Fix Vertical Tabs Sync Loss Between Two Edge Profiles on Windows 11

You open Microsoft Edge on your work profile and all your vertical tabs are missing. You switch to your personal profile and the same thing happens. This happens because Edge sync settings apply to the entire browser, not per profile, and vertical tabs have a separate sync toggle that is easy to overlook. This article explains why vertical tabs fail to sync across profiles and shows you exactly how to fix it.

Why Vertical Tabs Stop Syncing Between Edge Profiles

Microsoft Edge stores vertical tabs as part of the browser state, not inside the tab data that syncs by default. When you enable Edge sync, it syncs favorites, passwords, and open tabs from the horizontal tab strip. The vertical tab strip uses a separate sync feature called “Vertical tabs” that must be turned on individually for each profile.

If you created a second Edge profile after turning on sync for the first one, the second profile starts with sync disabled for all items. Even if you turn on the general sync toggle for the second profile, vertical tabs remain off unless you manually enable them. The same problem occurs if you change your Microsoft account password or re-authenticate on one profile, which can reset the vertical tabs sync toggle to off.

Another cause is a corrupted sync data cache. When the local sync cache on your Windows 11 device stores outdated or conflicting information about vertical tabs, Edge stops syncing that data to prevent overwriting. The sync engine treats this as a conflict and silently skips vertical tab updates.

Steps to Enable Vertical Tab Sync for Each Edge Profile

You must enable vertical tab sync separately for every profile that needs it. Follow these steps for each profile on your Windows 11 computer.

1. Open Edge and switch to the profile that is missing vertical tabs
   Click the profile icon in the top-right corner of Edge. Select the profile name from the dropdown menu. If you are already on the correct profile, proceed to the next step.
2. Open Edge Settings
   Click the three-dot menu at the top-right of the browser window. Select Settings from the menu. The Settings page opens in a new tab.
3. Go to Profiles > Sync
   In the left sidebar, click Profiles. Click the profile you are currently using. Then click Sync in the profile settings list.
4. Verify sync is turned on for this profile
   If the top toggle labeled Sync is off, click it to turn it on. Sign in with your Microsoft account credentials if prompted. Sync must be enabled before you can configure individual sync items.
5. Enable the Vertical tabs sync toggle
   Scroll down the Sync page until you see the list of individual sync items. Find Vertical tabs in the list. Click the toggle next to it so it turns blue. The toggle reads “On” when active.
6. Wait for sync to complete
   Close the Settings tab. Open a new Edge window and verify that your vertical tabs appear. It can take up to 30 seconds for the first sync to complete after you enable the toggle. If vertical tabs do not appear after one minute, proceed to the reset method below.

How to Reset the Sync Cache When Vertical Tabs Still Do Not Sync

If you enabled the vertical tabs toggle but the tabs still do not appear on the other profile, the local sync cache may be corrupted. Resetting the sync cache forces Edge to download fresh data from the Microsoft sync server.

1. Open Edge Settings on the profile that is missing vertical tabs
   Click the three-dot menu and select Settings. Go to Profiles > Sync as described in the previous section.
2. Click the Reset sync button
   Scroll to the bottom of the Sync page. Click the Reset sync link. A confirmation dialog appears.
3. Confirm the reset
   Click Reset in the dialog. Edge disconnects from the sync server and clears all local sync data for this profile. The browser restarts automatically.
4. Re-enable sync and vertical tabs
   After Edge restarts, go back to Settings > Profiles > Sync. Turn on the main Sync toggle if it is off. Then turn on the Vertical tabs toggle again. Wait one minute for the initial sync to complete.

If Vertical Tabs Sync Is Blocked by Organization Policies

If you use Edge with a work or school account, your organization may have disabled vertical tab sync through Group Policy or Microsoft Intune. The vertical tabs toggle appears grayed out or does not respond to clicks when this policy is active.

To check if a policy is blocking sync, type edge://policy in the address bar and press Enter. Look for SyncTypesListDisabled in the policy list. If you see vertical_tabs listed under that policy, your IT administrator has blocked the feature. Contact your IT department to request that vertical tab sync be allowed.

Common Issues and Related Failures

Vertical tabs toggle is missing from the sync list

If you do not see Vertical tabs in the sync item list, you are using an older version of Edge that does not support this feature. Update Edge by going to Settings > About Microsoft Edge. Edge checks for updates automatically and installs them. After the update, restart Edge and check the sync list again.

Vertical tabs sync works but tabs appear in the wrong order

Edge syncs vertical tabs as a flat list, not in the order you arranged them. The tabs appear in the order they were last opened or modified. To restore a specific order, close and reopen the tabs in the sequence you want. Edge syncs the new order on the next sync cycle.

Only some vertical tabs appear on the second profile

Edge syncs up to 200 vertical tabs per profile. If you have more than 200 tabs open in the vertical tab strip, only the 200 most recently accessed tabs sync to the other profile. Close unused tabs to stay under this limit, then wait for the sync to update.

Sync Settings Comparison: Vertical Tabs vs Other Sync Items

Item	Vertical Tabs	Open Tabs (Horizontal)
Sync toggle location	Settings > Profiles > Sync > Vertical tabs	Settings > Profiles > Sync > Open tabs
Default state	Off for all new profiles	On when main sync is enabled
Maximum tabs synced	200	200
Tab order preserved	No	No
Affected by organization policy	Yes, SyncTypesListDisabled	Yes, SyncTypesListDisabled

Vertical tabs require an extra manual step to enable sync. Open tabs from the horizontal tab strip sync automatically once the main sync toggle is on. Both features share the same 200-tab limit and neither preserves tab order across devices or profiles.

After you enable vertical tab sync on each profile, Edge keeps the vertical tab state synced in near real time. You can close Edge on one profile and reopen it on another profile to see the same vertical tab layout. To verify sync is working, open Edge on your Windows 11 device and press Ctrl+Shift+A to toggle the vertical tab pane. The tabs should match what you see on the other profile after a few seconds of network activity.