Horizontal Tabs

Horizontal Tabs is a Blender add-on that lets you place organized tab-based controls directly in editor headers. Instead of depending only on the default sidebar, also known as the N-panel, you can open tools from compact header tabs and popovers.

This approach helps keep more of the viewport visible while still giving you quick access to commonly used tools. It is especially useful for artists and technical users who want a cleaner workspace, faster access to panels, and different interface layouts for different tasks.

Important note for users upgrading from an older version

Horizontal Tabs 2.0 and later are not backward compatible with earlier releases. If you already have an older version installed, remove it first before installing the new version. This helps prevent registration conflicts, outdated settings, and other avoidable issues.

Uninstall previous versions from the Blender Preferences window.

Clean installation steps

Open Edit -> Preferences -> Add-ons, then open the options menu and choose Install from Disk.... Select the downloaded ZIP file for Horizontal Tabs and confirm the installation. Once Blender finishes installing the add-on, enable it in the add-ons list.

If the add-on does not appear immediately, use the search field in the Add-ons tab and search for Horizontal Tabs. After enabling it, the preferences panel for the add-on will become available so you can start creating presets.

Step 1: Choose Install from Disk.

Step 2: Select the ZIP file and confirm the installation.

Preset management

Create and manage presets in Preferences -> Add-ons -> Horizontal Tabs. From this panel, you can add new preset collections, duplicate existing setups, rename items, and control which tabs appear in each editor type.

This is the main control center for organizing your interface. A good workflow is to start with one base preset, duplicate it, and then tailor each copy for a specific task so you do not have to rebuild your layout from scratch every time.

Preset and collection management interface.

Dock item customization

Each dock item can be adjusted to fit the way you work. You can rename items, choose how they behave, and fine-tune how much space their content uses when opened in a popover.

Editing individual dock items and their settings.

Global Alias: Use this when you want the same panel name to stay synchronized across all presets. Disable it if you want the same tool to have a different label in one specific preset.

Width: Adjust the popover width for panels that need more horizontal space. The default value works for most cases, but some add-ons and custom tools are easier to read when given a wider layout.

Additional widgets

Labels and separators help you structure large tab groups so they remain readable. Labels are useful for marking sections or tool categories, while separators add controlled spacing between related items.

These small elements are especially valuable in larger presets, because they make the interface easier to scan and reduce the feeling of clutter when many tools are shown in the same header.

Label widget settings.

Separator width controls.

You can also convert a Blender area into a Horizontal Tabs header manually through the native Editor Type menu. Open the editor selector for the area and choose Horizontal Tabs from the available editor types.

This method is helpful when you want direct control over where the add-on appears, or when you are building a custom workspace layout and want to assign Horizontal Tabs to a specific area by hand.

Selecting Horizontal Tabs from the Editor Type menu.

Workspace persistence

Horizontal Tabs remembers the selected preset for each workspace. This means you can keep one layout for modeling, another for animation, and another for look development without manually rebuilding your tool arrangement every time you switch contexts.

You can switch presets from the hamburger menu in native headers or from the dropdown menu in custom strips. This makes it easy to test different layouts until you find the arrangement that best supports your workflow.

Multi-tier stacking

For more advanced production setups, you can stack multiple custom headers and assign a different preset to each one. This allows you to separate tool groups by purpose and keep complex workspaces easier to navigate.

This setup is especially useful when a single header is not enough for the number of tools you need available at once. Instead of creating one crowded strip, you can divide tools into cleaner layers such as modeling, scene management, and utility actions.

Example of stacked headers with unique presets.