14 DAY TRIAL // As Firefox 45's release date gets closer and closer, users still employing the browser' Tab Groups (Panorama) feature need to move to an alternative, and the best solution as of this moment is the Tab Groups add-on, developed by Portuguese developer Luís Miguel (Quicksaver).
Mozilla first announced it was going to remove Tab Groups last November, when the browser maker said it would do so with the first version of Firefox 45, initially scheduled for release today, March 8, 2016.
With Mozilla launching Firefox 45 RC2 a few hours ago, the final 45 stable release is getting closer and closer, which means that users still using the browser's default Tab Groups feature will have an unpleasant surprise when they update, having their Tab Groups moved into their bookmarks section inside a special folder.
From the get-go, Mozilla hoped that a developer would pick up the Tab Group feature and integrate it as an add-on, which it happened at the end of November, with developer Dennis Schubert creating the Simplified Tab Groups add-on.
Unfortunately, this add-on wasn't exactly a perfect replacement for the Firefox built-in Tab Groups feature, covering only the basic features, and the need for a pixel-perfect clone remained.
Tab Groups add-on is a perfect clone of the older Firefox Tab Groups feature
The good news is that someone else got on this task, and today, a few hours before Mozilla is scheduled to officially launch Firefox 45, the perfect Tab Groups replacement exists in Luís Miguel's Tab Groups add-on, available on the official Mozilla Add-ons portal.
People that use the built-in Firefox Tab Groups feature every day can install it right now, and the add-on will work out of the box, taking over from the browser, no configuration needed. The add-on is so good and so well designed, that you won't even notice you're using it, still thinking you're using Firefox's built-in version.
The Tab Groups add-on is a perfect clone and comes with its own settings page, supports keyboard shortcuts, a right-click menu option, and a tab groups backup&restore function.
You won't lose tab groups when upgrading to Firefox 45, since they're moved into the Bookmarks section, but if you install the Tab Groups add-on right now, you won't be forced to waste your time moving those URLs back into their own tab groups later on.
