Microsoft Edge Workspaces: Setup and Use Guide

Microsoft Edge Workspaces lets you organize related browser tabs into separate, named windows that you can reopen anytime, and in Microsoft 365 accounts, share with coworkers for collaborative browsing. To set one up, open Edge, click the Workspace icon (the two overlapping squares) on the top-left toolbar, choose Create new workspace, give it a name, and optionally add a color. This guide walks through the full setup, daily use, sharing, and troubleshooting.

What Are Edge Workspaces?

Workspaces are a tab-management feature built into the Microsoft Edge desktop browser (Windows and macOS). Each workspace is an independent window with its own set of tabs, favorites, and history. Think of them as separate browser profiles for different projects—but without the overhead of creating full user profiles. You might have one workspace for “Work Research,” another for “Personal Shopping,” and a third for “Vacation Planning.” Each one opens with exactly the tabs you left it with, so you can switch contexts instantly without losing your place.

The feature is especially useful for people who keep dozens of tabs open and struggle to find the right one. Instead of scrolling through a crowded tab bar, you group tabs by task or project. Workspaces also sync across your signed-in Edge installations, so the same set of workspaces appears on your work PC and home laptop.

How to Create and Set Up a Workspace

Open Microsoft Edge on your desktop. Make sure you’re signed in to your Microsoft account (or a work/school account) to sync workspaces across devices.
Locate the Workspace icon on the top-left toolbar, next to the back/forward buttons. It looks like two overlapping squares. If you don’t see it, click the puzzle-piece icon to check if it’s hidden, or go to edge://settings/appearance and enable “Show Workspace icon.”
Click the Workspace icon and select Create new workspace.
Name your workspace (e.g., “Project Alpha”) and pick a color from the palette. The color helps you identify the workspace at a glance.
Click Create. A new Edge window opens with a fresh tab. You can now open the tabs you need for that project.
Add tabs by opening links or typing URLs. The workspace remembers them automatically as you go.
Switch workspaces anytime by clicking the Workspace icon and selecting another workspace from the list. Each workspace opens in its own window.

That’s it. You can create as many workspaces as you want. To delete a workspace, click the Workspace icon, hover over the workspace, click the three-dot menu, and choose Delete. Deleting a workspace closes its window and removes its saved tabs—but it does not delete your browsing history or favorites.

How to Use Workspaces for Daily Browsing

Once you have a few workspaces, you’ll want to use them efficiently. Here are the key actions:

Rename or recolor a workspace: Click the Workspace icon, hover over the workspace, click the three-dot menu, and choose Edit workspace.
Add the current tab to another workspace: Right-click the tab and choose Add tab to workspace, then pick the target workspace. The tab moves there.
Move a tab between workspaces: Right-click the tab, choose Move tab to workspace, and select the destination.
Open a link in a specific workspace: Right-click a link and choose Open in workspace, then select the workspace. This is handy when you’re reading an article and want to send it to your research workspace.
Close a workspace without losing it: Just close the window. The workspace remains in the list with its tabs saved. Reopen it later by clicking the Workspace icon and selecting it.

Workspaces also integrate with Edge’s startup settings. If you want Edge to open a specific workspace when you launch the browser, go to edge://settings/onStartup and choose “Open a specific page or pages,” then add the workspace’s URL (which is edge://workspaces/ followed by the workspace ID). However, the easiest way is to just click the Workspace icon and pick the workspace you want.

Sharing Workspaces with Others (Microsoft 365)

If you have a Microsoft 365 work or school account, you can share a workspace with colleagues. This turns the workspace into a collaborative browsing session where everyone sees the same tabs in real time. To share:

Open the workspace you want to share.
Click the Workspace icon, then click the Share button (a person-with-a-plus icon) next to the workspace name.
Enter the email addresses of your colleagues or copy the share link.
Set permissions: Can view or Can edit. View-only lets others see the tabs but not change them. Edit lets them add, remove, or rearrange tabs.
Send the invitation. Recipients open the link in Edge and are taken into the shared workspace.

When someone else adds or closes a tab, everyone in the shared workspace sees the change instantly. This is great for team research, group projects, or remote pair-browsing. Note that sharing requires a Microsoft 365 account (work/school) and both parties must be signed in to Edge. Personal Microsoft accounts (like @outlook.com) cannot share workspaces.

Common Problems and How to Fix Them

Workspace icon missing: Go to edge://settings/appearance and check if “Show Workspace icon” is toggled on. If not, enable it. The icon may also be hidden if your window is too narrow—maximize the window or widen it.
Workspaces not syncing across devices: Make sure you’re signed in with the same Microsoft account on all devices and that sync is enabled. Go to edge://settings/profiles/sync and verify “Workspaces” is toggled on.
Shared workspace not updating: Both parties need a stable internet connection. If changes aren’t showing, refresh the workspace by closing and reopening it. Also ensure all users are on the latest version of Edge.
Accidentally deleted a workspace: Unfortunately, there’s no undo for workspace deletion. The tabs are gone, but your browsing history and favorites remain. To avoid this, be careful when using the delete option.
Workspace opens with too many tabs: You can close tabs within a workspace just like normal tabs. The workspace saves whatever tabs are open when you close the window.

Workspaces vs. Tab Groups vs. Profiles

Edge offers three ways to organize your browsing, and they serve different purposes:

Workspaces: Separate windows with their own tab sets. Best for project-based organization and collaboration.
Tab Groups: Color-coded groups of tabs within a single window. You can collapse and expand them. Good for lightweight organization within one browsing session.
Profiles: Completely separate browser identities with their own cookies, history, passwords, and extensions. Best for separating work and personal browsing with different accounts.

You can use all three together. For example, you might have a “Work” profile with a “Research” workspace and a “Client” workspace, and within the Research workspace, you use tab groups to further sort topics. Workspaces are the only one of the three that supports real-time sharing with others.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use Edge Workspaces on mobile?

As of now, Workspaces are only available on the desktop versions of Edge (Windows and macOS). The mobile apps (iOS and Android) do not support workspaces yet, but they do sync your open tabs from workspaces if you’re signed in—they just appear as regular tabs in the mobile tab switcher.

Do workspaces slow down my browser?

Each workspace is a separate window, so having multiple workspaces open at once uses more memory than a single window with the same number of tabs. However, Edge has a sleeping tabs feature that puts inactive tabs to sleep, reducing memory usage. If you’re worried about performance, close workspaces you’re not using—they save their state and reopen instantly.

Can I share a workspace with someone who doesn’t have Microsoft 365?

No. Sharing requires a Microsoft 365 work or school account. Personal accounts (like @outlook.com) cannot create shared workspaces. The recipient also needs a Microsoft 365 account to join a shared workspace.

How do I stop sharing a workspace?

Open the workspace, click the Workspace icon, then click the Share button. You’ll see a list of people with access. Click the three-dot menu next to a person and choose Remove access. You can also change their permission from “Can edit” to “Can view” if you want to restrict changes.

Are workspaces private?

Workspaces are as private as your regular browsing. Your workspace tabs are stored locally and synced to your Microsoft account if you have sync enabled. Shared workspaces are visible only to the people you invite. However, if you share a workspace, those people can see the tabs you have open in it, so don’t share a workspace that contains sensitive personal tabs.

Can I have workspaces within a profile?

Yes. Workspaces are tied to the profile you’re using. Each profile can have its own set of workspaces. When you switch profiles, you’ll see different workspaces in the Workspace icon list.

General steps for current mainstream versions; menus can differ by device and version. See the disclaimer or report an error.

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