I'll be away for a week or so but will try to fix my usual installation of Opera so that it works the right way -- same as my laptop does now -- as soon as I have a couple of hours. First I'll test a standalone installation to be sure workspaces work by default. Then I'll uninstall and reinstall the original installation... because I don't have much set up yet, I'll start configuring it from scratch.

Workspace 1, Workspace 2, and Smart shopping. I didn't put them there.

Just to clarify, the shopping one isn't a workspace. It's another item in its own section on the sidebar. It's just below the workspaces section, so it kind of looks like one of the workspace icons.

Also, Workspace 1 is the main tab bar that you always get whether the workspace feature is turned on or not. That's why you can't remove it. When workspaces are turned off, there's no need to even show Workspace 1 in the sidebar as it's the only active one. As in, Workspace 1 is the normal/default Opera workspace.

For Workspace 2, it's just an extra workspace that's created by default so that when the workspaces feature is enabled (it is by default in regular Opera), there's more than just the main workspace so the user can check out and discover the feature easier before learning how to create more workspaces.

As in, it's totally normal to see Workspace 1 and Workspace 2 by default in Opera.

I realized that I also have Opera installed on my laptop running Windows 10. I clicked the three dots at the bottom left corner and found that somehow it already had three workspaces named Workspace 1, Workspace 2, and Smart shopping. I didn't put them there. But Workspace 1 and Workspace 2 do bring up different sets of tabs (one with two tabs, the other with none). I was able to add a Workspace 3. And right-clicking a tab does bring up "Move tab to workspace".

I searched Settings and Help for "profile" and found two things, one of them helpful: Crashes and issues. I think I can take it from here. Thanks again!

@s1nger The blue background in the workspace icon indicates the active workspace. So you can't change to the workspace you are currently on.

The main workspace has a grey checkmark because it can't be removed.

Yes, thanks. But I also can't click on the other workspace (Facebook general). Also, the documentation says I should have workspace icons at the top left, but the only icon I have is the blue one; I think there should be a star underneath it but there's only a line. So that doesn't help me switch workspaces either.

@s1nger When you right click on a tab there should be an option to send the tab to a different workspace. If there isn't such option, then may no other workspace is set up, workspaces are disabled or something got messed up.

Try creating a new workspace to see if it makes any difference.

Thanks for your reply! Answers:

(1) As I wrote above, "If I Shift-click multiple tabs, then right-click on a tab to open the Tab Context Menu, there's no entry 'Move tab to workspace…' Same problem happens if I shift-click on a single tab: there's no menu entry to move the tab to a workspace."

(2) If I understand right, the blue switch in the right-side position next to the boldfaced word Workspaces means that workspaces are enabled. Also, in the advanced Settings, the switch next to "Enable workspaces" is in the right-side position and the background is blue.

(3) I created the two workspaces shown in my screenshot ("Instagram @someuser" and "Facebook general") by clicking the "+ Add more" and typing their names. I'd like to access those two workspaces; I'd rather not create any more unless it will help.

If something got messed up, what should I do? Use the Setting named "Restore settings to their original defaults"? Uninstall and reinstall Opera? Thanks again.

Try creating a new workspace to see if it makes any difference.

The main workspace has a grey checkmark because it can't be removed.