Tip #618

Change Themes automatically to match your operating system’s light/dark mode setting.

Whether you switch between light and dark modes on your computer manually or you’ve set up a schedule to switch between them automatically, you can select different Vivaldi Themes for both operating system’s light and dark modes.

To assign themes for light and dark modes:

  1. Go to Settings > Themes > Theme Schedule.
  2. Select “Operating System”.
  3. Choose a theme for both Light and Dark.
Theme Settings in Vivaldi browser. An arrow is pointing at the Theme Schedule section.

Tip #484

Tinker with Vivaldi’s appearance, all the way down to the menu icon.

On macOS, Vivaldi browser’s main menu is baked into the operating system, but on Windows and Linux you can access the main menu from the Vivaldi logo icon in the top left corner of the browser window.

If you wish, you can replace the Vivaldi logo Vivaldi icon with a more generic, so-called “Hamburger”, ☰ menu icon. To do that:

  1. Go to Settings > Appearance > Menu > Menu Icon Style.
  2. Select “Menu Icon”.
Corner of a Vivaldi browser window highlighting the generic "hamburger" menu icon.

Tip #482

Set a custom wallpaper for the Start Page in Vivaldi on Android.

The Start Page is a gateway to the web, showcasing all your favorite bookmarks – Speed Dials. Learn how to jazz it up with a cool wallpaper. ✨

Here’s how to set a custom wallpaper on Android:

  1. Go to Settings > Appearance > Start Page Wallpaper.
  2. Choose a wallpaper from the presets or select one from your Android phone’s/tablet’s gallery.
Start Page Wallpaper settings and example in Vivaldi on Android.

Tip #476

Enable compact layout of menus if you prefer your menu items to be more tight-knit.

Vivaldi 6.7 introduced a new design to the browser’s main and context menus. Among other changes, each menu item is given more space (great for when your screen supports touch interactions). If you prefer the previous design, you can enable it with a quick setting change.

To enable compact menus:

  1. Go to Settings > Appearance > Menu.
  2. Enable “Compact Layout”.
  3. Restart the browser.

Tip #427

Set a custom wallpaper for the Start Page on Vivaldi on iOS.

The Start Page is a gateway to the web, showcasing all your favorite bookmarks, Speed Dials. So, why should you be restricted to a plain startup page with limited functionality and design?

Here’s how to set a custom wallpaper on iOS:

  1. Go to Settings > Appearance > Wallpapers.
  2. Choose a wallpaper from the presets or select one from your iPhone’s/iPad’s gallery.

Tip #126

Enable “Always Show Controls” to keep toolbars visible on Vivaldi for Android.

When you scroll down on a page in Vivaldi’s Android app, the Tab Bar, Address Bar and bottom toolbar will be hidden automatically to free up screen real estate on the mobile devices’ smaller screen. When you scroll up, the toolbars will be displayed again.

If you’d rather keep the toolbars visible at all times:

  1. Go to  Vivaldi menu > Settings > Appearance.
  2. Toggle on Always Show Controls.

Tip #77

Display the main application menu horizontally on the top edge of the browser window.

On macOS, Vivaldi’s main menu is always fully visible. On Windows and Linux, by default, the main menu can be accessed by clicking on the little Vivaldi logo in the top left corner of the window. But it can also be displayed in full on the top edge of the browser window.

To display the horizontal menu:

  1. Go to Settings > Appearance > Menu > Menu position.
  2. Select Horizontal.

Alternatively, toggle horizontal menu’s visibility from Vivaldi menu > View > Horizontal Main Menu.

Sections of the browser window displaying the main menu both as a button and horizontally.
Top: Vivaldi button menu. Bottom: Horizontal menu

Tip #3

On Vivaldi Themes, click on “Download theme” to preview the theme before installing it.

When browsing themes.vivaldi.net for new Themes for your desktop Vivaldi browser, you can get a live preview of the theme by clicking “Download theme”.

Then you have 1 minute to see how the theme looks. Make sure to check the Start Page to see how the awesome background image looks behind your Speed Dials. Other places where the user interface colours are clearly visible are Panels, Settings, Mail, etc.

When you’re satisfied with the theme, click “Install” in the pop-up to add the theme to your Theme Library. If it’s not really what you were looking for, click “Cancel” or let the preview time run out.