I usually person astatine slightest half a twelve aliases much projects going astatine once: I tin beryllium penning aliases updating respective short pieces, editing 1 aliases 2 others, getting fresh for Apple aliases Google aliases immoderate different institution to denote their latest and top tech, aliases dealing pinch immoderate different project. Each of these projects usually involves respective tabs connected my Chrome browser truthful my tab barroom tin get really crowded.
Once upon a time, I would person had to create bookmarks, and bookmark folders, for each of those tabs successful bid to make judge I didn’t suffer them erstwhile I stopped activity astatine the extremity of the day. But these days, tab grouping is what keeps maine sane. It lets maine support together the tabs that beryllium together, region them if I don’t request them for a while, and prevention them truthful I’ll beryllium judge to find them erstwhile I do request them.
And what’s moreover better, since tab groups were introduced to Chrome successful 2020, a number of caller features person been added. If you besides thin to cod tabs connected your Chrome browser, here’s really you tin usage tab groups to support things successful cheque — connected your laptop and connected your mobile device.
Using tab groups connected a laptop
How to create a caller tab group
- Choose 1 of the tabs that you want to see successful a group — immoderate will do — and right-click connected it.
- Select Add Tab to Group > New Group.
- Type successful the sanction of the caller group, take a colour (or spell pinch the default), and deed Return. (Note: if you deed Return without typing successful a group name, you’ll get a group tab pinch conscionable the colour and nary text.)
Screenshot: Google
- Click and resistance immoderate tabs you want toward the caller group tab; they will now beryllium underlined pinch the caller color, indicating they’re portion of the group. You tin besides click connected 1 tab and past usage Ctrl + click aliases Shift + click to take aggregate tabs and move them into the group. (Thanks to farrellj successful our comments conception for the tip.)
- You tin click and resistance tabs retired of the group arsenic well.
Now, erstwhile you aren’t utilizing those peculiar tabs, conscionable click connected the colored group tab, and each your tabs will illness into it — retired of show and retired of mind. Once you request to usage them again, conscionable click connected the group tab.
Screenshot: Google
What are those labels connected my bookmark bar?
You will announcement that each clip you create a caller tab group, a explanation will look connected the near broadside of your bookmarks barroom pinch the aforesaid colour and name. These labels fto you cognize what tab groups are presently active, and make judge those groups will still beryllium location if you adjacent your browser.
An other added attraction: they besides fto you region the tab groups from the apical of your browser truthful you don’t get overwhelmed by excessively galore tabs and tab groups. For example, if you correct click connected a tab group and prime Close Group, the tab group will vanish — reducing the number of tabs astatine the apical of your browser.
You request to entree those tabs again? Easy peasy — click connected the due explanation from the bookmarks barroom and the group will look backmost successful your browser.
But what if the tab groups are starting to crowd your bookmarks bar? You can, if you want, region each explanation arsenic good — conscionable correct click connected the explanation and prime Unpin Group from Bookmarks Bar. The tab group is now wholly invisible.
Invisible, but not deleted. If you correct click connected the mini tab groups icon to the correct of the labels (the 1 that looks for illustration 4 mini squares), you’ll spot a database of your tab groups. Click connected the 1 you want to unfastened it, aliases put the explanation backmost by right-clicking connected the sanction and selecting Pin Group to Bookmarks Bar.
If you really nary longer request those tabs, the Delete Group menu action will fto you wholly get free of them. You tin find that action by right-clicking the group tab, by right-clicking the associated label, aliases by selecting the tab group icon and right-clicking connected the sanction of the tab group.
Mobile tab groups
Tab groups aren’t confined to laptops. You tin besides create them connected mobile versions of Chrome, for some Android and — yet — iOS.
To create tab groups connected Android
- Once you’re successful Chrome, look astatine the apical correct of the surface and prime the quadrate icon pinch a number successful the center.
- This will bring you to a surface pinch thumbnails of each your progressive pages. Decide which 2 pages you want to commencement the group with, past long-press connected 1 of those pages until it shrinks somewhat and descent it connected apical of the second.
- You’ll now spot a caller thumbnail pinch your 2 tabs successful it. If you want to adhd much pages, do so.
- To alteration the sanction of the caller tab group, tab connected the thumbnail. Select the sanction (above the thumbnails of the pages the group contains) to alteration the sanction aliases the small circle adjacent to it to alteration the color.
- You tin besides pat connected the 3 dots successful the precocious correct area of the thumbnail to adjacent the group, rename it, ungroup the pages, aliases delete the group.
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Screenshot: Google
Another measurement to entree your groups is to pat connected the group icon connected apical of the thumbnail screen.
To create tab groups connected iOS
- Once you’re successful Chrome, look astatine the bottommost of the surface and prime the quadrate icon pinch a number successful the halfway (usually 2nd from right).
- This will bring you to a surface pinch thumbnails of each your progressive pages. Long property the first page you want successful your group and prime Add tab to caller group.
- On the adjacent page, you tin sanction the group and prime a color. When you’re ready, pat connected Create group.
- You’ll beryllium backmost connected the progressive page screen, but now you’ll person a thumbnail for your caller group that will incorporate the first page you chose. To adhd different tab to your group, agelong property connected the page and prime Add tab to group; past pat connected either New tab group aliases the sanction of an existing group.
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Screenshot: Google
Now erstwhile you pat connected the group thumbnail, you’ll get a page headed by the sanction tab group name, and you’ll spot thumbnails for each the pages successful that group. Hit the three dots connected the apical correct of the page to either rename the group, adhd a caller tab, ungroup each the pages, aliases delete the group completely.
When tab groups were first introduced to Chrome, they were somewhat awkward to use: you had to manually prevention them, and moreover then, sometimes you’d find each your tabs missing if you closed your browser and opened it again. Now that tab groups are automatically saved connected your laptop and tin beryllium easy saved connected your mobile, this characteristic has go a acold much effective instrumentality for organizing each those web pages that I — and possibly you — woody pinch daily.
Update October 30th, 2024: This article was primitively published connected October 4th, 2022, and has been updated to adhd info astir the bookmark barroom labels, the expertise to prevention and hide tab groups, and different changes.