Panic Button: Opera GX shortcut helps hide inappropriate browsing

Opera GX added a shortcut that, when triggered, instantly replaces your current navigation with a neutral page, hiding all on-screen content.

Panic Button is specially designed to instantly pause playback on all tabs and open a new window with secure content. When you get an unexpected visitor or your boss surprises you while you’re watching Twitch streams instead of focusing on Excel.

The inclusion of the “panic button” feature was driven by the following finding: In a study conducted by Opera in December 2023, 36% of respondents admitted to accessing inappropriate content during work, school, or university hours.

“We created the Panic Button as your first line of defense when your online secrets are at risk. With just the push of a button, you can instantly transfer your most engaging content to secure tabs, and no one will be the wiser,” said Maciej. Kocemba is Panic Button Opera’s product director and the brains behind Opera GX.

How to enable Panic Button

New Panic Button can be activated with the F12 key on the keyboard. Opera GX lets you choose a site to be your safe tab, either pre-installed options like YouTube, Twitch, and Wikipedia, or user-customized alternatives. Once the situation calms down, simply press F12 again to bring your tabs back.

According to Opera GX research, accessing inappropriate content is a reality for many users, including social networks (61%), explicit adult content (58%), games (51%), online shopping (51%) and websites. (36%). And the consequences can be serious: a third of those involved faced warnings or even suspension and dismissal.