Hi Opera Team,
I've been a loyal Opera user for a long time, especially for features like Lucid Mode and the integrated sidebar. However, there is one essential UI/UX feature missing that is making the browsing experience feel cluttered, especially for users on smaller monitors or those who prefer a minimalist setup.
The Problem:
Currently, we only have two options: always show the Bookmarks Bar or always hide it.
Always Show: Takes up valuable vertical screen real estate, which is frustrating during active browsing.
Always Hide: Makes it tedious to access bookmarks quickly without using shortcuts or the sidebar.
The Solution:
Please add an option to "Show Bookmarks Bar only on New Tab / Speed Dial." This is a standard feature in almost every other Chromium-based browser (Chrome, Edge, Brave).
Why this is important:
Efficiency: It allows quick access to bookmarks when starting a new session but hides them automatically once a website is loaded to provide a full-screen experience.
Modern UI: It aligns with Opera’s philosophy of a clean and immersive interface.
User Retention: Many power users are considering switching to other browsers just for this specific toggle.
Implementing this wouldn't be a huge task since the engine already supports it, but it would be a massive Quality of Life (QoL) update for the community.
Looking forward to seeing this in the next developer stream or stable build!
Best regards,
An User