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Drag & Drop Tabs to create a Pane #4587

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Drag & Drop Tabs to create a Pane#4587
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Area-UserInterfaceIssues pertaining to the user interface of the Console or TerminalIssue-FeatureComplex enough to require an in depth planning process and actual budgeted, scheduled work.Product-TerminalThe new Windows Terminal.
Milestone
Terminal v1.27

Description

@simonferquel
Simon Ferquel (simonferquel)
opened on Feb 14, 2020

Description of the new feature/enhancement

The current way of splitting panes using written commands or shortcuts is awesome but difficult to discover.
There is already some drag & drop support for reordering tabs. It would be awesome to be able to drag & drop a tab to split a pane in the previous tab. An exemple of user interaction sequence:

  • Open Windows terminal: it shows a single tab with a single pane with powershell
  • Hit ctrl+shift+3 to open a ubuntu tab
  • drag the ubuntu tab > it shows me the previous tab (powershell)
  • using my mouse I can move the ubuntu tab into sensitive zones an preview the resulting split (a bit like Visual Studio/code UI)
  • I can then drop, and get a nice splitted pane.

Optionally, show a popup saying "Want to automate that ? click here to copy an automation script to your clipboard", which would copy a script that would do the same thing.

Proposed technical implementation details (optional)

Well, I am sure it is possible to do that by writing some code :)

Activity

  1. Simon Ferquel (simonferquel)
    added
    Issue-FeatureComplex enough to require an in depth planning process and actual budgeted, scheduled work.
    on Feb 14, 2020
  2. ghost added
    Needs-TriageIt's a new issue that the core contributor team needs to triage at the next triage meeting
    on Feb 14, 2020
  3. ghost added
    Needs-Tag-FixDoesn't match tag requirements
    on Feb 14, 2020

  4. simonferquel commented on Feb 14, 2020

    @simonferquel
    Simon Ferquel (simonferquel)
    on Feb 14, 2020
    Author

    In this context, hard to discover means also "easy to forget"

  5. zadjii-msft commented on Feb 18, 2020

    @zadjii-msft
    Mike Griese (zadjii-msft)
    on Feb 18, 2020 · Hidden as outdated
  7. ghost closed this as completedon Feb 18, 2020
  8. ghost removed
    Needs-TriageIt's a new issue that the core contributor team needs to triage at the next triage meeting
    on Feb 18, 2020
  9. ghost added
    Resolution-DuplicateThere's another issue on the tracker that's pretty much the same thing.
    on Feb 18, 2020
  10. ghost removed
    Needs-Tag-FixDoesn't match tag requirements
    on Feb 18, 2020

  11. simonferquel commented on Feb 24, 2020

    @simonferquel
    Simon Ferquel (simonferquel)
    on Feb 24, 2020 · Hidden as outdated
    Author
  12. Mike Griese (zadjii-msft)
    added
    Area-UserInterfaceIssues pertaining to the user interface of the Console or Terminal
    Product-TerminalThe new Windows Terminal.
    and removed
    Resolution-DuplicateThere's another issue on the tracker that's pretty much the same thing.
    on Feb 24, 2020

  13. zadjii-msft commented on Feb 24, 2020

    @zadjii-msft
    Mike Griese (zadjii-msft)
    on Feb 24, 2020 · Hidden as outdated

  14. 26 remaining items

  15. zadjii-msft commented on Aug 23, 2023

    @zadjii-msft
    Mike Griese (zadjii-msft)
    on Aug 23, 2023
    Member

    Dragging and dropping a tab to create a pane is pretty straightforward - we could have some sort of overlay like VS or VSCode.

    Dragging a Pane to somewhere else would probably require #4717 first, so that there's something attached to the pane to drag.

  16. SinanAkkoyun commented on Aug 24, 2023

    @SinanAkkoyun
    Sinan (SinanAkkoyun)
    on Aug 24, 2023 · Hidden as off-topic

  17. zadjii-msft commented on Aug 24, 2023

    @zadjii-msft
    Mike Griese (zadjii-msft)
    on Aug 24, 2023 · Hidden as off-topic

  18. piradata commented on Aug 30, 2023

    @piradata
    Guilherme Ferreira (piradata)
    on Aug 30, 2023

    yea, dragging a tab is ok, my point was the pane part. personally i think it is a little ugly the idea of pane title because i like how the windows terminal is "clean" compared to others like terminator, but we also need something draggable

  19. klkvsk commented on Nov 13, 2023

    @klkvsk
    Mike Kulakovsky (klkvsk)
    on Nov 13, 2023

    Here's an idea I want to share, what can be done instead of permanently visible drag handles:

    So, by default we have alt-shift-arrow hotkeys to resize pane, alt-shift-plus/minus to create a pane. It is mnemonical that all pane modifications are done with alt-shift.

    I suggest a alt-shift-control combo, that while pressed would enable an overlay mode called Pane Control Mode.

    windows-terminal_pane-control-mode_mockup

    While alt-shift-control is down, we get

    • Pane index hints, because we have "Move pane, index: X" actions, but as of now, how does the user know the correct index? Also, "Focus/Close pane, index: X" actions can be added later.
      This is also a visible marker to know that you're in pane control mode.
    • Borders of panes become resizable with a mouse.
    • Panes become draggable. Dragging one pane to another switches their positions. Dragging pane to tab bar ejects in to a new tab. Dragging out of window ejects to new window.
    • (debatable) hovering over edges of an active pane shows "+" button to add a pane from that side.

  20. piradata commented on Nov 16, 2023

    @piradata
    Guilherme Ferreira (piradata)
    on Nov 16, 2023

    I suggest a alt-shift-control combo, that while pressed would enable an overlay mode called Pane Control Mode.

    I like this idea Mike Kulakovsky (@klkvsk) , and if we combine this with the lumino demo that Dave Hirschfeld (@dhirschfeld) mentioned would be perfect.

    https://lumino.readthedocs.io/en/latest/examples/dockpanel/index.html

  21. giammin commented on Dec 11, 2024

    @giammin
    giammin (giammin)
    on Dec 11, 2024 · Hidden as low-quality

  22. zadjii-msft commented on Dec 11, 2024

    @zadjii-msft
    Mike Griese (zadjii-msft)
    on Dec 11, 2024
    Member

    Nope, nothing to update here.

    Though, if this is really bothering you, you could probably use move-pane -t 0 from the commandline mode of the Command Palette to move a pane (a tab) into another tab:

    Image

    (Open the command palette, then backspace to get rid of the >)

  23. giammin commented on Dec 11, 2024

    @giammin
    giammin (giammin)
    on Dec 11, 2024

    Nope, nothing to update here.

    Though, if this is really bothering you, you could probably use move-pane -t 0 from the commandline mode of the Command Palette to move a pane (a tab) into another tab:

    Image

    (Open the command palette, then backspace to get rid of the >)

    awesome! this is what I was loking for! thanks

  24. Dustin L. Howett (DHowett)
    modified the milestones: Backlog, Terminal v1.27 on Jun 10, 2025

  25. groutoutlook commented on Apr 15, 2026

    @groutoutlook
    golk (groutoutlook)
    on Apr 15, 2026

    Hi,
    can someone explain to me why I can mp -t 0 -V to merge current tab into previous pane vertically, and mp -t 999 -V split them into the new tab of current terminal instance? Very convenient but bit confused about how that works.

    EDIT: oh well the number after option -t is tab index.. now it makes sense. Great feature!

  26. molecula451 commented on Aug 24, 2026

    @molecula451
    Paul (molecula451)
    on Aug 24, 2026 · Hidden as low-quality

  27. bugproof commented on Oct 16, 2026

    @bugproof
    bugproof
    on Oct 16, 2026

    bump, I have existing tabs I'd like to create panes from them and also be able to go back to regular tabs

    currently can be done with Ctrl + Shift + P and move-pane -t 0 and to revert move-pane -t 99

  28. Pl8tinium commented on Oct 19, 2026

    @Pl8tinium
    Pl8tinium
    on Oct 19, 2026 · Hidden as low-quality
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