Since its launch, users of the Chrome browser have been faced with the problem of having too many tabs open. Time and time again, developers came up with different tag management extensions to solve this problem. Here are some of the latest and greatest Chrome extensions to fix the issue of tag overload.
1. TabBrew (Chrome): A powerful way to organize and filter open tabs
TabBrew is a powerful tool to filter and search for your open tabs and take bulk actions to organize them. After installation, click on the TabBrew extension icon to launch the dashboard, where you can set up different ways to manage tabs.
The core function of TabBrew is filters. You can create new filters (each with its own color) and add keywords to them. For example, a “file” filter can have keywords such as “Google Files”, “Google Sheets”, “Notion”, and “Office”. Any tags that use these keywords as part of the title will now appear in this filter. You can open all of them in a new window, close them, or take a quick look at them.
At any time, you can check all the open tabs in a simple list format. TabBrew also offers a focus filter, which is a quick way to add keywords and find the tags you need to interact with right now. Once you’re done, take those keywords out and use the new keywords in your next conversation.
TabBrew also has a paid version ($2 per month) where you can do more with filtered tag groups. For example, you can sort labels alphabetically, close duplicate labels, and merge all windows.
Download: TabBrew for Chrome (Free)
2. Onetab.Group (Chrome): An advanced version of OneTab for tab lists
We at MakeUseOf are big fans of OneTab to manage multiple tabs. The extension turns open tabs into a list of tags, quickly freeing up memory while saving you on meetings. Well, there are fans of other extensions who want to improve on that basis. If you like OneTab, it’s time to upgrade to One Tab Group.
In the beginning, you’ll find that it looks better than OneTab. The left sidebar has a list of all your saved sessions, while the main pane shows the tabs open in that session. You can restore all tabs in the current or new window, delete them in bulk, or interact with them individually. When you hover over each link, “a tag group” also displays a visual bookmark for each link so you don’t have to open it to remember what it is.
You can drag and drop links between meetings, or even the entire meeting. Links from the same website are grouped to make them easier to find. You can also use the Quick Search command (Ctrl + K) to switch between tabs, search for open tabs, or delve into tag groups to find what you want.
Best of all, Onetab.Group includes an easy way to import your existing OneTab session into a new extension. Go to your OneTab extension, click Export URLs (top right menu), and copy the list. In the settings of one tab group, you will see an “Import from OneTab” option. Paste the list and you’re ready to start using One Tab Group instead of OneTab.
Download: One Tab Group for Chrome (Free)
3. Group Tabs by Domain (Chrome): Automatically group tags by site
Google Chrome now allows users to create groups to add and categorize their tags. But this is a manual process, not automatic. Some extensions that manage tag overload are trying to make it easier by automatically grouping tags, so you don’t have to.
Grouping labels by domain name, as their name indicates, automatically creates tag groups from the same website. It also has a handy keyboard shortcut (Ctrl+Shift+Left) to activate and disable this feature.
Once you’ve created a group, new tags from existing sites won’t be automatically added to the group. You need to invoke shortcut keys to do this.
Download: Group Tabs for Chrome (Free)
4. Prune (Chrome): Automatically stops tag overloading and organizes old tags
Anyone who is often faced with the problem of opening a large number of tabs knows that there are multiple problems. Prune is trying to solve some of the most common problems in a smart way. Here’s how:
When you want to open duplicate tabs, Prune first shows you the existing open tabs so you can avoid adding clutter.
You can set up rules to hide unused tabs in groups called old tabs, which automatically move after a set number of days.
You can automatically set rules to close old tabs after a set number of days.
This class closes tabs to add bookmarks and add them to a custom bookmark folder named Pruned.
After you reach a specific tag limit, you can set up rules to group the least recently used tags (Prune recommends 30).
Prune is a “set it up and forget it” extension. You don’t need it to mess up your icon bar, you can set these rules once and let Prune run in the background. After a while, you may want to update these settings based on your browsing behavior.
Download: Prune for Chrome (Free)
5. Smart Tabs Organizer (Chrome): Artificial intelligence creates automatic groups from open tags
When you have too many tabs open from different websites on the same topic, grouping by domain name doesn’t always help. This is especially true when you’re studying or researching, as you have different sources on the same topic. However, it’s worth grouping tags on Chrome to manage tag overload.
Smart Tabs Organizer uses machine learning to automatically create tag groups from the tabs you open. It’s unclear what the technology behind it is, but in several tests, the results were satisfactory. The extensions choose their own labels for grouping, but they are very easy to understand.
When you invoke an extension, you can choose the number of groups you want (or keep it automatic). We found six groups as the best points, where the extended algorithm was less aggressive or decentralized.
Download: Smart Tabs Organizer for Chrome (Free)
6. Tab Manager (Chrome): Organize tabs intuitively like desktop icons
Lists and groupings are not for everyone. Tab Manage provides a unique visual way to organize your open labels. Once you’ve installed the extension, open a new tab to see the dashboard, which displays all your open tabs as icons on your desktop.
Like desktop icons, you can drag and drop your labels into any space on the Desktop. This allows you to create clusters and groupings, organize tags in a way that suits you, and find them easily.
At the bottom of the desktop, you’ll see the ten most recently used tabs, in the order of recently opened. There is a number under each tab, and clicking on it will immediately enter the tab. When you click on the tab manager icon in the extension bar, this shortcut to 10 tabs can also be used.
If you want to run a Google search, “Desktop” also includes a search bar (as many people are used to searching when launching a new tab).
Download: Tab Manager for Chrome (Free)
Easily manage your tags
With so many efficient extensions to manage the plethora of tabs in your Chrome browser, you can finally organize those open tabs. It’s up to you whether you want the automatic or manual option, but it’s worth trying both options to find your process.
