Two windows open in Bridge Oct. 2022 update?

[Melani Lust]

Hi!! I use Bridge daily and always have had 2 - 4 Bridge windows open so that I could easily move files from folder to folder after viewing them. However with the new Bridge update there no longer exists the "File, New Window" option.  After several hours, ok a few days...., of toying around and looking through discussion boards I couldn't find any information. Does anyone know how to have more than one Bridge window open with the new update? Thanks in advance.

[gary_sc]

Bridge 2023 does not allow more than one window. Adobe knows that this did not go over well. You can now have more than one Content Panel, but (obviously) this is different than windows.

I do not know if the new Multiple Content Panels make multiple windows possible or not.

Adobe has not commented on whether multiple windows are coming back or not. We are all waiting for a comment from them on this.

[Melani Lust]

Oh gosh, this is terrible, thank you so much for letting me know. Thi is the main reason I use Bridge, so that I can move images around to different folders and drives. I'll try to see if I can get the old Bridge back. I really appreciate you letting me know, what a horrible "update!"

[gary_sc · Accepted solution]

Hi @Melani Lust just so you know. You CAN do that in the new Bridge. But rather than having multiple windows open, you do that with Multiple Content Panels open.

I do not know if you've ever placed the content of one image into another image in Photoshop, but the approach is the same. First, you need two Content Panels open. There are many ways to do this. If you see a plus (+) in the Content Panel, clicking that will open a new Content Panel, but it will default to a default location. From here, you can either maneuver to the desired folder in the Folders Panel or, if you already have it open, with the new Content Tab selected (there will be a blue line around the Panel, and there will be a blue box adjacent to the title), you can drag your desired folder or an image from that folder to the Bridge icon in the Dock, and that will populate that new Content Panel.

If you have a folder with multiple sub-folders, you can right-click on one of them and select Open in the new Content Tab.

If you've been to the desired folder recently, you can go to the "Recent" icon in the tools (it looks like a clock), and select that folder to fill the new Content Tab.

At this point, back to the Photoshop analogy. If you mouse-down the selected file(s), you can drag that to the name of the older/newer Content Tab. Once you see that it has become the selected Tab, drag it/them into the body of the Tab and let go. You've now moved your files into the desired Tab. 

Also, note you have as many Content Tabs as you have room for. You can even make a Workspace filled with Content Tabs (however, that will make selecting their folders a bit more work).

I hope this helps.

[Melani Lust]

Thank you so much for your help. This is an interesting way that Adobe changed things up. The content tabs don't work visually for me unfortunatley, because I need to see grids of images on two, three, or four, separate panels at the same time. Also, there seems to be a bug now with the content tab, when moving an image in an upward directions, the image will pop into a content tab, instead of staying in the panel in which I'm working. My workflow is accustomed to dragging large quantities of images (200+) to different panels, and being able to see exactly where they go, I really do hope that Adobe brings this back. Thank you so much for your thoughtful post, it was very helpful and thorough, I appreciate it and I'm sure others do too.

[audrey.n]

I've seen this answer given, but it ignores the fact that those multiple content tabs aren't actually treated as such when it comes to Mission Control in MacOS (or Windows win-tab/taskbar). Historically all Bridge windows would be able to be viewed separetely by Mission Control, which is hugely powerful. In Bridge 13.0 Mission Control only sees the main instance of Bridge and not any undocked panels. This has crippled my workflow and sent me back to 12.0 for the time being.

[gary_sc]

Hi @audrey.n Thank you for that. As one who does not use Mission Control*, that's a perspective that was new to me. Hopefully, Adobe will see this response and add this to their considerations for going forward.

*I'm aware of MC, I have played with it, it just didn't add anything to my workflow.

[ReneDamkot]

Exactly. Mission control doesn't work, a new tab opens in a useless location or at best in your 'work' folder on your work drive (ig you set that in Prefs > Content > open new content tab with…) where "new window" used to open in the folder you were in.

Since I use a folder strucure "YYYMMDD-client" with in there "RAW"; "processed"; "Def" or whatever, I now see 5 tabs named "Processed". Not very helpful.

Also, I cannot navigate using Cmd+Tab, and I cannot close the tab using Cmd+W.

The only reason I'm not reverting to the previous version of Bridge, is that that doesn't work well with some scripts ("contact sheet", "open as layers" or Dr Brown Image processor. Some of them will then open in PS CC 2022)…

[stunning_code154A]

No, this does not work the same.  I am with the others that almost always had to windows open, and used them to Navigate moving files from one drive to another.  Why Adobe would just take that out make absolutely no sense. 

[adobeboy]

I was not prepared for this and it totally disrupts my workflow. Where can I go to be a squeaky wheel about this?

[Lumigraphics]

I recommend staying on Bridge 2022 (version 12 ) if you need multiple windows or have issues with some of the bugs. I still use the older version for production and only fire up Bridge 2023 for testing.

[BestLightPhotography]

I noticed that immediately too.  A disaster for my workflow.  I hope they will bring it back. I wish I hadn't installed this version.

[Just as seen]

Hi Melanie, I've got the same problem. I've used Bridge for years and suddenly Adobe in their wisdom have removed the File>New Window option. So frustrating.

[PECourtejoie]

@Just as seen @BestLightPhotography @Melani Lust could you describe how you operated before that you cannot anymore with the new multiple content interface? You can now see two different folders in the same window: https://helpx.adobe.com//bridge/using/whats-new/2023.html#workspace_management

[~ Gil]

Yes you can do that, however there is no folder tree in the additional tab and . .  when you drag a file from one folder to another, the folder tree returns focus to the top of your file system. It used to be "sticky" in other words, the folder tree was unaffected by the movement of files.

[Just as seen]

Thanks for this. I've had a go with the multiple content tabs and I can see how it works. I guess I'll get the hang of it.  But why not leave what was there before as well - it's been there for ever - it wasn't broke, so why fix it?

[PECourtejoie]

I think that having mulitple tabs was a top request. I do not think that users meant to exchange dual windows for multiple tabs, but that is what we have for the moment.

[Lumigraphics]

I never really cared about multiple tabs but yes it was a top request. Its obvious that the idea may be sound but the implementation is poor.

[BestLightPhotography]

With the previous multiple windows, I could have different folders open in each window and rapidly click on whichever window I wanted to make live.  Each window showed me the folder content and a preview of any file I selected.  With the new version, only one preview can be seen.  When I undock the panel for each content tab, it remains in front of the main window, blocking its view.  I either have to move it far to one side of the screen or shrink it dramatically.  This will become impossible if three or four panels are open. Clicking on the main window doesn't bring it to the front.

Also, I can't figure out how to re-dock the panel after I have undocked it from the content tab.  I seem to have to close the panel and then open it as a new tab again.

I don't dislike having the multiple content tabs.  I just would like to have the old multiple windows option back.

I am facile with Bridge and Photoshop but I am not a software professional.  There may be ways to do some of what I want.  But I want to just be working with my photographs, not slogging through more bloated Adobe training.  I don't have time for this!

[Bowserb46]

Melani, FWIW, there is more.  I finally gave up and went back to 12.0.3.270 (Windows version.)

[BestLightPhotography]

How did you go back to the earlier version?  Is it available?  Thanks.

[PECourtejoie]

Hi, it is explained here: Install a previous version from the Creative Cloud application: https://helpx.adobe.com/download-install/using/install-previous-version.html

[stonagw]

THANK YOU!!!!!

Sad you have to go back to a previous version for increased functionality.

[penguinmoonstudios]

Yes, very frustrating! I sure hope adobe brings it back. It's just another window, for pete's sake. 🙂

[olegc13338458]

What a desisater I encounter the same problem. And get my work flow rioght with  content panel: I thoght updates are to make things better. I hope they resolve this issue. But I will go back to the old version meanwhile.