Tabbed Browsers are MESSED UP in W7!

I use Opera and was prompted for an update to 10.51, so I did it. Afterwards, anytime I have Opera open with multiple tabs, it's adding NEW PAGES to the taskbar icon instead of just ONE icon!?

I thought it was just a mess up in the Opera update but I tried it on IE8 and Chrome and they do the SAME THING now!

This is VERY annoying since instead of just clicking the icon for the ONE window of each browser I have open, it requires me to now choose a tab from the taskbar before maximizing the program back up.

Here are some examples...
I only have ONE window for each browser open (with multiple tabs within the browsers) but it looks like this on the taskbar:


It SHOULD look like this (and did last night) no matter how many tabs I have open within each one:




Whenever I click on the taskbar icon to bring up one of the browsers from a minimized state, I get this instead:

...Windows now makes me CHOOSE which tab I want to maximize in instead of just maximizing the browser and letting me choose the tab from within (like it was last night)! Before, if I wanted to open within a certain tab, I could simply HOVER over the SINGLE icon and it would bring up Aero Peek allowing me to do so. Now, clicking on the tab brings up Aero Peek and MAKES me choose.


My laptop never shut down and doesn't show that it's been updated. It worked fine last night, but one I woke up this morning it was like this!? What is causing this issue? Anyone know how to fix it??

This is a function of 'Aero Peek'.

Here's how to turn off the taskbar previews in each browser.

Disable taskbar previews in Firefox

Enter about:config in your browser address bar.
Type this in the filter line: browser.taskbar.previews.enable
Change value to false.

Disable taskbar previews in Internet Explorer

Tools > Internet Options > Locate the Settings button under Tabs in the General tab of the configuration window.
Uncheck the option “Show previews for individual tabs in the taskbar” to disable the feature in the Internet Explorer web browser.

Disable taskbar previews in Opera

Opera users need to enter opera:config in the address bar of their web browser. There they need to locate User Prefs and the Use Windows 7 Taskbar Thumbnails option. Unchecking that option will disable the taskbar previews in the Opera web browser.

Resource: How To Disable Web Browser Windows 7 Taskbar Previews

Google Chrome still uses single icons.

Actually, I'm pretty certain that Google Chrome uses the Aero Peek function now too. Not only that, but according to my source it's the only browser that doesn't have a real option to turn it off.

In fact, the only way to turn off Aero Peek w/ Google Chrome is the run the app in Vista SP2 compatibility mode.

notsograymatter said:

This is a function of 'Aero Peek'.

Here's how to turn off the taskbar previews in each browser.

Disable taskbar previews in Firefox

Enter about:config in your browser address bar.
Type this in the filter line: browser.taskbar.previews.enable
Change value to false.

Disable taskbar previews in Internet Explorer

Tools > Internet Options > Locate the Settings button under Tabs in the General tab of the configuration window.
Uncheck the option “Show previews for individual tabs in the taskbar” to disable the feature in the Internet Explorer web browser.

Disable taskbar previews in Opera

Opera users need to enter opera:config in the address bar of their web browser. There they need to locate User Prefs and the Use Windows 7 Taskbar Thumbnails option. Unchecking that option will disable the taskbar previews in the Opera web browser.

Resource: How To Disable Web Browser Windows 7 Taskbar Previews

THANK YOU!! This helped!

However, how would those changes have been applied? I've had this computer since W7 first came out and it was NEVER like this until this morning and I haven't changed any settings!?

I'm back to a single icon on the taskbar even though multiple tabs are open, but I've noticed that hovering over the icon only gives me ONE window in Aero Peek and that is of the currently active tab. Before (at least I think), hovering over the SINGLE icon would show ALL tabs within Aero Peek. Right?

I can live without having the other tabs show up within Aero Peek as long as I have only a single icon on the taskbar.