Based on the publicly available Atlassian discussions and documentation, SourceTree is fairly limited in UI customization compared to tools like SmartGit.
1. Can you customize the toolbar or rearrange panes/windows?
I could not find evidence of SourceTree supporting extensive UI layout customization such as freely moving, docking, removing, or rearranging major panes (History, File Status, Search, etc.). Atlassian's documentation mainly covers preferences and configuration files, not customizable workspace layouts. [confluence...assian.com], [support.at...assian.com]
Practical answer: SourceTree does not appear to offer the same level of workspace customization that IDEs or SmartGit provide. You can adjust some view settings and tabs, but not fully redesign the workspace layout. [confluence...assian.com], [support.at...assian.com]
2. How can performance be improved?
There is no official "turbo mode," but common approaches used by SourceTree users include:
- Using System Git instead of Embedded Git (available in Preferences).
- Reducing the size and complexity of repositories.
- Limiting background refreshes where possible.
- Excluding large generated directories from source control and antivirus scanning.
Atlassian's knowledge base includes articles on choosing Embedded vs System Git and configuring refresh behavior. [confluence...assian.com], [confluence...assian.com]
Also, several users specifically complain that SourceTree loads History by default and can spend noticeable time refreshing and building the log view before they switch to File Status. [community....assian.com]
3. Can a Workspace View be made the default on startup?
Unfortunately, I could not find a built-in setting for this.
An Atlassian Community thread spanning several years contains multiple users asking to open directly to File Status instead of History, with no documented solution provided. A feature request was later referenced by users. [community....assian.com]
Current state: It appears that SourceTree still defaults to History, and there is no official preference to change the startup workspace view. [community....assian.com]
4. Can filter/sort presets be saved across sessions?
I could not find documentation or community-confirmed support for named filter/sort presets that automatically persist and reapply when opening new SourceTree sessions. Atlassian's configuration documentation mentions saved settings, tabs, bookmarks, and custom actions, but not user-defined filter/sort presets. [support.at...assian.com]
Practical answer: This does not appear to be a supported feature in SourceTree today. [support.at...assian.com]
Overall
If these four items are important to your workflow, your observations are consistent with long-standing community feedback. SourceTree is strong as a free Git GUI, but SmartGit generally offers more flexibility in:
- Workspace customization
- Remembering view state
- Persistent filters
- Per-user UI workflows
Several of the limitations you mention have been discussed in Atlassian community threads without an official built-in solution being documented. [community....assian.com], [community....assian.com]
A useful next step would be checking the current SourceTree release notes or Jira feature requests to see whether any of these requests have recently been implemented.
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