Tabs let you keep multiple documents open at the same time, just like browser tabs. Each tab can hold one or more panes, and your layout is preserved when you switch between tabs.
Opening and Closing Tabs
There are several ways to open a new tab:
Right-click any document in the sidebar and select Open in New Tab.
Right-click a Rem Reference, link, or any other navigable item and choose Open in New Tab.
Use the keyboard shortcut
Ctrl+Alt+T(Cmd+Opt+Ton a Mac) to open a new tab.Click the
+button in the tab bar to open a blank tab, then search for a document or create a new one.Middle-click (click the scroll wheel) the empty space to the right of the existing tabs.
Your open tabs appear in the tab bar at the top of the RemNote window. Clicking a tab switches to that tab's content. You can also drag tabs along the bar to rearrange them.
To close a tab, click the X on the tab, middle-click on the tab, or press Ctrl+Alt+W (Cmd+Opt+z on a Mac).
You can find additional tab shortcuts and customize them in Settings > Keyboard Shortcuts > Tabs.
Renaming Tabs
By default, each tab displays the name of the document it contains. You can give a tab a custom name by right-clicking it and selecting Rename.
This is especially useful for dashboard-style tabs that contain multiple panes. For example, a tab with your to-do list on one side and your calendar on the other might be hard to identify by its default name alone — renaming it to something like "Dashboard" makes it easy to find at a glance.
Tabs and Panes
Each tab remembers its own pane arrangement. For example, you might set up a tab with a lecture on one side and your notes on the other using split screen. If you navigate away to a different tab and then come back, your pane layout will be exactly as you left it.
To add a pane inside the current tab, right-click a document and choose Open in New Pane.
For more on working with panes, see Using Multiple Panes / Split Screen.
Locked Tabs
If there's a document you want to keep permanently accessible, such as your to-do list, a dashboard, or an important lecture, you can lock it to the tab bar.
Right-click the tab you want to lock.
Select Lock Tab.
A locked tab stays pinned to the tab bar and cannot be navigated away from. If you click a link or open a document while viewing a locked tab, RemNote opens the target in a temporary tab instead of replacing the contents of the locked tab. This ensures your important documents are always one click away.
To unlock a tab, right-click it and choose Unlock.
Temporary Tabs
A temporary tab lets you quickly view a document without permanently adding it to your tab bar. Temporary tabs are marked with a clock icon and are replaced when you navigate to another document. Only one temporary tab can exist at a time.
The most common way to create a temporary tab is by clicking a link or document while viewing a locked tab. RemNote opens the target in a temporary tab to keep your locked tab intact.
If you want to keep a temporary tab open, click on it once in the tab bar. This converts it into a regular tab that stays open until you close it manually.
If you use RemNote in a web browser, temporary tabs can also appear when you visit a RemNote URL that isn't currently open as a tab.
This can happen when you use your browser's back/forward buttons to return to a document you've already closed, open a browser bookmark to a RemNote document, or navigate directly to a RemNote URL in the address bar.
You can bookmark direct URLs to specific RemNote pages for quick access from your browser. See Using Quick Navigation Routes for a list of available routes.
Tab Bar Visibility
You can control when the tab bar appears, or turn off tabs entirely, in Settings > Interface > Tabs. There are three options:
Auto (Default): The tab bar appears only when you have more than one tab open.
Always Show: The tab bar is always visible, even with a single tab. This is useful if you frequently open new tabs using the + button or want quick access to the tab right-click menu at all times.
Disabled: Hides the tab bar completely.
Suggested Uses
Keep your to-do list locked so it's always one click away, no matter what document you're working in.
Set up a research tab with two panes: a PDF or web source on one side and your notes on the other. Rename it to something descriptive like "Research: Topic" so you can find it quickly.
Lock your Daily Document to quickly jot down thoughts and tasks without losing your place in another document.
Open multiple lectures in separate tabs to quickly switch between topics during study sessions.
Tip: If you used the old Tabs plugin, native tabs replace it with a cleaner, more reliable experience. You can safely disable the plugin after switching to native tabs.