# Tabs & Navigation

> Open several ERD diagrams at once in Schemity, switch between tabs with keyboard shortcuts, and use the in-editor connection list to open and navigate diagrams.

Source: https://schemity.com/doc/tabs-and-navigation/

Schemity lets you keep several diagrams open at once, each in its own **tab**, and move between them with the keyboard. You can work across multiple connections without going back to the workspace screen every time.

## Watch: opening and switching between diagrams

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The video opens one diagram, then opens a second from the **Connections** drawer without leaving the editor, and moves between the two using the tab bar. It shows the mouse route; the same moves have keyboard shortcuts, listed further down.

## How do tabs work in Schemity?

![The tab bar with several diagrams open, each tab numbered and labelled with its connection name](https://schemity.com/images/doc/tabs-and-navigation/tabs.png)

Every open diagram is a tab in the control bar. The tab bar appears as soon as you have **two or more** diagrams open. Each tab is labelled with the connection's name and a few cues:

- A numeric prefix, `[1]` through `[9]`, for the first nine tabs - this is the number you press to jump to it. Tabs beyond nine have no prefix.
- A trailing `*` when the tab has **unsaved changes**.
- An underlined label when the diagram is open **read-only**.

Each tab keeps its own state - scroll position, selection, and undo/redo history - so switching back and forth never loses your place.

## How do I open another diagram without leaving the editor?

You do not have to leave the ERD to open another diagram. The **Connection list** opens the **Connections** drawer right over your canvas. From it you can:

- Click a connection to open it - it opens in a **new tab**.
- Create a new connection.
- Edit, duplicate, or delete existing connections.

Open it from the **Connection list** button in the toolbar, or with the keyboard shortcut below. This is the part the video above demonstrates. To leave the editor entirely and return to the workspace screen, use **Back to connection list**.

![The Connections drawer open over the canvas, listing connections you can open in a new tab](https://schemity.com/images/doc/tabs-and-navigation/conn-list.png)

## Keyboard shortcuts

These are the tab shortcuts. For every shortcut in the app, see [Keyboard Shortcuts](https://schemity.com/doc/keyboard-shortcuts/).

| Action | macOS | Windows / Linux |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Jump to tab 1-9 | `⌘1` ... `⌘9` | `Ctrl+1` ... `Ctrl+9` |
| Open the connection list | `⌘⇧C` | `Ctrl+Shift+C` |
| Back to the connection list (workspace) | `⌘B` | `Ctrl+B` |
| Reset the current diagram (re-read the database) | `⌘R` | `Ctrl+R` |
| Close the current tab | `⌘W` | `Ctrl+W` |

Pressing a tab number that is not open (for example `⌘5` with only three tabs) simply does nothing. On the **web version**, the browser keeps a few of these combinations (`⌘1`-`9`, `⌘W`, `⌘R`) for its own tabs; on the **desktop app** Schemity handles them all.

## Why do I see a loading spinner when switching tabs?

Switching tabs does not reload data - each diagram stays cached. On a very large schema the swap can take a moment, so Schemity shows a brief loading spinner while it renders the incoming diagram, keeping the switch responsive instead of looking frozen.

## What happens to unsaved changes when I close a tab?

Close a tab with its **X** button or with `⌘W` / `Ctrl+W`. Unsaved state is tracked **per tab**:

- Closing a tab that has unsaved changes asks you to confirm: *"You have unsaved changes. Closing will discard them. Continue?"* with a **Discard & Close** option.
- Closing a clean tab never prompts, even if a different tab has unsaved work.
- Read-only diagrams never prompt, since you cannot change them.

## Do my tabs reopen after I restart Schemity?

Open tabs are remembered only while the app is running; they are not restored after you quit and reopen Schemity. Reopen any diagram from the connection list. Since every diagram is saved to its own [JSON file](https://schemity.com/doc/json-storage-format/), nothing is lost - the tabs are just a convenience for the current working session.

## Next

Dive into designing on [The ERD Canvas](https://schemity.com/doc/erd-canvas/), or add another database in [Connections Overview](https://schemity.com/doc/connections-overview/).