“How many times have you been working on an important project, only to get distracted by a notification about a hot new sale or a funny link someone just posted on social media?
How many times have you needed to go back and find something from another tab, like directions from Google Maps or a recipe from Pinterest, but your tabs are too cluttered to find what you’re looking for?
This is where Tab Manager comes in. Tab Manager is the first and only extension dedicated to managing your tabs, so they never get out of hand. Not only can you organize your tabs into groups, you can also search them by name, webpage title, website address, or subtext on the page. You can even set up different groups that open automatically when you start up Chrome (for example, if you have certain tabs you always open at work but others that are just for home).
Tab Manager helps declutter your web-browsing experience by giving you control over your tabs—no more getting distracted by notifications or having trouble finding the things you need.
Chrome Extension For Tab Management
If you’re a multi-tasker, you love tabs; they make web browsers a lot easier to use. But that doesn’t mean you can’t improve tabbed browsing. The most popular web browser in the world, Google Chrome still lacks tab management features.
So, whether you’re looking for a Chrome tab organizer or tab management extensions, keep reading. Here are some of the best Chrome extensions for tab management.
- The Great Suspender
great suspender chrome extension
It might have started life as a lightweight and super-fast browser, but these days, Chrome is a memory munching behemoth. It’s hardly surprising; it takes a lot of power to run lots of extensions and integrate the browser tightly with the Google ecosystem of apps.
Therefore, if you’re a tab junkie (or working on an old, underpowered computer), you need The Great Suspender. The open-source app (which is one of the best Chrome tab extensions in any category) lets you set a time period after which tabs will be “frozen” and their memory released.
Download: The Great Suspender (Free)
- Tabli
The beauty of Tabli lies not in its ability to manage tabs in your current browser window, but to manage tabs in all the windows you have open. It’s a great add-on to solve a common internet annoyance.
For example, if you have a lot of work-themed tabs open in one window and all your social media open in another, you can hop between them while keeping the tabs themselves compartmentalized. Used correctly, Tabli can be an excellent way to boost your productivity.
Of course, all the usual features such as Save and Restore are also present.
Download: Tabli (Free)
- Tabs Outliner
Do you use Workflowy? If you do, you’ll be instantly familiar with how Tabs Outliner works. For those who aren’t familiar with the productivity tool, you can think of Tabs Outliner as a folder tree for tabs.
When you open a tab, it nests under the previous tab. You can drag tabs between different trees and add notes to help you recall why you were looking at it.
It also lets you close tabs but keeps them in your tree so you can revisit them later; it’s perfect for freeing up browser memory.
Download: Tabs Outliner (Free)
- Tab Hibernation
tab hibernation chrome extension
Tab Hibernation is another memory-saving tab manager. It’s not feature-laden, but it’s straightforward to use. Just click the extension icon in the upper right-hand corner of Chrome and all tabs except the one you’re currently looking at will go into hibernation mode.
To reactivate a tab, navigate to its window and click Wake Up. The extension will remember exactly where you were on the screen and reload that particular point.
Download: Tab Hibernation (Free)
- TooManyTabs
Excessive tabs are troublesome because they overwhelm Chrome’s ability to display content in a meaningful way. TooManyTabs solves the problem using a pop-out to provide a thumbnail preview of the tabs that you have open.
The extension also includes a search field so you can quickly find what you’re looking for.
Download: TooManyTabs (Free)
- Quick Tab
Similar in purpose to TooManyTabs, Quick Tab conquers extreme tab usage through a drop-down menu that presents all currently open tabs. A search function is also available.
While TooManyTabs is likely the better choice for users who routinely open 20 or more tabs, lighter tab-a-holics may prefer Quick Tab.
Download: Quick Tab (Free)
- Tabs Hide Button
tabs hide button chrome extension
Tabs Hide Button places an icon in the Chrome Toolbar. When clicked, it’ll close all the tabs you have open. It’ll also remember them if you close Chrome completely.
If you don’t want yet another icon cluttering your Toolbar, you can use the right-click context menu to access the extension instead. You can even password-protect your closed tabs. Just right-click on the Tabs Hide Button and select Options.
Download: Tabs Hide Button (Free)
- TabJump
tabjump chrome extension
Created by the same folks that made TooManyTabs, TabJump is a contextual tab navigator that pops when you click on the extension’s icon.
Rather than listing all tabs in a lump, TabJump has three columns—Undo, Related, and Jump. Undo lists recently closed tabs, Related lists other open tabs from the same site you’re currently using, and Jump lists all other open tabs. It’s an excellent way to organize tabs, packing maximum information into limited space. It’s more powerful than Chrome’s tab group feature.
Download: TabJump (Free)
- TabCloud
tabcloud chrome extension
Tab lovers are going to fall head over heels with this extension. If you use TabCloud you will no longer be restricted to bringing a single computer to its knees with hundreds of open tabs—now you can save your tabs and open them on an entirely different computer.
Despite its power, the extension is simple. You can save your browser’s state by clicking on the disk icon in the pop-up, and then restore it on any PC. You do need to log in with your Google account to enable the functionality.
Download: TabCloud (Free)
- TabsPlus
This extension doesn’t add much to the Chrome interface; it’s a simple behavior modification extension that forces Chrome to the last selected tab whenever you close a tab.
You can also make slight modifications to the default behavior of new tabs, forcing them to open in the background or changing their position on the tab list.
Download: TabsPlus (Free)
- Cluster
Cluster is another tab organizer for Chrome.
One of Cluster’s best features is the ability to group your tabs by domain or by Chrome window. It’s a powerful feature that you might not realize the benefits of until you give it a try. People who are doing heavy-duty research that requires lots of tabs from single sites—like students—will find the tool to be particularly useful.
Download: Cluster (Free)
- Toby
Do you find yourself repeatedly opening the same tabs every time your turn on your computer in a morning?
Toby makes the process easy by allowing you to create groups of tabs that you can open with a single click. Once you are comfortable with the extension, try experimenting. For example, why not create a separate group of tabs for work and personal?
Download: Toby (Free)
- Session Buddy
Session Buddy has a few core features:
Save currently-running tabs as collections to restore later.
Recover all tabs after a computer crash.
Search all your available tabs through a single interface.
The app also has an impressive list of customization options, allowing you to control exactly how tabs behave within the browser.
Download: Session Buddy (Free)
- OneTab
OneTab showing a tab management list in Chrome
When your tabs start to get out of control, you’re faced with a quandary. Do you close them all in bulk and risk losing all the pages you were looking at, or do you persevere as Chrome slowly eats through more and more of your available CPU?
It turns out, the answer is neither. If you install OneTab, you can close all your available tabs into a single list. They can be reopened from the list at any time.
best tab management extension chrome
The best tab manager depends on who you are
We tested the best Chrome tab manager extensions so you don’t have to. From professional tab managers that are built for work, to simple solutions for the casual tab hoarder, we’ve tried them all. If you find yourself with dozens of tabs open, these tab managers will get things under control.
If you also use Firefox, check out our list of the best tab managers for Firefox →
Chrome Web Store search bar for tab manager
Do I need a Chrome extension or plugin to get tab management features?
Tab managers — also known as tab organizers or session managers — are only available as extensions or plugins for your Chrome browser. That’s because Chrome doesn’t have built-in tab organization, aside from tab groups (which you can read about here). To get the best tab manager for Chrome, you should be ready to install an extension from the Chrome Web Store. Keep reading to find the best one for your needs.
Best Chrome tab extension for:
Productivity
Snoozing tabs
Session management
Previewing tabs
Quick cleanup
Saving memory
Simplicity
Best tab manager for productivity – Workona logo
Workona – Best tab manager for productivity
Workona is a tab manager that helps you organize tabs into dedicated workspaces for each project. If you do most of your work in Chrome, Workona will improve your productivity and help you stay focused throughout the day.
The extension lets you save tabs into dedicated windows (called workspaces), so you can come back to them whenever you’re ready to work on that project again. This means that Workona doubles as a Chrome session manager as well as a tab organizer.
Workona automatically syncs and saves your tabs, so you don’t have to worry about losing your work. Plus, built-in tab suspension helps your computer run faster.
TRY WORKONA NOW
Recent users say…
A better way to stay organized if you open a lot of tabs
Amazing at headspace/clutter management
Best tab manager ever; I used to use OneTab which was miles behind this
Best tab manager for snoozing tabs – Snoozz logo
Snoozz – Best tab manager for snoozing tabs
If you use tabs as a to-do list, you’ll love the Snoozz extension. You can snooze individual tabs or an entire window full of tabs, and set them to “wake up” at a time that’s more convenient for you. The tab will temporarily shut and reopen itself for whenever you’ve set the snooze timer. And don’t worry, snoozed tabs can be seen in the Nap Room, so you can rest assured your tabs haven’t been lost.
Recent users say…
I switched to this extension after Tab Snooze stopped working; this works just as well
Has everything I want, even repeat/periodic snoozes
Great number of options and flexibility
Best tab manager for session management – Session Buddy logo
Session Buddy – Best tab manager for session management
If you want to save entire Chrome sessions and recover them later, Session Buddy is a good tool for the job. The way it works is pretty simple: If you have three windows open with a few tabs in each, you can save the entire session in Session Buddy and reopen all three windows later on. Keep in mind that Session Buddy doesn’t let you sync tabs or sessions between computers or even different Chrome profiles.
Recent users say…
I’ve used this extension for years and I recommend it to everyone
Very useful extension for research
For more details on Session Buddy, see our in-depth review →
Best tab manager for previewing tabs – Tab Manager Plus logo
Tab Manager Plus – Best tab manager for previewing tabs
If you have so many tabs open that you can’t keep track of them anymore, Tab Manager Plus can help. This Chrome tab extension gives you a handy preview of all open tabs at once. It also highlights duplicate tabs to help you quickly clean up your browser.
You should be aware that the developers behind Tab Manager Plus haven’t posted an update since mid-2020. This could mean the Chrome extension is now buggy. Still, Tab Manager Plus is one of the top-rated tab organizers available for Chrome, so it’s worth a try.
Recent users say…
Very nice app, though it is missing a few small things
Allows me to see all my tabs in a compact space and quickly delete the fluff
Best tab manager for quick cleanup – OneTab logo
OneTab – Best tab manager for quick cleanup
If you don’t have time to deal with your tabs, but don’t want to close them and risk losing them, OneTab is for you.
With the click of a button, OneTab will close all your open tabs in your current Chrome window and save them in a tab group that you can restore later. We’d recommend using the export feature regularly; otherwise, you may lose your OneTab tabs when Chrome updates itself.
Recent users say…
Does what I want it to: dump a bunch of tabs and read at a later date
Probably the extension I use most
For more details on OneTab, check out our full review →
Best tab manager for saving memory – Workona Tab Suspender logo
Workona Tab Suspender – Best tab manager for saving memory
If you tend to open too many tabs and then notice your browser is running slowly, you need a tab suspender. The most popular tab suspender was previously The Great Suspender, but it was taken offline due to malware.
The Workona Tab Suspender is a worthy replacement. You can keep all of your tabs open while still saving memory. How? Workona Tab Suspender automatically pauses tabs when you’re not using them, which speeds up your browser. Automatic tab suspension means you can set it and forget it. If you’d rather suspend & unsuspend tabs manually, that’s an option too.
Recent users say…
The best alternative to The Great Suspender so far
This extension is truly powerful
Precisely what I wish web browsers had all along
Best tab manager for simplicity – Chrome Tab Groups logo
Chrome Tab Groups – Best tab manager for simplicity
Technically, Tab Groups aren’t a Chrome tab extension at all — they’re built into your browser if you’re on a recent version of Chrome. Try out this feature by right-clicking a tab in Chrome and adding it to a group. All the groups will be visible in the same window. We recommend tab groups for those who are already disciplined with their browsing, since they don’t work well with lots of tabs.
If you want to combine the simplicity of Chrome Tab Groups with a more powerful tab manager, Workona supports that. Just add the Workona Tab Manager to your browser, and then you’ll be prompted to add the Tab Groups Helper.
Recent users say…
It’s very easy to manage
I still have the same amount of tabs open but I don’t see them all
Conclusion
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