Full reset of Vivaldi

In this article we’ll show you how to backup your data and fully reset the Vivaldi browser.

IMPORTANT This article is for advanced users. Following the steps described here will result in losing all your Vivaldi data (Notes, Bookmarks, Web Panels, etc.) and settings, such as cache, history, themes and so on.

If you want to continue and fully reset Vivaldi, please make sure you have a backup of your data before you proceed.

Backup Vivaldi data

One option to back up some of your data is to Sync the data with other devices you use Vivaldi on. That way when the data is deleted on one device you can still access it on others and sync it back after the reset.

Alternatively, you can make a backup of the profile folder (follow the Profile Path on vivaldi://about), which includes some key elements of your Vivaldi setup, such as preferences, profile and settings. Most of the key components are stored within the Default folder, though you should also retain the First Run file stored alongside it. Deleting this file will make Vivaldi assume it is starting up for the first time.

Overview of Vivaldi's folders

Here are some of the key elements stored under the Default folder:

Bookmarks – contains bookmarks and information from Speed Dials.
Notes – notes taken in the Notes Panel.
Sessions –  saved tabs sessions.
Login Data – website passwords. Note: This file is encrypted and is only usable on the machine that created it.
Preferences and Local App Settings\mpognobbkildjkofajifpdfhcoklimli – Vivaldi settings and configuration.
Web Data – autofill data.
Current Session – data on open tabs.
History – website history.
Cookies – website data.
Extension Rules, Extension State, Extensions, Local Extension Settings, Local Storage, Managed Extension Storage, Extension Cookies and Secure Preferences – all extension preferences and extension data are stored here.

Make a copy of the Default folder and First Run file and paste them, for example on your Desktop or Documents.

How to reset Vivaldi settings

  1. Go to vivaldi://about.
    Alternatively, open Vivaldi menu button Vivaldi menu > Help > About. 
  2. Make a note of the directory listed under Profile Path.
  3. Open a system window (File Explorer).
  4. Go to the User Data folder.
  5. Once you’ve located the correct folder, close the browser.
  6. In the system window delete the entire User Data folder.
  7. Start Vivaldi.

If you have completed the steps successfully, you will see the first step of the welcome tour as you start Vivaldi.

First page of the Welcome Tour after browser installation or full reset.

Zoom options in Vivaldi

There are many ways to adjust the zoom in Vivaldi.

Zoom with the slider on the Status Bar

Drag the slider on the Status Bar to the right to zoom in and to the left to zoom out the active page. Click Reset to revert zoom to the default value.

You can switch the slider for buttons in Settings > Appearance > Window Appearance by ticking the box for Use Buttons in Range Controls. This will affect all range controls in the browser UI.

Zooming using the slider animation

Zoom with keyboard shortcuts

Use the Ctrl + / ⌘ + Keyboard Shortcut to zoom in and Ctrl - / ⌘ - to zoom out of a page. The shortcuts can be edited in Settings > Keyboard > Shortcuts.

Alternatively, focus on the zoom slider on the Status Bar and use the arrow keys to change the zoom level by 10% increments or the Page Up and Page Down keys to change the zoom level by 50%.

Pressing Home or End while the slider is focused will zoom the page to the minimum or maximum value (respectively).

To reset zoom to the default value, use the shortcut Ctrl + 0 / ⌘ 0.

When you’ve enabled Single Key Shortcuts, you can zoom in and out by pressing the following numbers either above the letters on the keyboard or on the number pad:

  • 0 – zoom in by 10%
  • 9 – zoom out by 10%
  • 8 – double the zoom level
  • 7 – halve the zoom level
  • 6 – reset the zoom level

Zoom with a mouse scroll

When Use Ctrl/⌘ + Scroll to Zoom Page is enabled in Settings (see image below), hold down the Ctrl / ⌘ key and use the mouse scroll to zoom. On a touchpad hold down the same key and with two fingers slide either up or down.

When Use Ctrl/⌘ + Scroll to Zoom Page is disabled, then using the pinch zooming gesture on the touchpad, instead of rearranging the page and increasing font and other element sizes, will create an effect similar to using a magnifying glass (sometimes referred to as pinch-to-zoom).

Another option is to hover over the zoom slider on the Status Bar and use your mouse scroll or two finger slide on the touchpad to zoom.

Zoom from the Vivaldi menu

From menu (on Windows and Linux) > View select whether you want to zoom the page in or out, or reset the zoom to the default value.

Zoom every page from settings

Change the default zoom level of every page you visit by using the range control in Settings > Webpages > Default Webpage Zoom.

Zoom settings

Website Zoom vs Tab Zoom

When Use Tab Zoom is enabled in Settings > Webpages > Default Webpage Zoom, the zoom level will stay the same on all the websites you visit in that tab. The same website open in different tabs can have different zoom levels.

When Use Tab Zoom is disabled each site you visit in the tab can have a different zoom level. When you open the same website in a different tab or at a different time, it will be displayed at the zoom level you set for the site in the other tab.

Zoom in Web Panels

To increase or decrease the size of the content in Web Panels:

  1. Right-click on a Web Panel.
  2. Select Navigation Controls > Display Zoom Controls from the context menu.
  3. Then click on the zoom buttons  and  at the top of the Web Panel to zoom in and out.

Zoom level is retained through closing and reopening of the Web Panel and browser restarts.

Zoom the user interface

Change the default zoom level by using the range control in Settings > Appearance > User Interface Zoom.

Text Zoom

To increase the text font size on web pages:

  1. Go to Settings > Webpages > Fonts.
  2. Change the Minimum Font Size.

Flash Player for Vivaldi

From the beginning of 2021, Flash Player is no longer supported. For more information, please visit Adobe Flash Player’s end of life general information page.

Fast Forward & Rewind

Fast Forward

When a website has paginated content, instead of scrolling to the bottom of the page and clicking on the next page button on the web page, you can click on the Fast Forward button on the Address Bar to load the next page.

Fast Forward works, for example, on Search Engines‘ search results pages, forum topic lists pages, online (shopping) catalogues, etc.

Alternatively, you can use the Space key. Pressing Space on your keyboard will move you down the page bit by bit and once you’ve reached the end of the page, it’ll load the next page.

Rewind

Go back in one click to the first page if you’ve browsed several pages on a same website.

For example, if you visit a Search Engine site such as DuckDuckGo or Ecosia and search for something. You look for it on Page 1, then Page 2 and then Page 3, etc. Let’s say you are on Page 5, by hitting Rewind button, you can return straight back to Page 1 in a single click.

Fast forward and Rewind buttons

Tip

Fast Forward and Rewind can be accessed from the main tool bar as well as through Keyboard Shortcuts and Mouse Gestures.

Saved Sessions

Vivaldi allows you to save your current open tabs as a named “session” and access them again later. This allows you to open the set of tabs included in a session with one click whenever you need or when the browser starts.

Saving a session

To save all open tabs in either one or multiple windows as a session, either:

To save only some tabs as a session, use the Ctrl/⌘/Shift key to make a selection and:

  • Right-click on one of the selected tabs and select Save # Selected Tabs as a Session from the context menu.
  • Type “Save Selected Tabs as Session” in Quick Commands;
  • Create a Keyboard Shortcut or a Mouse Gesture for the action.

Opening a saved session

To open a saved session:

Sessions Panel

A convenient and powerful way to manage your Sessions is using the Sessions Panel. Learn how to use it here.

Downloads

Files downloaded from the internet are added and managed through the Downloads Panel or Downloads Popup.

Accessing downloads

To open the Downloads Panel, either:

  • Click on the Downloads Panel button in the side Panel;
  • Go to Vivaldi menu button Vivaldi menu > View > Downloads Panel;
  • Use the Keyboard Shortcut Ctrl Shift D / ⌥ ⌘ L;
  • Type “Downloads Panel” in Quick Commands;
  • Use a Mouse Gesture (create the gesture for the action in Settings > Mouse > Gesture Mapping).

Downloads Popup

If a Download Panel on the side of the window isn’t for you, you can also opt for a popup.

To add the button to one of the Toolbars:

  1. Go to the Vivaldi menu button Vivaldi Menu > View > Customize Toolbar.
  2. Drag the Downloads button to your preferred location on the Address Bar or Status Bar.

Then you can access and manage your downloads from a popup. All features from the Downloads Panel are also available in the Downloads Popup.

Organizing downloaded files

  • All downloaded files by default are listed chronologically with file name and size.
  • Find the newest downloaded file at the bottom of the list in the panel.
  • Search for any previously downloaded file in the search field at the top panel toolbar.
  • All downloads can be sorted by name, type, size, date added, date finished and by address.
  • The clickable arrow indicates whether the sorting order is ascending or descending.

Resume a paused download

  1. Select the unfinished downloaded file in the list.
  2. Resume the download using one of these options:
    • Click on the Resume button located next to the search input field.
    • Click on the Resume button in the download information section at the bottom of the panel.
    • Right-click on the download and select Resume download from the context menu.

Restart a download

To download a file again, you can restart the same download you’ve already saved. To do that:

  1. Select the downloaded file.
  2. Restart the download using one of these options:
    • Click on the panel-delete-button Restart button located next to the search input field.
    • Click on the Restart button in the download information section at the bottom of the panel.
    • Right-click on the download and select Restart from the context menu.

Managing downloads

panel-add-buttonStop a file download in progress
panel-add-buttonResume selected download
panel-folder-buttonRemove selected download
panel-delete-buttonClear list of inactive downloads
panel-delete-buttonRestart the selected download

Accessing downloaded files

You can open the downloaded file by double-clicking on the item in the Downloads Panel or right-clicking on the item and selecting Open File/Open in… .

To open the file’s location, click on Folder Show in File Manager/Show in Finder on the right of the file title or right-click on the file listing and select Show in File Manager/Show in Finder.

If you need to attach a recently downloaded file on a web page, copy it to Desktop, or move it elsewhere on your computer, you don’t need to dig through your file manager to locate the file. Instead, you can just grab it from the Downloads Panel or Popup in Vivaldi.

To use a downloaded file:

  1. Open the Downloads Panel or Popup menu.
  2. Click and drag the file.
  3. Drop it where you need it.

Setting the folder path for downloaded files

Go to Settings > Downloads.

Download settings

In case you collect all your downloaded files in the same folder, tick the box for Save Files to Default Location Without Asking to save files automatically.

If you tick the box for Update Default Location When Choosing Save as Location,  the default location will be updated every time you choose a new folder in the Save As window.

Notes Panel

Take notes, adding a description and even screenshots to the notes while surfing the web with the Vivaldi browser. Add your thoughts and ideas to any sites you visit using Vivaldi Notes.

View Notes

Find and edit your notes from the Notes Panel located on the side of the browser window. You can also use Keyboard Shortcuts (Ctrl+Shift+O / ⌥ ⌘ N). For a full window notes editor open the Notes Manager.

Create a new Note

To write a new note, click on the Add button New Note button at the top of the Panel. Everything you type will be saved automatically.

Copy to Note

To create a note with text on a web page:

  1. Select the text.
  2. Right-click on the highlighted text and select Copy to Note from the context menu.
    Alternatively:
Add new Note from Selection in context menu

The note will be added with the marked text as body, the webpage link, the creation date, and a screenshot of the page with the highlighted text.

Append to Note

While Copy to Note creates a new note with the text you’ve selected on a web page, Append to Note will add the text to an existing note of your choice.

To add text to a note:

  1. Select the text.
  2. Right-click on the highlighted text and select Append to Note from the context menu.
    Alternatively:
  3. Select the note you want to add the text to.
  4. Click Add to Note.

New Note with Capture Page

In addition to text, you can take screenshots and save them as Notes. To save a screenshot as a note:

  1. Click on Capture Page button Capture Page on the Status Bar;
  2. Select whether you want to capture the full page or just a part of it;
  3. For Format select Create Note With…;
  4. Click Capture.

The note will be added with the capture as an attachment, the webpage link, and the creation date. You can add a title and note about the screenshot.

New note with drag and drop

  1. Highlight the text you want to make into a note;
  2. Drag the highlighted text (you can also drag links and images) to the Notes Panel button;
  3. Release the mouse button to create a new note.

When the Notes Panel is already open, drag the note content to the notes list to create a new note.

If you want to add to an existing note, open the note, then drag and drop the additional content to the note editor section.

Search Notes

To find a note, use the Search box on top of the Notes Panel. Notes can also be searched for using Quick Commands.

Edit Notes

At the bottom of the Notes Panel, you may:

  • Edit the note.
  • Add an image either from a webpage or from a file on your computer.
  • Add a webpage link to the note.

Organize Notes

Notes can be sorted:

  • Manually,
  • by Title,
  • by Address,
  • by Content,
  • by Date Created.

Notes can also be divided into folders. To create a new folder, click on the Add new folder button New Folder button on top of the Panel and give it a title.

Notes can be moved between folders by dragging the note to the new destination folder.

Delete Notes

To delete a note or a notes folder, either select the note/folder and click on the Delete button on top of the Panel or right-click the note/folder and select Delete from the context menu.

Restoring deleted Notes

Drag the note out of the Trash and place it anywhere above.

Restore Note gif

Emptying Notes Trash

Right-click the Trash and select Empty trash.

Export and Import Notes

Exporting Notes

To export your notes:

  1. Go to the Vivaldi menu > File > Export > Export Notes.
  2. Select the destination folder.

Alternatively:

All notes will be saved as separate text (.txt) or markdown (.md) files.

Importing Notes

To import notes:

  1. Make sure all notes you want to import are in one folder and saved as a text or markdown file.
  2. Go to the Vivaldi menu > File > Import from Applications or Files.
  3. From the drop-down menu select Notes Folder.
  4. Click Choose a Notes Folder.
  5. Select the source folder.

Alternatively:

All applicable files in the folder will be imported as notes to Vivaldi.

Extensions

What is an extension?

An extension is a small software program that can be installed to give added functionality to the Vivaldi browser. Extensions allow you to further customize and enhance your usage of the browser and range from social media tools to privacy-related features such as ad-blocking.

Extensions in Vivaldi

Although Vivaldi aims to provide as much built-in functionality as possible, many users further fine-tune the browsing experience using extensions.

Because Vivaldi is built using the Chromium web browser project, extensions available in the Chrome Web Store can also be installed in Vivaldi. In some instances, extensions built for the Chrome browser will behave differently when installed in Vivaldi, but for the most part, your favorite Chrome extensions will work just fine in Vivaldi.

In case an extension does not work as expected, please discuss the extension on our Forum, to see if the issue can be solved or if our Community members can suggest alternatives. Contacting the extension developers can help as well.

Install an extension in Vivaldi:

  1. Browse to the Chrome Web Store;
  2. Select the Extensions category;
  3. Search for the desired extension;
  4. Click Add to Chrome to install the extension in Vivaldi.

If you don’t see the button Add to Chrome, go to Settings > Privacy and Security > Google Extensions and make sure the option Web Store has been enabled.

In case, an extension isn’t available on the Chrome Web Store you can upload them manually:

  1. Go to the Extensions page;
  2. Enable Developer mode from a toggle in the top right corner of the page;
  3. Click Load unpacked on the new menu that appears;
  4. Find the extension folder in your File Manager (if you have it as a .zip file, extract it first);
  5. Click Select Folder to load the extension to Vivaldi.

Import Extensions

You can import Extensions to Vivaldi from other Chromium-based browsers, for example, Chrome, Edge, Opera, etc.

To import Extensions:

  1. Make sure the browser you want to export from is closed.
  2. In Vivaldi, go to the Vivaldi menu > File > Import from Applications or Files.
  3. Select the Chromium-based browser you want to import data from.
  4. Click “Start Import”.
  5. When the import has finished, click “Close”
  6. On the Extensions management page that opens, enable the extensions you want to use in Vivaldi by clicking the toggle button at the bottom right corner of each extension card.
Import dialog open in the Vivaldi browser with an arrow pointing to Extensions.

Allow third-party extensions to control the Start Page

To have a custom Start Page page using an extension:

  1. Open Vivaldi Settings;
  2. Go to Tabs > New Tab Page;
  3. Tick the Controlled by Extension checkbox.

Manage Extensions

The Extensions page gives an overview of the extensions currently installed, the ability to disable or delete extensions and adjust extension-specific settings.

Access the Extensions page

To open the Extensions page go to the Vivaldi menu button Vivaldi Menu > Tools > Extensions.

The Extensions page can also be accessed by:

Access extensions using Quick Commands

To open the extension’s popup or options:

  1. Open Quick Commands (F2 / ⌘ E);
  2. Type in the extension’s name;
  3. Use arrow keys to select the extension;
  4. Press Enter to open the extension’s popup or Ctrl + Enter / ⌘ Enter to open the extension’s options page (if the extension has one).

Change extension settings

Some Extensions have settings you can change. To check these options:

  • Right-click on the Extension on the Address Bar and select Options from the context menu;
  • Alternatively, click on Details > Extension Options on the Extensions page.

Update extensions

Extensions usually update automatically. To manually update extensions:

  1. Go to the Extensions page;
  2. Enable Developer mode from a toggle in the top right corner of the page;
  3. Click Update on the new menu that appears.

Disable extensions

To disable an extension:

  1. Open the Extensions page;
  2. Click on the toggle button in the lower right corner of the extension card.
Lower half of an extension card on the Extension page

Disabling extensions is a good way to test whether an issue you’re encountering in the browser is caused by an Extension or not.

Remove extensions

To remove an extension:

  • Right-click on the Extension on the Address Bar and select Remove Extension from the context menu;
  • Alternatively, click Remove on the Extension page.

Confirm your decision by clicking Remove again in the confirmation dialog.

Hide extension buttons

To hide or show an extension, right-click on its button and select Hide Button/Show Button. Use the Show/Hide hidden extensions toggle button on the right to view hidden extensions. To view hidden extensions in a drop-down menu instead of expanding the Address Bar (compare the images below), go to Settings > Address Bar > Extension Visibility and tick the box for Expand Hidden Extensions to Drop-Down Menu.

Hidden extensions displayed on the Address Bar
Hidden Extensions on the Address Bar
Hidden extensions displayed in a drop down menu
Hidden Extensions in a drop-down menu

Move extensions

By default, Extensions will be accessible from the right side of the Address Bar. If that location doesn’t suit you, you can move them to the Panels sidebar or Status Bar. Note that all extensions are grouped together and cannot be moved individually to different locations on the browser’s toolbars,

To move Extensions:

Option 1

  1. Open the toolbar editor from the Vivaldi menu > View > Customize Toolbar.
  2. From its current location, drag the Extensions button to your preferred location.

Option 2

If you’ve hidden some extensions and see the Extensions button next to your visible extensions, you can move them without needing to open the Toolbar Editor.

  1. Hold down the Ctrl/⌘* key.
  2. Drag the Extensions button to your preferred location.

*On macOS, release the ⌘ key before you release the mouse button.

Reorder extensions

Enabled extensions often display a button. You can reorder these buttons among themselves by holding down the Ctrl/⌘* key and dragging and dropping them directly on the Address Bar.

*On macOS, release the ⌘ key before you release the mouse button.

Quick Commands

Quick Commands is a powerful universal search wrapped in a minimal, command line interface. Use it to search the web, find an open tab, search your history, or even find and issue a command.

Open Quick Commands

To open the Quick Commands menu:

Features available in Quick Commands

Quick Commands menu lets you:

Search and navigate results

  1. Start typing your search/command term. 
    The search term will be highlighted for better discoverability;
  2. Use ↓ ↑ arrow keys or scroll to navigate the list of results.
    Press Shift or → key to auto-complete the highlighted result and narrow down the search results even further.
    To skip sections, hold down the Alt key while pressing ↓ ↑ arrow keys;
  3. Press Enter or click on the item to issue selected command, or
  4. Close Quick Commands menu by pressing Escape key.

Filter searches

To search only a specific category, you can use a the following keywords in front of the search term to filter out only relevant results:

  • Bookmarks – bookmark:
  • Notes – note:
  • Open and Closed Tabs – tab:
  • Browsing History – history:
  • Commands – command:
  • Page Actions – action:
  • Workspaces – workspace:

For example, the search filter history: Vivaldi will search the term “Vivaldi” in your browsing history. The search filter note: cake will search your Notes for the word “cake.”

It’s also possible to use shorter keywords like bkm: (bookmark), tb: (tab), cmd: (command) and other alternative search terms derived using regular expression.

In addition, when your browser’s user interface is not in English, you can use the keywords both in the user interface’s language and in English. Just make sure, you have enabled Include English Search Terms in Settings > Quick Commands > Quick Command Options.

Customize Quick Commands

You can choose which data types to show in Quick Commands’ search results and in which order.

To toggle some types on or off:

  1. Go to Settings > Quick Commands > Search Types and Priority;
  2. (Un)tick the box for the data type.

To reorder the list:

  1. Click on the data type you want to move;
  2. Move the item to it’s new location on the list by:
    • using drag and drop,
    • clicking on the Move up and Move down buttons at the bottom of the list,
    • using the keyboard shortcuts Alt ↓ and Alt ↑.

To restore the default order, click on Reset Priority below the list.

Quick Command Options

In addition to toggling the visibility and reordering data types, you can enable the following options:

  • Keep last typed value even after exiting Quick Commands;
  • Limit the number of visible search results;
  • Open links in a new tab;
  • Open Bookmarks automatically on a nickname match;
  • Open Notes in Notes Manager instead of Notes Panel.
  • Allow search keywords in English.

Command Chains

In Vivaldi you can group commands together to execute them in a sequence. Learn more about the feature on our Help page about Command Chains.

Mouse Gestures

Mouse Gestures let you speed up navigation and perform useful actions with quick movements of the mouse. You can edit existing gestures and add your own to match your browsing style. Read on to find out more.

Enabling gestures

To enable and disable Mouse Gestures:

  1. Go to Settings > Mouse > Gestures and tick the box for Allow Gestures;
  2. Type “Toggle Mouse Gestures” in Quick Commands;
  3. Create a Keyboard Shortcut for the action.

Performing a gesture

  1. Click and hold the right mouse button (or press and hold the ALT key).
  2. Move the pointer to perform an action.

You can also perform gestures using other input devices, such as trackpads or touchpads. To enable gestures for these devices, tick the box for Perform Gestures with ALT Key in Settings.

Default gestures

To view default gestures, to Settings > Mouse > Gesture Mapping.

Making your own gesture

  1. Go to Settings > Mouse > Gesture Mapping.
  2. Click on the Add button New Gesture button.
  3. Pick a command from the drop-down menu or search for one by name.
  4. Click Next.
  5. Draw a new gesture in the highlighted area using primary button.
  6. Click Save Gesture.
Settings for making a custom mouse gesture

Editing gestures

  1. Go to Settings > Mouse > Gesture Mapping.
  2. Pick a gesture you want to edit.
  3. Click on the Edit button Edit Gesture button.
  4. Draw a new gesture and click Save Gesture.

Gesture sensitivity

  1. Go to Settings > Mouse > Gesture Sensitivity.
  2. Move the slider to set a minimum stroke length to be recognised as a gesture.
Slider for adjusting mouse gesture sensitivity

Rocker gestures

Rocker Gestures are Mouse Gestures used to execute commands with the left and right mouse buttons. Learn more on the Help page about Rocker Gestures.