Google Chrome is by far the most popular desktop browser in the market and while there are tons of different browser options out there, the chances of you reading this article on a Chrome browser is something I can bet my money on. I love Google Chrome for a number of reasons. I mean, the browser is not only powerful but it’s also pretty easy to use. Since Google Chrome is so good at what it does, most of us end up opening too many tabs while working on Chrome and that can get a bit overwhelming. Also, since Chrome is a bit heavier on resources, too many open tabs can bog down your system especially if it has less than 8 GB of RAM.
That’s a big problem that every Chrome user struggles with. However, if you are smart about it, you can easily deal with this problem using a good tab manager extension. Good tab manager extensions not only make the overall browsing experience better but also free up system resources from being unnecessarily occupied by Chrome. So, if too many tabs are a problem you are facing, here are the 10 best Chrome tab manager extensions that can help you deal with that:
1. TooManyTabs
TooManyTabs makes juggling between multiple Chrome tabs a simple affair. When accessed via its toolbar icon, TooManyTabs shows a preview of all the open tabs, and all you have to do to go to a tab is click on its preview. There’s also a search bar that you can use to quickly find tabs via their titles. What’s most interesting is that TooManyTabs can automatically backup/restore active tabs to your Google Drive account. Other than that, idle tabs can be organized via their separate column, and suspended to free up memory. You can even export/import tab data as HTML files.
2. The Great Suspender
When it comes to suspending Chrome tabs, The Great Suspender is arguably the best you can find. The open source extension lets you specify the time period (20 seconds – 3 days) after which tabs should be automatically suspended, thus freeing up the memory taken up by them. In addition, it’s extensively configurable, and you can specify whether pinned tabs, tabs having unsaved form inputs etc. are suspended or not. What’s more, you can even “whitelist” certain websites, so that the tabs having them are never suspended.
3. Tabli
Elegantly designed and super easy to use, Tabli can not only manage multiple Chrome tabs, but also tabs in multiple Chrome windows. On clicking its toolbar icon, Tabli shows a listing of all the open tabs, grouped by Chrome windows they are open in. Simply click on a tab in the listing to jump to it. Tabs in a Chrome window can be saved for reloading later, and Tabli can even save a group of tabs (in the same window) as bookmarks.
4. Tab Manager Plus
Tab Manager Plus is an easy to use tab manager extension for Chrome which allows users to easily find, close, re-arrange, and switch to the tabs that they want. I love the fact that the extension shows me the count of the open tabs right on the icon. This is quite helpful as I like to keep an eye on the number of open tabs and close them out if they ever get too much out of hand. Once you click on the extension, you will see a representation of all the open tabs separated by Chrome windows. You can click on a tab icon to open it or drag it to rearrange its position. There’s also a search bar at the bottom which allows you to search for specific tabs. Overall, I quite like this extension and can fully recommend it to you.
5. Cluster
Cluster is a fairly new tab manager extension for Google Chrome and has already risen in the ranks, thanks to its awesome set of features. When you click on Cluster’s icon, a new tab will open which will show you an organized view of all your tabs. I love how Cluster allows me to see tabs either based on Chrome window or domains. From here, you can easily drag and drop tabs from one window to another or close tabs if you want to. There’s also a search bar which lets you search for specific tabs. Apart from these, Cluster also offers a myriad of other features such as tab suspension, export in JSON/CSV for open tabs, save selected tabs, managing tabs by domain, and more. This is a powerful tab manager and you should definitely take a look.
6. Toby
Toby brings a new take on managing tabs on your Chrome browser. The extension not only gives you access to all your open tabs but even allows you to create a cluster (called “Collection”) of most used tabs so that you can open all of them with just one click. Toby also replaces the new tab page on your Chrome with its own page where you can access the list of all your favorite tabs. Toby is great for people who work with a pre-defined set of websites. For example, say I work with four different websites when I am at work and another four when I am home. With Toby, I can create different collections for work and home and access those specific websites with one click. Similarly, I can create collections for different work scenarios such as researching for an article or book, doing my finances, and more. I love Toby because it brings something unique and looks quite good while doing it.
7. Fruumo
If you are looking for a simple tab manager which is very light and gets the basics right, Fruumo will fit your needs. The extension is very light and launches instantly when you click on the icon. Just like some of the other extensions on this list, Fruumo shows you the number of open tabs on the icon itself which is a feature that I personally love. The search feature is here and it’s pretty damn quick. I love that the extension also lets you search through your history and bookmarks along with the open tabs. Overall I quite like this extension and recommend this to anyone who is looking for a simple and light extension manager.
8. Session Buddy
One of the most powerful Chrome tab/session management extensions available, Session Buddy is an absolute powerhouse. It constantly monitors your active browsing sessions (and of course, the open tabs in them), and lets you save/restore them with one click. The session information can be saved in many formats, such as JSON, HTML, and CSV. There are extensive tweaking options, and you can configure everything from session names to maximum session counts that can be saved. Then there are things like the ability to hide/ duplicate tabs, and keyboard shortcuts.
9. OneTab
No matter how many tabs you have open in Google Chrome, one click is all that OneTab takes to fix them up. Essentially, it works by converting all the open Chrome tabs into a list, from where they can be restored either individually, or all at a time. Hence, OneTab quickly frees up the memory taken up by Chrome (tabs). Multiple tabs can be saved/restored as a group, and you can also specify options to include/exclude certain tabs (e.g. pinned, duplicate) from OneTab.
10. Tab Outliner
For something as simple as a tab manager extension, Tab Outliner has quite a bit of a learning curve. But once you get a hang of it, things get a bit easier. Tab Outliner displays all the active tabs in a tree like structure. Not only that, you can drag-and-drop text from webpages to the tab list to create short notes, thus making tab management easier. In addition, you can use hover-over buttons to perform actions like cloning already open tabs, and even opening Google Docs. And if you want, you can always upgrade to the paid version for more features like global keyboard shortcuts, automatic backup of tab information to Google Drive, and then some more.
SEE ALSO: 35 Best Google Chrome Extensions
Take back control of Chrome tabs
Having a whole bunch of tabs open in Google Chrome tabs not only makes them difficult to manage, but also taxes the overall system resources quite a lot. But as seen above, getting back control of your Chrome tabs isn’t really that hard. So try these out, and let us know your favorites in the comments below.
