Pick a tab extension by the job you need done. To unload idle tabs automatically, use Auto Tab Discard. To clear your tab strip into a list you can restore later, use OneTab. To save and restore whole sessions, use Session Buddy. Every extension on this page was live in the Chrome Web Store when we checked it, and each description is based on its own store listing.
Before installing anything, know that Chrome already does a lot on its own. Memory Saver (Settings > Performance) unloads tabs you aren’t using, tab groups sort tabs by project and can be closed and reopened later, and Tab Search finds any open tab. See our tab management strategies for how to use them.
Quick comparison
| Extension | Best for | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Auto Tab Discard | Saving memory | Discards inactive tabs automatically or by hand, with a list of sites to never discard |
| Tab Wrangler | Keeping tab count down | Closes tabs you haven’t used for a set time and keeps them in a list to reopen |
| OneTab | Clearing clutter fast | Turns all your tabs into a list you can restore one at a time or all at once |
| Session Buddy | Saving and restoring sessions | Saves open tabs in one click and helps recover them after crashes or restarts |
| Tab Session Manager | Automatic session backups | Saves windows and tabs automatically when a window closes and at regular intervals |
| Tabs Outliner | Large research projects | Shows windows and tabs as a tree you can annotate, and lets you close tabs while keeping them in place |
| Toby | Visual collections | Saves tabs into collections on your new tab page |
| Tab Manager by Workona | Organizing work by project | Organizes tabs into project spaces you can switch between. Its listing links to a free Workona sign-up |
| Tabli | Switching windows and tabs | Fast switching between windows and tabs, plus saving and restoring windows |
Extensions that save memory
Auto Tab Discard
Auto Tab Discard reduces the memory used by open but inactive tabs. Its listing says it discards inactive, idle or forgotten tabs automatically or when you ask, and that you can exclude sites by hostname. This is similar to Chrome’s built-in Memory Saver, with more settings.
Tab Wrangler
Tab Wrangler closes tabs that haven’t been used recently, after a time you choose. Closed tabs go into a list it calls the Tab Corral, so you can reopen them. According to its listing, it doesn’t close pinned tabs or tabs playing sound, and you can protect chosen sites.
Extensions that save tabs for later
OneTab
Click the OneTab icon and all your tabs become a single list. Restore them one at a time or all at once. Fewer open tabs means less memory in use.
Toby
Toby turns your new tab page into a board of saved collections. Save your open tabs in one click, sort them into collections, and reopen a collection later.
Tab Manager by Workona
Workona organizes your work into spaces, one per project, so you can switch from one project’s tabs to another’s. Its listing links to a free Workona sign-up.
Session managers
A session manager saves every window and tab you have open, so you can get them back after a crash, a restart or a mistake.
Session Buddy
Session Buddy saves all open tabs in one click, shows all your windows and tabs in one dashboard, and keeps a history that helps you recover tabs after a crash, a restart or closing them by accident.
Tab Session Manager
Tab Session Manager saves and restores windows and tabs, with automatic saving when a window closes and at regular intervals. It can name and tag sessions, import and export them, and import sessions from Session Buddy.
Tabs Outliner
Tabs Outliner combines a tab manager and a session manager with a tree view of your windows and tabs. You can add notes and “close-save” tabs so they leave memory but stay in their place in the tree.
Extensions for finding tabs
Tabli
Tabli is a tab manager for fast switching between windows and tabs, and it can save and restore windows. Its listing says it sends no data to any outside service. If you only need to find a tab, Chrome’s built-in Tab Search (Ctrl + Shift + A, or ⌘ + Shift + A on a Mac) may be enough, according to Google’s tab help.
What about older tab suspender extensions?
Many older articles recommend The Great Suspender, which has been removed from the Chrome Web Store, so you can’t install it from there. If you still have a copy installed, remove it in More > Extensions > Manage Extensions. Chrome’s Memory Saver and Auto Tab Discard do the same job.
How to install an extension safely
- Open the extension’s page in the Chrome Web Store.
- Select Add to Chrome.
- Read the permissions it asks for. Only select Add extension if you trust it.
Google’s extension help adds two useful points. If you turn on Enhanced protection in Safe Browsing, Chrome warns you when an extension isn’t trusted. And you can limit what an extension sees: select the Extensions button, then choose whether it can read and change data on all sites, on the current site, or only when you select it.
Extensions run in Chrome on a computer. If you’re signed in to Chrome with your Google Account, you can find an extension in Chrome on your phone and tap Add to Desktop. The next time you open Chrome on your computer, you get a message that it was installed.