Worskpaces/Containers feature feedback

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44

I like that in Firefox the temporary container extension keeps each tab isolated from others regarding the data stored by websites - unless it’s opened from a parent tab within the same domain (configurable).

Essentially, this establishes a fresh start for every new tab, allowing for multiple logins to the same site, convenient verification of whether a link you wish to share works, or testing websites without the risk of previous cookies/data causing issues.

Additionally, it enhances privacy.

That first party site data and cookies are shared among all tabs making the above examples impossible within one profile/window.

Profiles are heavyweight, need to be created and do not share history, bookmarks or extensions. They have their place for broad separation of online personas (e.g. work vs home) but are not suited for quick access to clean slates.
I’m on temporary tab #15661 in FF as of now (not sure when I reset that counter) but there’s no way I would ever create (and delete) 15K profiles.

Plus they require separate windows.

For me containers mean separation of web site data/cookies between tabs, i.e. they “contain” or restrict the data to the context of that tab (and its parent or children within the domain).
As long as children inherit from their parent tab (within the same domain) and I have the option to open a tab in the same (or a specific) container manually, I don’t really see a situation where I wish tabs to share cookies and site data.

Workspaces (or tab groups) OTOH are useful to organize tabs by projects, tasks or whatever but that’s on logical level for me and should not be reflected in data sharing between tabs.

I specifically would not want a workspace to share web site data between tabs automatically for example to enable two different logins to the same site within a single workspace.

Switching mostly works - accessing them at the same time is a problem though.

Just the data that is stored in the browser by the web sites, i.e. cookies and site data.

Yes, but I’d want all the tabs in the same window to be separated - different login or not.

Nice to have but not a priority for me.
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Ephemeral third party storage extended to the first party would do the trick for me I think, i.e. don’t partition it on the first party domain but on the tab - bonus points if children in the same domain inherit from their parent tab.

2 Likes
45

Hey Agustin, thanks for reaching out to the community for getting feedback’s. I’m not sure what is so complicated about “Workspaces”. I would suggest to check out the workspace feature yourself in other browsers. They provide an abstraction and organization of browsing experience that tab groups lack.

When I used Opera, I usually kept 3 workspaces, one for ‘Work’, one for ‘Personal’, and one for anything miscellaneous ‘Misc’. If the work workspace would get filled with too much tabs when working on some project, I created another workspace for that project, say Until the projects lifetime and with tabs pertaining only to that project.

I was looking for more secure browser options and turned to Brave, only to find the feature missing. It would be great to have such feature in Brave.

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  • What do you like or dislike about the Workspaces/Multi-account containers/Profiles features you’ve used in other browsers?

Firefox’s containers extension doesn’t allow you to manually input a URL to automatically open in a specific container. Instead, you must visit the site, click the menu “Always open in this container” for while browsing that URL, for it to always open in that container. However, if a website uses two domains between a link, you can’t add that URL because you have to act quickly before the redirection occurs. Once that redirected URL is cached in your browser, seeing the redirection again is nearly impossible because the redirects will happen instantly.

So, example: logging into Microsoft

There is

Microsoft[.]com - official page
live[.]com - happens in between the login and then sends the user to the login page after fully loaded (the redirect)
login[.]live[.]com - login page

You must add all these URLs for “automatically open in this container” to work. But trying to add the redirected URL live[.]com would be difficult. As, it usually loads with a few milliseconds.

Therefore, the ability to manually add URLs to the “always open in this container” is a feature I would like to see if containers is implemented.

  • What are the biggest frustrations you experience when trying to keep your different online activities separate and organized in your browser?

On Firefox’s containers extension, they claim that cookies are separated in each container, but when a user accesses the cookies menu, it displays all cookies without indicating which ones belong to which container. I would greatly appreciate it if Brave implemented a feature that shows which cookies are in which container.

Additionally, I would like a Settings page that displays each shield setting a user has individually set for each website in the container.

  • Why doesn’t the profile functionality work for you? You can have multiple profiles, each working as a clean slate for the browser in the practical sense.

The constant need to switch between profiles just to surf and login on the web is an issue for me. If there were containers, I could stay within that profile and surf between separate containers for each browsing activity within that profile. Instead of having to manually switch. It is better for productivity.

  • For what specific situations would you find it helpful to have separate “spaces” or “containers” within your browser? (e.g., work projects, personal projects, different clients, social media management, etc.)

I prefer using it for multiple Google accounts and work accounts. I can simultaneously sign into two different accounts within the same browsing profile. Additionally, it helps me maintain separate activity for each account. Since containers typically isolate cookies and browsing history from each other, this feature ensures that my online activities remain distinct and private.

  • What problems do you encounter when switching between different online accounts (e.g., multiple email accounts, social media profiles, work accounts)?

Without a container feature, I must log out of the account I’m already signed into to log into another one. Additionally, I can’t sign in to two accounts on the same service simultaneously within a profile.

  • What kind of information do you want to keep separate between these “spaces” (e.g., Browse history, cookies, logins, extensions, themes)?

Browsing history, extensions, cookies, logins, themes. and Shield settings.

Make an option for extensions/themes. That lets us choose which extension/theme we want excluded or included.

You should allow us to have individual shield settings within these containers for each website that do not affect other containers.

  • When separating different logins/sessions, is having them visible and accessible within the same browsing window important to you?

YES

  • Are there any specific websites or web applications that you would always want to open in a particular “space” automatically?

Yes, I would like the option to automatically open certain website URLs that I manually pick into a container.

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47

It reminds me that there is also no option to have a bookmark that would automatically open the link in a specified container. I think it would be useful to have that to have a shortcut way to access contained accounts

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48

I signed up for the community specifically to answer this post. As I answer your questions I want to provide context for my specific uses cases where the approach that firefox uses are super helpful.

In my job, I often need to log into the same application with different credentials. It may be multiple logins to the same SaaS application with different RBAC permissions, it may be conducting testing of applications while interacting with it many roles. For example imagine you are debugging or testing a workflow that includes task assigned to many different users, approvals, etc and you need to quickly act as different users in different capacities. Creating separate profiles for every identity I may need to use in a testing session and keeping track of 10 windows is a royal pain. The ability to instantiate containers on the fly, color code the tabs and operate in a single browser is far more useful. I realize my use case is not one anyone should design a whole browser for, but it is the extreme use case extension of folks who want to have multiple social media profile.

Blockquote * What do you like or dislike about the Workspaces/Multi-account containers/Profiles features you’ve used in other browsers?

Creating new profile on the fly is more hassle then its worth. I want a to create new containers on the fly when creating a new tab

Blockquote * What are the biggest frustrations you experience when trying to keep your different online activities separate and organized in your browser?

Separate login identities and histories

Blockquote * Why doesn’t the profile functionality work for you? You can have multiple profiles, each working as a clean slate for the browser in the practical sense.

Creating new profiles is cumbersome, tend to require separate windows and having 10+ around is a pain

Blockquote * For what specific situations would you find it helpful to have separate “spaces” or “containers” within your browser? (e.g., work projects, personal projects, different clients, social media management, etc.)

Mostly work

Blockquote * What kind of information do you want to keep separate between these “spaces” (e.g., Browse history, cookies, logins, extensions, themes)?

Logins, cookies, history. I wuld rpefer if themes and extensions where shared across containers

Blockquote * When separating different logins/sessions, is having them visible and accessible within the same browsing window important to you?

Yes, I want to able to switch to them by looking at tab color and maybe decorations instead of hunting down 10 different windows. This might be a strange point as well, but if Im screen sharing my browser for a demo or for a cooperative work session, I dont want to share my entire desktop and I dont want to swap between sharing 10 windows, I want to share a single browser window and swap between the various containers in it

Blockquote * Are there any specific websites or web applications that you would always want to open in a particular “space” automatically?

Not particularly important to me. I would like to be able to create a new tab in a new container, and if opening a new tab from link within a container to open it in the same container as the parent. Duplicating a tab in a container should duplicate in the same container

At the end of the day the biggest issue for me having separate logins into the same application in the same window and being to visually identify which tabs belong to which container

2 Likes
50

Q: What do you like or dislike about the Workspaces/Multi-account containers/Profiles features you’ve used in other browsers?
A:

  • I have been using Edge for more than two years, and I like it for its Workspace and Profile features.
  • Edge has a profile system linked to your email account. You can create multiple profiles, as well as a guest profile that is not linked to an email or synced with other devices (similar to Chrome).
  • In Edge, I can create workspaces/containers that share basic profile settings, including history, security settings, passwords, autofill data, etc. However, it keeps tabs organized based on interests, such as entertainment, personal development and learning, personal data, and social media. This helps keep the browser neat and clean. The workspace status, including tabs, is automatically synced across different devices.

Q: What are the biggest frustrations you experience when trying to keep your different online activities separate and organized in your browser?
A: Keeping activities separate is challenging because tabs and URLs often get mixed up with others.

Q: Why doesn’t the profile functionality work for you? You can have multiple profiles, each working as a clean slate for the browser in the practical sense.
A: A profile is a top-level separation that allows you to separate personal and work activities. However, as I mentioned in my first answer, all of the activities I described are personal and have nothing to do with my professional work. Some activities might be duplicated in another profile, such as professional learning, development, and communication.

Q: For what specific situations would you find it helpful to have separate “spaces” or “containers” within your browser? (e.g., work projects, personal projects, different clients, social media management, etc.)
A: As mentioned in my first answer, spaces or containers help keep activities organized. Not all tabs are needed at all times. For example, when I’m watching entertainment content, I don’t need social media, learning, or personal finance tabs. Keeping those tabs in a separate space or container helps free up memory (even though tab optimization still consumes some memory). For example, I have a total of 83 personal tabs that I can move to separate spaces. This helps manage browser performance smoothly and avoids clutter or confusion.

Q: What problems do you encounter when switching between different online accounts (e.g., multiple email accounts, social media profiles, work accounts)?
A: In Brave, there is no easy way to switch profiles—it is hidden within menus, making it inconvenient.

Q: What kind of information do you want to keep separate between these “spaces” (e.g., Browse history, cookies, logins, extensions, themes)?
A:

  • I would like to keep browser history, extensions, and themes separate.
  • I think cookies, logins, passwords, and other security settings should be managed at the profile level.
  • However, the history of each space should be visible at the profile level, but one space’s history should not be visible in another space within the same or different profile.

Q: When separating different logins/sessions, is having them visible and accessible within the same browsing window important to you?
A: If it is within the same profile, then it’s good to have so that we don’t need to log in repeatedly. If I want a separate session, I can either open a private window or switch to a different profile.

Q: Are there any specific websites or web applications that you would always want to open in a particular “space” automatically?
A: It would be good to have a configurable option. For example, in the “Entertainment” space, Netflix or Amazon Prime Video could open automatically. However, if this feature is not available, it wouldn’t make a significant difference.

4 Likes
51

I use firefox since forever, with tab groups and account containers since a few years. I’ve been trying vivaldi lately because it has close-enough feature parity in lots of details, and it has native workspaces, but it has sync issues and an ssd-thrashing IO bug. Brave is my 3rd and final option: I won’t consider edge, opera, firefox spinoffs, etc, but it really needs workspaces at the very least, and container tabs are highly desired.

I mainly want to get off firefox because the android app is slow and buggy, but firefox’s sync (especially for history and open tabs) and features are unrivaled. If features are delegated to addons, they must work as flawlessly as if they were native and respect my privacy etc.

Workspaces

I have a bunch of tab groups or workspaces, namely work, a hobby project, a research topic, various media rabbit holes, etc. I work in my “default” space where short-lived tabs are mixed together like a messy desktop, and then separate some tabs into a workspace when a topic becomes long-lived and has multiple relevant tabs.

I keep working in a single window because I don’t like an app having multiple windows at OS level in addition to tabs inside the app, it’s too nested. It’s faster and more convenient for me to use a named tab group switcher in the browser than to alt-tab between nameless windows. Having multiple windows open also makes closing the browser more annoying since you have to use File->exit to preserve them.

Firefox’s tab groups addon or vivaldi’s workspaces give me a list of named workspaces and let me switch my whole window (excluding pinned tabs) to one of them instantly. Crucially, the tabs in the group I switch out of are not closed, just hidden, and no second app instance has to start nor another window has to open.

Containers

I simply want container tabs to isolate cookies between tabs with a color code, so I can be logged into the same website with different accounts seamlessly in the same window and identify the container easily. Opening a link from within a container tab should open the new tab in the same container.

I hope that, if support for isolating extensions etc is included, the settings will be designed in such a way that the cookies-only usecase is still trivial to set up and not a complicated chore. Profiles are not an option for me because I want to work with a single window and be able to mix the tabs together.

  • AWS was my initial usecase for this (dev, acc, prod logins) but I think they’ve finally been adding native support for multilogin recently.
  • Next came reddit, which still does not support multilogin to this day and has a login form that my keepassxc doesn’t reliably detect for some reason, making switching an absolute PITA.
  • I also want browser level multilogin for google services despite them having it built in, because their impl has a UX issue for me: maps, play store, etc sometimes switch to my secondary account for some reason. That causes android apps to be registered to the wrong account, maps history/places not being available and being added to the wrong account, etc. I want to use my secondary account only in a container because it has a specific usage scope and data confidentiality, but I also want its gmail tab open at all times next to my normal email.
3 Likes
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Context : I am self hosting some apps at home. I use and manage my personnal Authentik (you can see it as a self hosted “Sign in with Google”), and I want to test my apps against multiple test accounts. I also have a LOT of browser extensions (privacy, ad blocking, password manager).

  • What do you like or dislike about the Workspaces/Multi-account containers/Profiles features you’ve used in other browsers?

Profiles are clustering extensions, for some people like me that have a TON of extensions this causes problems to manually sync everything between profiles. This also prevents the use of multiple tabs in the same window.

  • What are the biggest frustrations you experience when trying to keep your different online activities separate and organized in your browser?

I do not have any frustration for now with Firefox’ implementation. The main problem is the absence of good alternatives for Chromium based browsers.

  • For what specific situations would you find it helpful to have separate “spaces” or “containers” within your browser? (e.g., work projects, personal projects, different clients, social media management, etc.)

With Firefox, I can log into my admin consoles to get logs and do adjustments. Then, open a new tab in the same window with another container. I will then login to test accounts and try to use my apps. This keeps my extensions, but does not share accounts and logins. I can then debug and fiddle with settings without having to log out of the test account and reconnect to the admin console.

  • What kind of information do you want to keep separate between these “spaces” (e.g., Browse history, cookies, logins, extensions, themes)?

The goal of power users would be some system of inheritance.
First, I have the “main” space.
Then, my Work space syncs a selection of extensions and all browser settings from the Main.
Last, a “Testing” space syncs everything but cookies from Main.

This behaviour would be very useful for those constantly switching accounts, and doing it automatically would be even better. Regex, URL or pattern matching rules would be amazing.

  • When separating different logins/sessions, is having them visible and accessible within the same browsing window important to you?

Oh yes totally. Color differentiation is the best way IMO to visually classify those, unless dealing with more than 4 spaces.

But this can be too much.

In my opinion, I would first focus on a restricted set of features.

  • Only separating cookies and local storage.
  • Ability to create tabs in different spaces.
  • Ability to move tabs in different spaces (essentially re opening the URL in a new tab within the target space).
  • Allowing anything else to access/interact with those pages (extensions, browser settings, history)

The last thing: Ability to use it on main Chromium based browsers (Google chrome, Chromium patches especially). Like, allowing access to those basic features within only an extension. Then, all the advanced features can be blocked to be used on Brave. This allows a fair “complexity/end user ease of use” ratio, allowing users that wants this feature only and are not willing to switch browser to get a toe in Brave ecosystem (and maybe push them to switch to Brave).

Anyway, thanks for the hard work!

3 Likes
53

As an Opera user, trying to switch to Brave, I really am struggling without workspaces. Unlike tab groups, which serve similar organization functionality, workspaces essentially act as separate windows inside a single one. I can have a bunch of tabs open, with youtube for example, and switch to my work related workspace, which changes the tabs I see while the video is still playing and tabs in other workspaces are still open and will not load again when I switch, since they are not closed. I would be very happy if Brave had this as a sidebar option like in Opera

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As someone who used to use edge there are a couple notable mentions for instance edge had a much improved screenshot ctrl + shift + s implementation with the ability to edit the photos.

But the absolute MAIN thing I WISH was here was native workspace integration, I don’t exactly know how the other browsers are doing it but is so useful to be able to flip from work to play and have all my tabs switch. Then when I need to work I can just go back to working.

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Hi there – first off, thanks for considering this! I really enjoy using Brave, and I appreciate your commitment to privacy. That said, browsers are also essential for getting work done, and I believe productivity and privacy should go hand in hand.

With that being said, here are my responses:

What do you like or dislike about the Workspaces/Multi-account containers/Profiles features you’ve used in other browsers?

Likes:

  • Zen Browser’s workspace switching:
    • Fast and seamless switching between workspaces using keyboard shortcuts (e.g., jump to workspace 1–10).
    • Scroll through workspaces with a mouse or trackpad in either vertical or horizontal tab panels.
    • Perfect for context-switching as a product manager working on multiple projects daily.
  • Essential Tabs in Zen:
    • These are pinned tabs that persist across all windows and workspaces.
    • Useful for always-access links like a product roadmap or sprint planning board.
  • Peeking a link (Zen feature):
    • Lets you preview a link without opening it in a new tab or window.
    • Maintains focus when navigating between related documents or links (e.g., issue trackers or spreadsheets).

Dislikes:

  • Non-persistent workspaces in Zen:
    • Opening the same workspace in a second window does not replicate the tabs from the first window.
    • Pinned tabs carry over, but regular tabs do not, creating a fragmented experience.
    • Pinned tabs are not synced across windows—they only persist per window instance.
  • No workspace suspension in Zen:
    • All tabs are always active to allow for quick switching.
    • There’s no way to suspend a workspace or freeze tabs to save resources.
  • Edge’s workspace behavior:
    • Closing and reopening a workspace forces every tab to reload, slowing productivity.
    • There’s no balance between performance and persistence.

What are the biggest frustrations you experience when trying to keep your different online activities separate and organized in your browser?

  • No automated way to assign certain links or domains to specific workspaces or tab groups.
  • Tab groups are too limiting:
    • You have to scroll or manually locate the group in a sea of tabs.
    • Doesn’t match the clarity and separation of dedicated workspaces.
  • Hard to maintain an organized flow across multiple simultaneous projects or tasks.

Why doesn’t the profile functionality work for you? You can have multiple profiles, each working as a clean slate for the browser in the practical sense.

  • I avoid mixing personal activity with work on the same machine:
    • Company devices can be monitored, so it wouldn’t make sense to use a personal profile on a work laptop.
    • Even with profile separation, privacy isn’t guaranteed at the system level.
  • Profiles don’t solve my actual problem:
    • My browser use is project- and task-oriented, not just personal vs. work.
    • I need a workspace model like:
      • Workspace 1 – Roadmap Project 1 (5 tabs)
      • Workspace 2 – Roadmap Project 2 (7 tabs)
      • Workspace 3 – Roadmap Project 3 (8 tabs)
      • Workspace 4 – Roadmap Project 4 (3 tabs)
      • Workspace 5 – Roadmap Project 5 (3 tabs)

For what specific situations would you find it helpful to have separate “spaces” or “containers” within your browser?

(e.g., work projects, personal projects, different clients, social media management, etc.)

  • Managing multiple work projects that require different tabs, tools, and logins.
  • Separating different client environments (e.g., Client A’s Jira vs. Client B’s).
  • Keeping task types isolated—e.g., email/communication vs. product docs vs. research vs troubleshooting and triaging.

What problems do you encounter when switching between different online accounts?

(e.g., multiple email accounts, social media profiles, work accounts)

  • At work, many of my apps require 2FA or multifactor authentication to access them. It’s an understandable painpoint. It would be preferred that with workspaces I can keep persistent logins between apps. So if i am under the same profile and authenticated an app in Workspace 1 that should carry over to the other workspaces.

What kind of information do you want to keep separate between these “spaces”?

(e.g., Browse history, cookies, logins, extensions, themes)

  • I believe that the separation should happen at the profile level, not the space level. You switch to your work profile for work and your personal profile for personal items. If there is a way to open a workspace in a profile that would be great. However, personally, I always keep a profile for work and one for home which has different email accounts.

When separating different logins/sessions, is having them visible and accessible within the same browsing window important to you?

  • Yes.
    • Being able to switch between contexts without opening a new window is ideal.
    • A unified view with clear workspace boundaries improves flow and reduces clutter.

Are there any specific websites or web applications that you would always want to open in a particular “space” automatically?

  • Yes:
    • I’d love the ability to define a domain or partial URL and have it always open in a designated workspace or container.
    • Examples:
      • jira.company.com → always opens in “Jira” workspace
      • youtrack.com/projectX → opens in the “Project X” workspace