HideTab is a simple extension that allows the user to hide tabs when need.

To install HideTab extension, go to the download page. Read  the installation instructions if need.

Once HideTab is installed a little icon in shape of a tab is available in the right side of the Firefox status bar.

When you click on this icon, a menu with all the tabs in the window will rise. Click on any of the tabs in the list and this will disappear (hide). You can use the keyboard shortcut (CTRL + Q) to hide the current tab.

When any tab is hidden the little gray tab icon in the status bar will turn red

Now when you click again in the HideTab icon, the hidden tabs will be marked with an exclamation icon in font. Click again in the tab and it will unhide.

You can also hide a tab in the page’s context menu when you right click in a free space of the page. In this menu, near the end, there’s an item named Hide Tab, click it and voila!, the tab is gone.

Is possible too to hide a tab from the tab itself context menu when you rigth click over it. Like the page’s context menu the option Hide Tab will be near the end.

If you need to, you can hide all the tabs in your browser. Click on the HideTab icon and the option Hide all tabs will be available. This action will hide all the tabs and opens a new one with a default HideTab search page on it ( this page can be changed in the options of the HideTab extension). You can use the keyboard shortcut (ALT + Q) to hide all tabs

To restore all tabs, you can click on the HideTab icon, and click on the restore all tabs option to restore all hidden tabs. You can use the keyboard shortcut (CTRL + ALT + Q) to restore all tabs

If two clicks is too much to reach the hide all tabs button (time is gold), you can install a paranoia button anywhwre in the tool bar. Simply rigth click on the toolbar and choose the option customize.

Now you can drag an drop the paranoia button (the one like messenger icon and IM label) to anywhere of the toolbar. This button does the same as the hide all tabs button an the (ALT + Q) keyboard shorcut. Neat uh?

To change the page that opens when you hide all tabs, you will need to open the  add-ons window (tools->add-ons), find the HideTab entry an click in the “options” button. There you can type your own panic page or use the checkbox to use the browser home page. Click in the “OK” button to finish.

This is all for now. I hope you enjoy this tool.