Opera FAQs, Tips, Tricks & Tweaks

Tips for Opera browser since 2005

Archive: December 2009

Maximize Opera viewing area for better browsing experience

Wednesday, December 30, 2009 11:28:31 PM

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I don't use any toolbars except tab bar to get maximum screen space for browsing. Here are a few tips to gain more space for viewing websites in Opera.

  1. Hide menu bar

    Shrink entire menu bar to a small button in tab bar File > Show Menu Bar. You can also remove menu button Right click on menu button > Customize > Remove From Toolbar and access menus using Alt key.

    Opera menu button
    Menu button

  2. Disable address bar

    Disable address bar Tools > Appearance... > Toolbars > Address bar and access address bar functions using alternate methods.

    To access address bar button functions use mouse gestures or keyboard shortcuts.

    To enter web address use keyboard shortcut, F2 or drag & drop address field from Tools > Appearance... > Toolbars > Buttons > Browser view to other toolbar. Enable show address in caption and restart Opera to show web address in title bar or use Breadcrumb URL UserJS to show web address at top left corner of the page.

    Opera address field in tab bar
    Address field in tab bar

    Opera UserJS Breadcrumb URL
    Breadcrumb URL

    To view page loading progress Tools > Appearance... > Toolbars > Progress bar > Pop-up at bottom.

    Opera progress bar pop-up at bottom
    Progress bar pop-up at bottom

    Use Get feed link UserJS to show feed icons at the top left corner of the page.

    Opera UserJS Get Feed Link
    Get feed link

    To search type search engine keyword followed by search query in address field with space in between them. For example, g opera tips will search for opera tips in Google. If there is more than one search word you can search without entering search engine keyword in default search engine.

  3. Disable status bar

    Right click on status bar > Customize > Appearance... > Toolbars then drag & drop required buttons from status bar to another toolbar and disable status bar.

  4. Personal bar

    Change the placement of personal bar to left/right and style to images only or disable it Tools > Appearance... > Toolbars > personal bar and use the following alternate methods.

    Add frequently visited sites to Speed Dial by changing number of Speed Dials to predefined layout (Ctrl+T > Configure Speed Dial > Speed Dial layout) or custom layout with custom thumbnail images.

    Add button to websites in toolbar by holding Shift key and dragging & dropping links or tab to toolbar.

  5. Full screen mode

    Run Opera in full screen mode (F11 key) without any toolbars or full screen mode with toolbars.

  6. Space saving skin

    Use space saving skin with smaller toolbars like Opera Standard 10 Slim Skin to get a little extra space.

    Opera Standard Slim Skin
    Opera Standard 10 Slim skin

  7. Auto-hide toolbars after certain time.
  8. Hide title bar (Windows only)

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