Tip #308

Create a copy of a theme and edit that, instead of changing the original.

Themes in the Vivaldi Browser allow you to make the browser more personal. Though there are many default themes to choose from and a huge selection on themes.vivaldi.net, the one you like might be missing that final touch that makes it perfect for you. But instead of updating the original theme, create a copy of it and update the copy. That way you can go back to the original theme or use it again to create another theme.

To copy and edit a theme:

  1. Go to Settings > Themes.
  2. Select the theme you want to use as the base.
  3. Click on “New Theme”.
  4. Make changes to the copy.
Theme Settings open in Vivaldi. Copied theme is being renamed.

Tip #289

Download Custom Icons for your browser from Vivaldi Themes.

Using Custom Icons with your browser theme, allows you to take the uniqueness of your Vivaldi to yet another level. You can create an icon for each toolbar button yourself or you can make use of the numerous Themes with Custom Icons the creative minds of Vivaldi Community members have shared with everyone.

To download custom icons:

  1. Go to themes.vivaldi.net.
  2. Click on, for example, “View all featured themes” to open a page with all the filtering options.
  3. In the menu on the left, tick the box for “Custom Icons”.
  4. Apply other filters, if you wish.
  5. Find a theme you like.
  6. Download it to get a preview and if you want to keep it, click Install.

To use custom icons from a different theme with your active theme:

  1. Go to Settings > Themes > Editor > Icons.
  2. Make sure “Use Icon Set from” is enabled and select a theme from the drop-down menu.
Theme

Tip #288

Give the Search Field the space it needs by resizing it.

In addition to deciding what elements are displayed on your Vivaldi Browser’s toolbars, you can also adjust the size of some of them, for example, the Search Field on the Address Bar.

To resize the Search Field:

  1. Hover over the left edge of the Search Field.
  2. Click and drag the mouse left to make it bigger or right to make it smaller.

Tip #266

Switch Workspaces with one click with the aid of Command Chains, Toolbar Editor and Custom Icons.

There are some unique ways you can use different Vivaldi features together to make the browser behave the way you want it. For example, with the help of Command Chains, Toolbar Editor and Custom Icons you can take Workspaces to the next level. Here’s how:

Step 1 – Create Command Chains for switching Workspaces.

  1. Go to Settings > Quick Commands > Command Chains.
  2. Create a new chain and give it a name.
  3. Replace the placeholder command with “Switch to Workspace #”. The number corresponds to the order in which you created your Workspaces.

Create a chain for every workspace. In each chain, you can also add other commands that will be executed at the same time. For example, add the command “Switch to theme” to make workspaces visually more different.

Step 2 – Add Command Chain buttons to a toolbar.

  1. Open the Toolbar Editor.
  2. Select the Command Chains section.
  3. Drag the buttons you made for Workspaces to a toolbar of your choice.

Step 3 – Add Custom Icons.

By default all Command Chain buttons looks the same, but you can add Custom Icons to make each button stand out.

  1. Go to Settings > Themes > Editor > Icons.
  2. In the list of icons, find the Command Chains you created.
  3. Select one and replace the default icon with one you’ve created.

For a more in depth description of this feature combination and final results, take a look at our blog post and video here.

One section of Vivaldi Browser's window, showing half of the Address and Panel bars. The latter includes Command Chains with custom icons above other Panel buttons.

Tip #260

Use spaces and separators to create different sections on the toolbars.

Panels and Web Panels on the sidebar, navigation buttons on the Address Bar, tools on the Status Bar – in Vivaldi there are many buttons to click. To organize buttons into groups you can use Space, Flexible Space and Separator elements between them.

To add dividers:

  1. Right-click on a toolbar you want to customize.
  2. Select Edit > Customize Toolbar from the context menu.
  3. Drag a Space, Flexible Space or Separator element from the editor window to the spot on the toolbar where you want to add it.
  4. Click Done.

To remove an element, while the Toolbar Editor is open, drag the element from the toolbar and drop it on the area between toolbars and the editor.

Tip #226

Reset toolbar customizations to start from fresh.

The level to which you can customize the toolbars on Vivaldi’s desktop version is unrivaled. But sometimes we can get carried away with our creativity, so it might help to take a step back and start again with the default configuration.

To reset the toolbars:

  1. Right-click on the toolbar you want to reset.
  2. From the menu, select Edit > Reset Toolbar to Default.
Right-click menu to reset the navigation toolbar open in Vivaldi.

Tip #212

Reorder the menus to have your most used commands at your fingertips.

A browser should adapt to your needs not the other way around. And that’s what Vivaldi does by allowing you to customize its menus according to your preferences. For example, if you use Open Link in Background Tab more than you use Open Link in New Tab, why not switch their places and put the most used option at the top of the list?

To reorder menu commands:

  1. Go to Settings > Appearance > Menu > Menu Customization.
  2. From the dropdown menu, select which menu you want to edit.
  3. In the column on the left, drag and drop the menu items to rearrange their order.

The changes are applied immediately. If you want to scrap your changes and start again, just click on Restore Default Menu.

Vivaldi Settings open on menu customization section.

Tip #183

Combine Vivaldi on Windows with Razer Chroma to make browsing more immersive and personal.

If Santa brought you new Razer Chroma gear for your computer, you can include Vivaldi in the color play. When Razer Chroma devices have been connected, your Theme‘s accent color will be reflected on the devices.

To enable Razer Chroma integration:

  1. Make sure your Chroma devices are connected to your computer.
  2. Go to Settings > Themes > Razer Chroma Theme Integration.
  3. Click Enable Razer Chroma Integration.
  4. Select the devices you want to sync with Vivaldi.

Make it more fun by enabling Accent from Page in your active theme’s settings or by setting up theme scheduling.

Tip #179

Light or dark? Choose the theme you prefer on the Vivaldi Forum.

Whether dark mode is easier on your eyes or you just enjoy the aesthetic, you now have the option to switch between light and dark themes also on the Vivaldi Forum.

To switch themes on the Forum:

  1. Click on your avatar in the top right corner and select Settings from the menu.
  2. In Select a Skin section, select your preferred Theme – Default (light) or Dark.
  3. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click Save Changes.

Tip #164

Decrease Accent Color Saturation in Theme settings for a more pastel look on the browser interface.

Vivaldi Theme settings allow you to display your chosen color or a color of the active page on the Tab Bar or Navigation Bar (depends on your Color Overrides settings). While your chosen color is most likely perfect, colors from active pages can sometimes be too bright. If the vivid colors become too distracting, you can fix that in Theme settings.

To adjust accent color saturation:

  1. Go to Settings > Themes.
  2. Go to the Editor tab and from the drop down menu select the theme you want to update.
  3. Adjust the value of Limit Accent Color Saturation to your liking.

The smaller the value the more subdued the color will be.

Two Vivaldi Browser windows, one in front of the other. The one in the background has 100% color saturation, the one on the foreground 60% saturation.

Tip #154

Set your favorite web page as the homepage for Vivaldi on desktop.

By default, when you click on the Go to homepage button on the Address Bar, you’ll be taken to the browser’s Start Page. If there’s a web page that you visit all the time, you could set that as the homepage instead. To do that:

  1. Go to Settings > General > Startup > Homepage.
  2. Select Specific Page.
  3. Enter the URL of the page you want as your homepage.
Vivaldi Browser window with the homepage button on the Address Bar zoomed in on.

Tip #127

Add empty space to the Address Bar to resize the Address Field.

Address Field takes up all available space that’s left over from buttons and other components on the Address Bar. On a larger screen the Address Field can get quite long. You can resize and center the Address Field by adding empty space on both sides, thus making the Address Field easier to access and the overall look a bit cleaner.

To add space to the Address Bar:

  1. Go to Vivaldi menu > View > Customize Toolbar.
  2. Make sure Navigation Toolbar is selected in the editor.
  3. Find the Flexible Space component and drag it to both sides of the Address Field.
  4. When you’re done, click outside the editor window to exit.
Vivaldi window, highlighting the customized Address Bar that has space on both sides of the address field.

Tip #124

Make menus more fun and colorful with emojis.

In addition to adding, removing and reordering menu items in Vivaldi, you can also rename them. Giving you the perfect opportunity to, not only name actions in a way that makes sense to you, but also add a little fun to them with emojis. 😎

To rename a menu item:

  1. Go to Settings > Appearance > Menu > Menu customization.
  2. From the drop-down menu select the menu you want to update.
  3. Right-click on the item or folder you want to edit and select Rename.
  4. While renaming the menu item, use your OS’s emoji keyboard (Win + . / ⌃ ⌘ Space) to find and add an emoji.
  5. Press Enter or focus elsewhere on the page to save the changes.

Tip #117

Assign your preferred key combinations to Keyboard Shortcuts.

Whether you’re used to a different shortcut, the default one is uncomfortable to use or the command you need doesn’t have a default shortcut, it’s easy to customize Vivaldi’s Keyboard Shortcuts to fit your preferences.

To add or change a keyboard shortcut:

  1. Go to Settings > Keyboard.
  2. Browse through the list of shortcuts to find the one you want to update.
  3. Click on the input field next to the shortcut’s name.
    If there’s already a shortcut that you want to remove, press ← Backspace to delete it.
  4. Press the key combination on the keyboard to set it as the new shortcut.