# Using browser tab content indicators

**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/using-browser-tab-content-indicators/33508
**Category:** Using Discourse
**Tags:** how-to, interface
**Created:** [September 21, 2015, 12:49am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/using-browser-tab-content-indicators/33508 "2015-09-21T00:49:27Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![Discourse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/discourse/32/148734_2.png) [@Discourse](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Discourse)
#### Post date: [September 21, 2015, 12:49am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/using-browser-tab-content-indicators/33508/1 "2015-09-21T00:49:27Z")

</div>

> 🔖 This guide explains how Discourse displays new content indicators in your browser tab, helping you quickly identify new topics and posts without actively checking the site.
> 
> 🙋 Required user level: All users

Discourse provides a convenient way to see how many new items are available to read directly in your browser tab. This feature works for both logged-in and guest users, making it easy to stay updated on new activity across the site.

## How it works

### Choosing what to count

Discourse offers two counting modes, controlled by the **“Background page title displays count of:”** dropdown in your Interface preferences (under the “Other” section):

- **New notifications** (default) — shows the count of unread notifications
- **New page content** — shows the count of new items on the current page (new topics in a topic list, or new posts in a topic)

> ℹ Guest users always see new page content counts.

### Title mode (default)

In title mode, Discourse updates the browser tab title to show the count of new items.

#### For topic lists

When using “New page content” mode and viewing a topic list, the title shows how many new or updated topics are available to load.

 ![Topic list with new topics indicator](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/meta/original/3X/5/1/5163343e374b513bee20aa392141ac8842b7cca4.png)

> ℹ The count in the blue box on the page should always match the count in the title or icon when using “New page content” mode.

#### For individual topics

When using “New page content” mode and you have a topic open in a background tab, the title shows the count of all new posts in that topic.

![Topic with new posts indicator](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/meta/original/3X/e/d/ed412ec10ca94defba4015752f01625c6c016e14.png)

> ℹ The count resets to 0 as soon as you bring the topic tab into focus.

### Icon mode

If you prefer, you can choose to display new content indicators on the browser icon (also called the ‘favicon’) instead of in the page title. This is particularly useful if you keep many tabs open and can only see the favicons.

#### Enabling icon mode

To switch to icon mode:

1. Go to your user preferences
2. Select the Interface tab
3. Scroll to the Other section
4. Enable the “Show counts on browser icon” option

 ![Preference setting for icon mode](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/meta/original/3X/5/4/54af22b9b3f7ab3a78f7452f5e3b5bf59fc9eb69.png)

> ℹ When icon mode is enabled, the count appears on the favicon and is **not** shown in the page title. The counting mode preference still controls what gets counted.

> ℹ All browser tab counts are suppressed while Do Not Disturb mode is active.

## Benefits of browser tab indicators

- Quickly see if there are new posts in a specific topic
- Easily identify new or unread posts in a category
- Get an overview of new site activity since your last visit
- Stay informed about new content even when not logged in

By using these browser tab indicators, you can efficiently manage your Discourse experience and stay up-to-date with new content without

> Last edited by @hugh 2024-07-02T06:28:56Z
> 
> Last checked by @hugh 2024-07-02T06:29:02Z
> 
> > **Check document**
> >
> > Perform check on document: