The Opera you’re using today is obviously a very different browser from the one it was decades ago. Perhaps the most significant change is that it’s a Chromium-based browser, which means you can install Chrome extensions to fill any features you may be missing. That said, the browser still retains its core philosophy of shipping useful integrated features—even if those options aren’t always obvious. From bypassing unskippable YouTube ads to using a built-in volume booster for every tab, here are the best Opera hacks you should know about:

Use “Early Bird” to try experimental features before release

If you live on the bleeding edge of tech, you can use Opera’s “Early Bird” to try all kinds of experimental features. To do so, click the three-line menu in Opera’s toolbar, scroll to the bottom, then select Go to full browser settings. Now, enable Early Bird, go through the list of features on the page, and enable the ones you wish to try. At the time of writing, these features include Browser Connector, which connects the browser to ChatGPT or Claude, and Sharing Point, which adds a button to share an Opera download link with your contacts. Note that these features can change or be removed at any time.

Use the sidebar to replace social media and chat apps on your computer

Opera has a sidebar that lets you install “apps” within your browser. It supports ChatGPT, Gemini, Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Translate, WhatsApp, Telegram, Instagram, Bluesky, music streaming services, and a few more apps. These services are pinned to the left pane, and function as their corresponding apps do. You can think of these as pinned tabs in your browser, which are all neatly stacked in the left pane. I’ve used the sidebar to run Apple Music, a few messenger apps, and Gmail, which is easier to track than the same services in different apps.

Of course, the sidebar versions of these services may not always have all the features that proper desktop apps do (e.g., music downloads on Spotify), but the overall implementation is quite good. Sidebar apps appear in a floating window in Opera, and you can pin that window to the screen if you wish to. You can configure the Opera sidebar by clicking the three-dots button in the bottom-left corner of the screen.

Use Split Screen mode for multitasking between tabs

You can open two tabs side by side in Opera for improved multitasking. To start, right-click an inactive tab in the tab bar and select Create split screen. This will place that tab, as well as the active tab, in a split-screen view. I find this helpful for research: For example, you can open a lecture in the main tab, and a search engine, AI service, or a notes app in the second tab. In split-screen view, you can continue reading or watching content on the main tab, while using the secondary tab to quickly look up information or to take notes.

Use “Video Skip” to zip past unskippable ads

Credit: Pranay Parab

Opera supports bypassing unskippable video ads on various sites, including YouTube. When you watch a video in Opera, and an ad starts playing, you’ll see a tiny forward button at the top of the video. When you click it, the browser will instantly take you to the end of the ad, though you may still have to press YouTube’s “Skip” button. If you’re on the ad-free tier of your streaming services, you can stop the Video Skip button from appearing on videos by going to Opera settings > Video. From here, disable Show Video Skip button on all supported videos.

Make PiP windows translucent to multitask while watching videos

I often watch videos in picture-in-picture (PiP) mode when I’m browsing the web or working, but I get annoyed when I have to keep moving the window around to avoid obscuring text on my screen. Opera has a useful feature to sidestep this issue: It lets you adjust the opacity of PiP windows, and you can make them translucent enough to avoid disturbing your workflow. To enable this for all PiP videos, go to Opera settings > Video, and enable Make pop out transparent. If you’d rather do this manually for each video, start playing the video, then click the pop-out button at the top of the video to send it to PiP mode. Finally, click the Transparency button in the top-left corner of the PiP mode video.

Disable unwanted AI features to streamline your browser

Like most tech companies these days, Opera has a bunch of AI features in its browser. Luckily, you can easily disable most of them. Go to Opera settings > Opera AI, then disable Opera AI and ChatGPT in the sidebar. This also removes the AI button from the browser’s toolbar. Finally, you can click the three dots in the bottom-left corner of Opera’s window and uncheck ChatGPT and Gemini.

Use Volume Booster for granular volume controls

Opera ships with a way to control the volume levels on each tab, a feature that requires an extension on most other browsers. When you’re playing media in any tab in Opera, hover your mouse over the corresponding tab, and you’ll see a floating menu with a volume slider. This lets you set the volume from 0 all the way to 500%, which can be great for audio sources with low volume levels. You can also use this feature to play music at a lower volume while listening to a lecture or a podcast.

Enable a hidden enhanced privacy mode

Credit: Pranay Parab

Opera has a hidden enhanced privacy mode, which blocks trackers while you’re browsing the web. You can enable this via Chrome Flags: Type opera://flags in the address bar and open the page. Then, use the search bar to look for Enhanced privacy settings section. Use the drop-down menu next to the feature, and select Enabled. Restart Opera, then go to Opera settings > Privacy & security. Scroll to the bottom and enable Enhanced privacy protection. Note that this may break the functionality of some websites, but I’ve been using it for a few days without any noticeable negative effects.

Set up advanced keyboard shortcuts

Opera has a few hidden keyboard shortcuts that tie actions to a single button, instead of the usual two or three key combinations. You can go to Opera settings > Features > Shortcuts, and turn on Enable advanced keyboard shortcuts to use the following keyboard shortcuts:

• Press 1 to cycle left through the list of tabs.

• Press 2 to cycle right through the list of tabs.

• Press / to use the “find on page” feature.

• Press Z to go back.

• Press X to go forward.

• Press 0 (zero) on Windows/Linux or + on Mac to zoom in.

• Press 8 to zoom in more (in increments of 100%).

• Press 9 on Windows/Linux or – on Mac to zoom out.

• Press 7 to zoom out more (in increments of 100%).

• Press 6 to return to 100% zoom.

• Press Ctrl-` (the tilde button) to go to the previous tab you’d clicked.

Use Opera’s screenshot tool to save and share webpages

Opera has a powerful Snapshot tool you can use to take a screenshot of the visible page, the entire webpage, or to save the page as a PDF. I typically ignore all browser screenshot tools in favor of OS options or third-party apps, but Opera’s screenshot tool is solid. After capturing a screenshot, the app opens a preview window where you can make basic edits and annotations. To use this tool, click the camera button in the toolbar, then select one of the available options. You can choose Capture visible page to take a snap of the webpage visible on the screen, Capture full page to take a screenshot of the full site without scrolling, or Save page as PDF to save the screenshot as a PDF. You can also take a cropped screenshot as well, if you only want to capture a specific section of the page.