Hello,
The current behaviour in ChatGPT Atlas is that closing a tab automatically focuses the next tab to the right. While this default is intuitive in some workflows, it can interrupt the flow when a user opens a temporary tab to the right of a main tab and expects to return to the original tab after closing the new one. In other browsers, community discussions have highlighted similar concerns: users prefer returning to the originating tab instead of being taken to an unrelated tab to the right .
I would like to propose adding a user‑configurable setting in Atlas that allows users to choose which tab becomes active after closing the current tab. Specifically, the setting could offer options such as:
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Activate next tab (current default) – focuses the tab immediately to the right.
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Activate previous tab – focuses the tab immediately to the left.
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Activate last active tab – returns to the tab that was previously in focus before opening the closed tab.
Providing this choice would accommodate different workflows without disrupting existing behaviour. It would be especially helpful for users who open several short‑lived tabs and expect to return to the originating tab upon closing them. The OpenAI Developer Community encourages constructive feedback and feature suggestions ; I hope this idea will contribute to enhancing the Atlas user experience.
Thank you for considering this suggestion.