Vivaldi 8.3 Rebuilds Ad Blocking with Four Protection Levels and Better Vertical Tabs
Vivaldi 8.3 brings a redesigned ad and tracker blocker with per-site controls and custom filter lists, alongside smarter vertical tabs, multi-link Paste and Go, sanitized link copying and a faster Reader Mode.
💡 Key Takeaways
- Vivaldi 8.3 was released on November 5, 2026, for desktop and mobile.
- The rebuilt Ad and Tracker Blocker offers four levels: Off, Light, Strong and Aggressive.
- Users can set protection globally or choose a different level for individual websites.
- Custom blocking profiles can use selected filter lists from remote URLs or local files.
- Vertical tabs can expand on hover, while pinned tabs can be arranged in a compact grid.
- New tools include multi-URL Paste and Go and Copy Sanitized Link, which removes tracking parameters before copying.
Vivaldi 8.3 Focuses on More Flexible Ad and Tracker Blocking
Vivaldi has released version 8.3 of its Chromium-based browser, with its biggest change centered on a rebuilt Ad and Tracker Blocker. The update is designed to handle large filter lists more efficiently and gives users more direct control over how much advertising and tracking content is blocked.
Rather than forcing a single all-or-nothing setting, Vivaldi now provides four predefined protection levels. Users can choose a default level for all websites and then create exceptions for individual sites. The browser remembers those site-specific choices, making it possible to apply stricter protection to some websites while keeping others working normally.
The redesigned blocker is available in Vivaldi 8.3 for desktop, Android and iOS. The desktop release also includes changes to vertical tabs, link handling, Reader Mode and browser-extension compatibility.
Four Built-In Protection Levels
The new blocker presents four options with different balances between privacy and website compatibility:
- Off: Disables the built-in ad and tracker blocker.
- Light: Blocks most known trackers and some advertisements. This is a more compatibility-focused setting.
- Strong: Blocks more trackers and advertisements. Some websites may not function as expected.
- Aggressive: Blocks almost all trackers and advertisements. The stricter filtering can cause websites or embedded features to break.
Users can select their default protection level during onboarding or later through Vivaldi’s settings. The browser also supports per-site overrides: click the shield icon in the address bar and select the desired protection level for the current website.
Choose Aggressive for a media or video site where maximum blocking is preferred, but use Light for online banking or business portals where scripts and forms must work reliably. Vivaldi remembers the choice for each site.
Custom Blocking Profiles and Filter Lists
Advanced users can create custom blocking levels and decide exactly which filter lists the browser should use. Vivaldi 8.3 supports adding custom lists from remote URLs or local files through the blocker settings.
This makes the built-in blocker more configurable for users who maintain their own lists or need a particular combination of privacy and compatibility rules. It also provides a way to tailor protection without installing a separate content-blocking extension.
Vertical Tabs Expand on Hover
Vivaldi continues to refine its vertical-tab interface. The new Expand Tab Bar on Hover option allows the tab bar to remain narrow, showing only favicons while the pointer is elsewhere. Moving the mouse over the bar expands it to reveal full tab titles; moving away collapses it again.
The feature works whether the vertical tab bar is positioned on the left or right side of the browser window. It is intended to preserve more page space while keeping tab navigation close at hand.
Pinned Tabs Get a Compact Grid
Pinned tabs in the vertical tab bar can now sit side by side in a compact grid at the top of the bar instead of each taking a separate row. This leaves more room for ordinary open tabs while keeping frequently used services such as mail, calendars and project-management tools accessible.
Users who prefer the previous one-pinned-tab-per-row arrangement can restore it through the pinned-tab settings. As with other Vivaldi features, the layout remains configurable rather than mandatory.
Paste and Go Now Opens Multiple URLs
The updated Paste and Go feature can process a list of URLs copied from an email, document or chat. Paste the list into Vivaldi’s address field and the browser opens each address in its own tab.
This can be useful when researching several sources, reviewing a shared reading list or opening a collection of internal documentation links. Instead of visiting each URL separately, users can load the group and work through the tabs in sequence.
Copy Sanitized Link Removes Tracking Parameters
Vivaldi 8.3 adds a Copy Sanitized Link option that removes tracking parameters from a URL before copying it to the clipboard. Many shared links include extra query parameters used to identify campaigns, referrals or the source of a visit.
Removing those parameters can make a shared URL shorter and reduce the tracking information passed along with it. It does not guarantee that every form of tracking is removed: a website may still use identifiers in the page URL itself, cookies or other mechanisms.
Faster Reader Mode and Tab Groups API Support
Reader Mode has been optimized to open more quickly and scroll more smoothly. The feature presents supported articles in a cleaner reading layout, reducing visual clutter and making long-form content easier to follow.
Vivaldi 8.3 also adds support for Chrome’s Tab Groups API. This improves compatibility with browser extensions that use the API to organize tabs into groups. Extension behavior can still vary, so users should check individual extension compatibility after updating.
Vivaldi 8.3 Is Also Available on Android and iOS
The redesigned Ad and Tracker Blocker is included in Vivaldi 8.3 for Android and iOS as well as desktop. This brings the four protection levels and custom blocking controls to mobile devices, helping users maintain a similar approach to content blocking across platforms.
The mobile release has its own platform-specific changes. Vivaldi’s mobile announcement also highlights smarter media controls on Android and a major performance improvement on iOS. Those mobile-specific details are separate from the desktop features described above.
How to Update or Download Vivaldi 8.3
Vivaldi 8.3 is available for Windows, macOS and Linux through the official Vivaldi website. The project also provides the 8.3 mobile release for Android and iOS through the relevant app distribution channels.
- Visit the official Vivaldi download page.
- Select the package for your operating system.
- Download the installer from the official project website or use your platform’s supported app store.
- Install the update and restart the browser if prompted.
- Open Settings and review the Ad and Tracker Blocker protection level.
- Use the shield icon in the address bar to set site-specific protection where needed.
What Vivaldi 8.3 Means for Privacy and Daily Browsing
Vivaldi 8.3 is more than a filter-list refresh. Its per-site protection levels make the built-in blocker more adaptable to the way people actually browse: some sites can receive strict filtering, while trusted or business-critical pages can use a lighter setting to avoid compatibility problems.
The vertical-tab refinements and multi-link Paste and Go focus on productivity, while Copy Sanitized Link gives users a simple way to reduce tracking data when sharing URLs. Together, these changes make Vivaldi 8.3 a practical update for users who value customization, privacy controls and tab-management flexibility.
As always, browser-based blocking is only one layer of privacy protection. It does not replace secure DNS, endpoint protection, careful account security or an understanding of the permissions granted to websites and extensions.