If the panel you want to dock or group is not visible, choose it from the Window menu.
Last updated on
Apr 7, 2026
Learn how to adjust and rearrange panels in your workspace.
You can dock panels together, move them into or out of groups, and undock them so they float above the application window. As you drag a panel, drop zones—areas onto which you can move the panel—become highlighted. The drop zone you choose determines where the panel is inserted, and whether it docks or groups with other panels.
Docking zones
Docking zones exist along the edges of a panel, group, or window. Docking a panel places it near the existing group, resizing all groups to accommodate the new panel.
Grouping zones
Grouping zones exist in the middle of a panel or group, and along the tab area of panels. Dropping a panel on a grouping zone stacks it with other panels.
Dock or group panels
Drag the required panel onto the desired drop zone. The application docks or groups according to the type of drop zone.Press the Ctrl key while dragging the panel to make the panel free-floating.
You can choose to present panels in a panel group in a stacked state or in a tabbed state. Stacked panels are expanded and collapsed with a single click of the mouse on the panel header, or a tap of the finger when using a touch surface. Choose the desired option from Panel Group Settings.
Undock a panel in a floating window
When you undock a panel in a floating window, you can add panels to the window and modify it similarly to the application window. You can use floating windows to use a secondary monitor, or to create workspaces like the workspaces in earlier versions of Adobe applications.
Select the panel you want to undock (if it’s not visible, choose it from the Window menu), and then do one of the following:
- Choose Undock Panel or Undock Panel Group from the panel menu. Undock Panel Group undocks the panel group.
- Hold down Ctrl (Windows®) or Command (Mac OS®), and drag the panel or group from its current location. When you release the mouse button, the panel or group appears in a new floating window.
- Drag the panel or group outside the application window. (If the application window is maximized, drag the panel to the Windows taskbar.)
Resize panel groups
When you position the pointer over dividers between panel groups, resize icons appear. When you drag these icons, all groups that share the divider are resized. For example, suppose that your workspace contains three panel groups stacked vertically. If you drag the divider between the bottom two groups, they are resized, but the topmost group doesn’t change.
Note
To quickly maximize a panel beneath the pointer, press the accent key. (Do not press Shift.) Press the accent key again to return the panel to its original size.
Do either of the following:
- To resize either horizontally or vertically, position the pointer between two panel groups. The pointer becomes a double‑arrow .
- To resize in both directions at once, position the pointer at the intersection between three or more panel groups. The pointer becomes a four-way arrow .
Hold down the mouse button, and drag to resize the panel groups.
Open, close, and scroll to panels
When you close a panel group in the application window, the other groups resize to use the newly available space. When you close a floating window, the panels within it close, too.
- To open a panel, choose it from the Window menu.
- To close a panel or window, press Control-W (Windows) or Command-W (Mac OS), or click its Close button .
- To see all the panel tabs in a narrow panel group, drag the horizontal scroll bar.
- To bring a panel to the front of a group of panels, do one of the following: Click the tab of the panel you want in front.Hover the cursor above the tab area, and turn the mouse scroll wheel. Scrolling brings each panel to the front, one after another.Drag tabs horizontally to change their order.
- To reveal panels hidden in a narrow panel group, drag the scroll bar above the panel group.
Expand panels
You can expand any panel to display it in full-screen mode and toggle back to normal view. You can do so with the current panel in focus or the panel you are hovering over with your mouse.
Hover your mouse over the panel you want to maximize.
Press the accent key (`). Typically, this key lies just to the left of the numeral one (1) key. Some see this key as the back quote key or the tilde key. Press the accent key once more to restore the panel size. You can also maximize a selected panel by choosing Window > Maximize Frame. To restore the panel size, choose Window > Restore Frame Size. You can also press Shift+accent to maximize the panel size of a selected panel. Press the accent key to toggle the panel size of a panel you are hovering over with the mouse.
Note
When Adobe Bridge is installed on a computer with a non-U.S. keyboard, the Maximize Or Restore Frame Under Cursor command might be mapped to a key other than the accent key.
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