How to Control Docked Tab Merging in GIMP

This article explains how GIMP manages dockable dialogs, detailing the configuration settings and interface controls that determine whether newly docked windows merge into existing tabs or remain separate panels. You will learn the exact steps to manage tab behavior, lock layouts, and configure interface preferences to maintain your preferred workspace structure.

The Tab Merging Mechanism: Drop Zones

Unlike a single binary toggle in the preferences menu, GIMP controls whether a dialog merges into an existing tab stack primarily through interactive drop zones during the docking process:

  1. Click and drag the dialog by its tab title or drag handle.
  2. Drag the cursor into an existing dockable panel:
    • To merge as a tab: Hover over the top tab bar or directly in the center of the existing dialog until a solid border highlights the entire tab area. Release the mouse button, and the window will merge as a new tab alongside the existing ones.
    • To dock separately (without merging): Drag the window toward the top, bottom, or side edges of an existing dock until a narrow highlight line appears along that boundary. Releasing the mouse creates an independent row or column inside the dock rather than a shared tab group.

Single-Window Mode

The primary global configuration setting affecting how dialogs interact with one another is Single-Window Mode.

  • Navigate to the top menu and select Windows > Single-Window Mode.

When Single-Window Mode is enabled, all floating utility windows, tool options, and image canvases are bound to a unified application window. In this mode, newly opened default dialogs automatically integrate into predefined side columns. Dragging dialogs within Single-Window Mode snaps them cleanly into tab bars or split panels rather than leaving them as loose floating windows.

Locking Tabs to Prevent Unwanted Changes

To stop existing tab configurations from accidentally merging, detaching, or shifting:

  1. Open the dock containing your grouped tabs.
  2. Click the small tab options menu (the small arrow icon ▾ in the upper-right corner of the tab bar).
  3. Select Tab Menu > Lock Tab to Dock.

Enabling this option locks the tab in place, disabling the drag handle and preventing other dragged windows from altering that specific tab's position.

Window Management Preferences

To manage how GIMP coordinates floating panels at the system level before they are docked:

  1. Go to Edit > Preferences (or GIMP > Preferences on macOS).
  2. Expand the Interface section in the left sidebar and select Window Management.
  3. Under Window Manager Hints, configure the Hint for the docks and the toolbox:
    • Utility Window: Treats floating docks as secondary palettes that snap cleanly together.
    • Keep Above: Keeps floating docks visible above the canvas.
    • Normal Window: Treats docks as standard independent operating system windows.
  4. Check or uncheck Save window positions on exit to decide whether custom tab arrangements and docked states persist between sessions. Click OK to apply changes.