diff --git a/src/apprt/gtk/Window.zig b/src/apprt/gtk/Window.zig
index 3e4c9bbda..3e6ecc1fd 100644
--- a/src/apprt/gtk/Window.zig
+++ b/src/apprt/gtk/Window.zig
@@ -138,7 +138,6 @@ pub fn init(self: *Window, app: *App) !void {
     }
 
     self.notebook = Notebook.create(self, box);
-    c.gtk_box_append(@ptrCast(box), self.notebook.as_widget());
 
     self.context_menu = c.gtk_popover_menu_new_from_model(@ptrCast(@alignCast(self.app.context_menu)));
     c.gtk_widget_set_parent(self.context_menu, window);
@@ -158,14 +157,20 @@ pub fn init(self: *Window, app: *App) !void {
 
     if (build_options.libadwaita and app.config.@"gtk-adwaita" and app.config.@"gtk-titlebar" and header != null and c.ADW_MINOR_VERSION >= 4) {
         const toolbar_view: *c.AdwToolbarView = @ptrCast(c.adw_toolbar_view_new());
-        c.adw_toolbar_view_add_top_bar(toolbar_view, @ptrCast(@alignCast(header.?)));
 
+        const header_widget: *c.GtkWidget = @ptrCast(@alignCast(header.?));
+        c.adw_toolbar_view_add_top_bar(toolbar_view, header_widget);
         const tab_bar = c.adw_tab_bar_new();
         c.adw_tab_bar_set_view(tab_bar, self.notebook.adw_tab_view);
 
         if (!app.config.@"gtk-wide-tabs") c.adw_tab_bar_set_expand_tabs(tab_bar, 0);
 
-        c.adw_toolbar_view_add_top_bar(toolbar_view, @ptrCast(@alignCast(tab_bar)));
+        const tab_bar_widget: *c.GtkWidget = @ptrCast(@alignCast(tab_bar));
+        switch (self.app.config.@"gtk-tabs-location") {
+            // left and right is not supported in libadwaita.
+            .top, .left, .right => c.adw_toolbar_view_add_top_bar(toolbar_view, tab_bar_widget),
+            .bottom => c.adw_toolbar_view_add_bottom_bar(toolbar_view, tab_bar_widget),
+        }
         c.adw_toolbar_view_set_content(toolbar_view, box);
 
         c.adw_application_window_set_content(@ptrCast(gtk_window), @ptrCast(@alignCast(toolbar_view)));
@@ -258,7 +263,7 @@ pub fn gotoNextTab(self: *Window, surface: *Surface) void {
 
 /// Go to the next tab for a surface.
 pub fn gotoLastTab(self: *Window) void {
-    const max = self.notebook.nPages()  -| 1;
+    const max = self.notebook.nPages() -| 1;
     self.gotoTab(@intCast(max));
 }
 
diff --git a/src/apprt/gtk/notebook.zig b/src/apprt/gtk/notebook.zig
index bbfaa95e9..5b79e3b20 100644
--- a/src/apprt/gtk/notebook.zig
+++ b/src/apprt/gtk/notebook.zig
@@ -19,11 +19,17 @@ pub const Notebook = union(enum) {
         const adwaita = build_options.libadwaita and app.config.@"gtk-adwaita";
 
         if (adwaita) {
-            const tab_view = c.adw_tab_view_new();
+            const tab_view = c.adw_tab_view_new().?;
 
+            c.gtk_box_append(@ptrCast(box), @ptrCast(@alignCast(tab_view)));
             if (!window.app.config.@"gtk-titlebar" or c.ADW_MINOR_VERSION < 4) {
                 const tab_bar = c.adw_tab_bar_new();
-                c.gtk_box_prepend(@ptrCast(box), @ptrCast(@alignCast(tab_bar)));
+
+                switch (app.config.@"gtk-tabs-location") {
+                    // left and right is not supported in libadwaita.
+                    .top, .left, .right => c.gtk_box_prepend(@ptrCast(box), @ptrCast(@alignCast(tab_bar))),
+                    .bottom => c.gtk_box_append(@ptrCast(box), @ptrCast(@alignCast(tab_bar))),
+                }
                 c.adw_tab_bar_set_view(tab_bar, tab_view);
 
                 if (!window.app.config.@"gtk-wide-tabs")
@@ -34,7 +40,7 @@ pub const Notebook = union(enum) {
             _ = c.g_signal_connect_data(tab_view, "create-window", c.G_CALLBACK(&adwTabViewCreateWindow), window, null, c.G_CONNECT_DEFAULT);
             _ = c.g_signal_connect_data(tab_view, "notify::selected-page", c.G_CALLBACK(&adwSelectPage), window, null, c.G_CONNECT_DEFAULT);
 
-            return .{ .adw_tab_view = tab_view.? };
+            return .{ .adw_tab_view = tab_view };
         }
 
         // Create a notebook to hold our tabs.
@@ -59,19 +65,17 @@ pub const Notebook = union(enum) {
         c.gtk_widget_set_vexpand(notebook_widget, 1);
         c.gtk_widget_set_hexpand(notebook_widget, 1);
 
-        // If we are in fullscreen mode, new windows start fullscreen.
-        if (app.config.fullscreen) c.gtk_window_fullscreen(window.window);
-
         // All of our events
         _ = c.g_signal_connect_data(notebook, "page-added", c.G_CALLBACK(&gtkPageAdded), window, null, c.G_CONNECT_DEFAULT);
         _ = c.g_signal_connect_data(notebook, "page-removed", c.G_CALLBACK(&gtkPageRemoved), window, null, c.G_CONNECT_DEFAULT);
         _ = c.g_signal_connect_data(notebook, "switch-page", c.G_CALLBACK(&gtkSwitchPage), window, null, c.G_CONNECT_DEFAULT);
         _ = c.g_signal_connect_data(notebook, "create-window", c.G_CALLBACK(&gtkNotebookCreateWindow), window, null, c.G_CONNECT_DEFAULT);
 
+        c.gtk_box_append(@ptrCast(box), notebook_widget);
         return .{ .gtk_notebook = notebook };
     }
 
-    pub fn as_widget(self: Notebook) *c.GtkWidget {
+    pub fn asWidget(self: Notebook) *c.GtkWidget {
         return switch (self) {
             .adw_tab_view => |ptr| @ptrCast(@alignCast(ptr)),
             .gtk_notebook => |ptr| @ptrCast(@alignCast(ptr)),
diff --git a/src/config/Config.zig b/src/config/Config.zig
index 1f9a78f31..e2f3d0ba2 100644
--- a/src/config/Config.zig
+++ b/src/config/Config.zig
@@ -1421,6 +1421,9 @@ keybind: Keybinds = .{},
 
 /// Determines the side of the screen that the GTK tab bar will stick to.
 /// Top, bottom, left, and right are supported. The default is top.
+///
+/// If this option has value `left` or `right` when using `libadwaita`, it falls
+/// back to `top`.
 @"gtk-tabs-location": GtkTabsLocation = .top,
 
 /// If `true` (default), then the Ghostty GTK tabs will be "wide." Wide tabs