Juggling several windows at once can be a hassle, especially when a user needs to return to the same web pages and documents multiple times for something like a business project. Microsoft Corp. will soon begin testing a feature that could do away with this challenge, transforming the Windows 10 experience in the process.

The capability is called Sets and will be made available via the company’s Windows Insider beta testing program. In a video posted today, Microsoft offered a sneak peak of what to expect.

The demonstration starts with a simple Word file. At the top of the interface, above the usual document editing options, is a tab bar resembling that of a browser. Clicking the plus sign that opens a new tab brings up not a blank Word document, but rather an application view offering access to other programs from the Office 365 suite and beyond.

Sets thus effectively removes the need to open more than one window. Instead, the feature organizes programs and files as tabs on one easily accessible navigation bar. This consolidated interface makes it much quicker to switch between items, especially when there is a large number of them open, which can add up to significant time savings over the course of a work week. 

In the demonstration video, Microsoft showed off how the unified application view can be used to run a Word document side-by-side with web pages, OneNote entries and a PowerPoint presentation. A list of frequently accessed programs appears when launching a new tab to help users quickly bring up the tool they need. Moreover, there’s a universal search bar that makes it possible to look up specific files across services. 

Microsoft plans to top it all off by integrating Sets with its upcoming Timeline feature for saving desktop activity. The combination of the two will provide the ability to group web pages and files related to the same project for later reference, thus removing the need to manually locate each item. The feature will be tied to Microsoft accounts so that saved collections may be accessed from multiple devices.

According to PCWorld, Sets could become available for testing as soon as this month. Microsoft intends to carry out the rollout in phases. The company will reportedly open the feature to only a “limited group” of users at first, with support for just a small subset of Windows 10 apps. Core Office 365 programs and third party applications are expected to be added into the mix next year. 

Image: Microsoft