Sublime Text: How to Open Files in the Same Window (New Tab)

I’m a huge fan of the Sublime Text editor and have used it for years. Whether it’s coding, editing a file via SFTP, or jotting down notes, it’s one of those apps that I never close. However, one little annoying thing is the default behavior when opening a file is that it launches a new Sublime window. This is not ideal, because over time you end up with multiple Sublime windows running, each with their own tabs open. I need less chaos in my life, not more!

Thankfully you can easily change the default setting in Sublime Text 2 and Sublime Text 3 to open files in the same window (new tab). Follow these steps below.

Step 1

In Sublime, go to “Sublime Text” → “Preferences” → “Settings.”

Step 2

Add the following property to your Sublime user configuration file:

{
	"open_files_in_new_window": false
}

If your user configuration file already contains values (like the Dracula Sublime theme), make sure to simply add it in between the starting and closing bracket on its own line (as seen above). All of the lines, except for the last one should have a comma at the end.

Step 3

Save the file and you’re good to go! Now every time you open a file in Sublime, it will open in a new tab within the same window.

Hopefully, this little Sublime tip is helpful. Yay for being more productive. 💪