paste this in your userChrome.css:

#TabsToolbar
{
    visibility: collapse;
}

To decrease the size of the sidebar header

Paste this in your userChrome.css:

/**
 * Decrease size of the sidebar header
 */
#sidebar-header {
  font-size: 1.2em !important;
  padding: 2px 6px 2px 3px !important;
}
#sidebar-header #sidebar-close {
  padding: 3px !important;
}
#sidebar-header #sidebar-close .toolbarbutton-icon {
  width: 14px !important;
  height: 14px !important;
  opacity: 0.6 !important;
}

To remove the sidebar header entirely

Paste this in your userChrome.css:

#sidebar-header {
  display: none;
}

To auto-hide the tab sidebar

Paste this in your userChrome.css:

#sidebar-header {
  /* display: none; */
  visibility: collapse !important;
}

/* Hide splitter */
#sidebar-box[sidebarcommand="_3c078156-979c-498b-8990-85f7987dd929_-sidebar-action"] + #sidebar-splitter {
  display: none !important;
}

/* Shrink sidebar until hovered */
:root {
  --thin-tab-width: 32px;
  --wide-tab-width: 300px;
}
#sidebar-box:not([sidebarcommand="_3c078156-979c-498b-8990-85f7987dd929_-sidebar-action"]) {
  min-width: var(--wide-tab-width) !important;
  max-width: none !important;
}
#sidebar-box[sidebarcommand="_3c078156-979c-498b-8990-85f7987dd929_-sidebar-action"] {
  overflow: hidden !important;
  position: relative !important;
  transition: all 300ms !important;
  /*transition: all 0ms 0s !important;*/
  min-width: var(--thin-tab-width) !important;
  max-width: var(--thin-tab-width) !important;
  z-index: 2;
}
#sidebar-box[sidebarcommand="_3c078156-979c-498b-8990-85f7987dd929_-sidebar-action"]:hover,
#sidebar-box[sidebarcommand="_3c078156-979c-498b-8990-85f7987dd929_-sidebar-action"] #sidebar {
  /*transition-delay: 0s !important;*/
  transition: all 300ms !important;
  min-width: var(--wide-tab-width) !important;
  max-width: var(--wide-tab-width) !important;
  z-index: 1;
}
#sidebar-box[sidebarcommand="_3c078156-979c-498b-8990-85f7987dd929_-sidebar-action"]:hover {
  margin-right: calc((var(--wide-tab-width) - var(--thin-tab-width)) * -1) !important;
}

To auto-hide the horizontal tab bar when the sidebar is active

Paste this in your userChrome.css:

#main-window #titlebar {
  overflow: hidden;
  transition: height 0.3s 0.3s !important;
}
/* Default state: Set initial height to enable animation */
/* #main-window #titlebar { height: 3em !important; } */
#main-window[uidensity="touch"] #titlebar { height: 3.35em !important; }
#main-window[uidensity="compact"] #titlebar { height: 2.7em !important; }
/* Hidden state: Hide native tabs strip */
#main-window[titlepreface*="XXX"] #titlebar { height: 0 !important; }
/* Hidden state: Fix z-index of active pinned tabs */
#main-window[titlepreface*="XXX"] #tabbrowser-tabs { z-index: 0 !important; }

And then go to Sidebery settings > General > Preface value, enable it and set it to XXX.

Now You also need to remove indent when the bar is collapsed, or you won't be able to see all tabs

Go to SideBery settings --> Styles editor and add:

#root:not(:hover){
  --tabs-indent: 0;
}

EXTRA: Window close button

Credits: AndryGabry on my Patreon and @XargonWan here on github.

If you need the "window close" button, you can add it to your address bar.

1. Comment out this line:

/* Hidden state: Hide native tabs strip */
/*#main-window[titlepreface*="XXX"] #titlebar { height: 0 !important; }*/

2. Add the following:

/*Reference https://www.userchrome.org/*/
/* Hide title bar but keep window controls (minimize, maximize, close) */
/*Hide tabs and other things inside the titlebar, except window buttons*/
#main-window[titlepreface*="XXX"] .tabbrowser-tab{  display: none !important; }
#main-window[titlepreface*="XXX"] .scrollbox-clip{  width: 0 !important; }
#main-window[titlepreface*="XXX"] #alltabs-button{  display: none !important; }
#main-window[titlepreface*="XXX"] .toolbar-items{  display: none !important; }
/*Make sure that the titlebar and navbar are both on the same line*/
#main-window[titlepreface*="XXX"] #navigator-toolbox{  display: flex !important; box-sizing: border-box; justify-content:space-between; flex-direction: row-reverse;   flex-wrap: wrap; }
#main-window[titlepreface*="XXX"] .titlebar-spacer{  display: none !important; }
#main-window[titlepreface*="XXX"] #nav-bar{border-radius: 5px 0 0 0; display: flex; box-sizing: border-box; padding-top: 2px; align-items: center; flex: 1; flex-basis: 50%; width: 100% !important; }
/* on GNOME you can use max-width: 48px below, if you only have the "Close" button on windows (default) */
#main-window[titlepreface*="XXX"] #titlebar{border-radius: 0 5px 0 0; border-left: none !important; margin-top: 1px; flex: 1; flex-basis: 50%; width:10% !important; display: flex; max-width: 100px;   align-items: center;background-color: var(--toolbar-bgcolor) !important; border-left: 1px solid var(--toolbar-color);}
#main-window[titlepreface*="XXX"] #titlebar:-moz-window-inactive{opacity: 1 !important;}
#main-window[titlepreface*="XXX"] #TabsToolbar > *:not(.titlebar-buttonbox-container) {display: none !important;}
#PersonalToolbar {width: 100% !important; }
#tab-notification-deck {width: 100% !important;   flex-basis: 100%; width: 100% !important;}

and modifying the last part of the css:

Thank you! I can confirm it works on other platforms too, so I updated the gist.

Ciao Morro, i tested on my arch xfce and all is fine, but in windows host can't see minimize, maximize and close button. Any suggestion?

Hi! I'm in trouble, I tried to add the section about close window button, but it turned out like this:

Furthermore, toggle sidebery sidebar button don't show again the orizontal tab bar

I have this same problem too on Linux, and tried doing what you recommended in the following replies but it still doesn't work...:( it would be very nice to have the window control buttons in the top right when Sidebery's side bar is active....

I'm having this glitch on Win10. I tried tweaking the css, but I can't manage to make the buttons look right.

Also, above the minimize button the border is not in line with the rest of the window, as you can see in the screenshot. My priority would be fixing the close button's position first, though.

Hi! I'm in trouble, I tried to add the section about close window button, but it turned out like this:

Furthermore, toggle sidebery sidebar button don't show again the orizontal tab bar

Most likely you still have to comment out the lines relative to: To hide the "classic" horizontal tab toolar entirely

/* #TabsToolbar
{
visibility: collapse;
} */

Try it out!

Ok, noticed that the window control buttons instructions were actually implemented in the main post and after following them it works perfectly fine on Linux. The only issue is on Windows just like @giordiemk mentioned. But other than that it works perfectly fine.

My post was referred to the comment of @IvanLusso about showing the horizontal tab bar.

My post was referred to the comment of @IvanLusso about showing the horizontal tab bar.

Sorry, I wasn't referring to you. I was responding to my earlier comments mentioning the issue of the window control buttons not displaying...

For now essentially 2 issues: no orizontal tabs any more and cutting the first bookmark.

@Gt1ult I think i found a solution about the sidebar cutting the first bookmark.

I managed to fix it by commenting out the line z-index: 2; in

#sidebar-box[sidebarcommand="_3c078156-979c-498b-8990-85f7987dd929_-sidebar-action"] {
  overflow: hidden !important;
  position: relative !important;
  transition: all 300ms !important;
  /*transition: all 0ms 0s !important;*/
  min-width: var(--thin-tab-width) !important;
  max-width: var(--thin-tab-width) !important;
  /* z-index: 2; */
}

Like shown here ↑

For now essentially 2 issues: no orizontal tabs any more and cutting the first bookmark.

@Gt1ult I think i found a solution about the sidebar cutting the first bookmark.

I managed to fix it by commenting out the line z-index: 2; in

#sidebar-box[sidebarcommand="_3c078156-979c-498b-8990-85f7987dd929_-sidebar-action"] {
  overflow: hidden !important;
  position: relative !important;
  transition: all 300ms !important;
  /*transition: all 0ms 0s !important;*/
  min-width: var(--thin-tab-width) !important;
  max-width: var(--thin-tab-width) !important;
  /* z-index: 2; */
}

Like shown here ↑

Thanks so much!!! Indeed problem solved!!!

Got this odd padding. How do you make the background fill the entire space?

i have no buttons (minimize close and maximise) in linux and windows

I'm having this glitch on Win10. I tried tweaking the css, but I can't manage to make the buttons look right.

Also, above the minimize button the border is not in line with the rest of the window, as you can see in the screenshot. My priority would be fixing the close button's position first, though.

do you solved it?

I'm having this glitch on Win10. I tried tweaking the css, but I can't manage to make the buttons look right.
Also, above the minimize button the border is not in line with the rest of the window, as you can see in the screenshot. My priority would be fixing the close button's position first, though.

do you solved it?

Well, not quite. I tweaked the css a little, but I'm not yet satisfied.