How can I manage tabs in Chrome on a computer?

Question

You can manage tabs efficiently in Google Chrome on a computer to organize your browsing and improve productivity.

You can open multiple tabs in Chrome. You can also check and switch between all your tabs. Learn how to use split view for multitasking in Chrome.

When you open a new tab, Chrome opens a personalised New tab page. Some of the ways that you can customise your New tab page content are with:

Different themes
Your shortcuts

Learn how to customise your new tab page.

To open a new tab, click the plus (+) icon next to your current tabs or press Ctrl + T (Windows) or Command + T (Mac). To close a tab, click the “X” on the tab or press Ctrl + W (Windows) or Command + W (Mac).

To switch between tabs, click on the tab you want or use keyboard shortcuts such as Ctrl + Tab (Windows) or Command + Option + Right Arrow (Mac). This helps you move quickly between open pages.

You can also rearrange tabs by clicking and dragging them left or right. If you want to separate a tab into a new window, drag it away from the tab bar, and Chrome will open it in a new window.

Chrome also supports tab grouping. Right-click a tab and select Add tab to new group. You can name the group, assign a color, and add more tabs to it. This is useful for organizing tabs by topic, work, or tasks.

If you have many tabs open, you can use the search feature. Click the tab search icon (down arrow at the top-right) to find a specific tab quickly.

Additionally, Chrome allows you to pin tabs. Right-click a tab and select Pin. Pinned tabs become smaller and stay fixed on the left side, making them ideal for frequently used sites like email or dashboards.

Open a new tab or window

Open a new tab

At the top of your Google Chrome window, next to the last tab on the right, click New tab

. Or, use a keyboard shortcut:

Windows and Linux: Ctrl + t
Mac: Command ⌘ + t
Chromebook: Ctrl + t

Open a tab in a new window

Click and drag the tab outside the Google Chrome window.

To open a new window, use a keyboard shortcut:

Windows and Linux: Ctrl + n
Mac: Command ⌘ + n
Chromebook: Ctrl + n

Open a file in a new tab

From your computer's desktop or folder, drag the file into a Google Chrome tab. If the action is successful, your cursor will display Add

.

Browse and select the file from your computer. Open a new tab, then use a keyboard shortcut:

Windows and Linux: Ctrl + o
Mac: Command ⌘ + o
Chromebook: Ctrl + o

Open a link in a new tab

Windows and Linux: Ctrl + click a link
Mac: Command ⌘ + click a link
Chromebook: Drag the link to a blank area on the tab strip

Organise your tabs and windows

Arrange tabs

To change the order of your tabs, drag a tab along the top of the browser window.

Pin a tab: Right-click the tab and select Pin. Pinned tabs are smaller and only show the site's icon.

Unpin a tab: Right-click the tab and select Unpin.

Move a tab to a different window:

Make sure that both windows are signed in to the same profile.
Right-click the tab that you want to move.
Scroll to 'Move tab to another window'.
Select the window that you want to move the tab to.

Group your tabs

When browsing history and tabs are synced with your Google Account, changes to tab groups are automatically saved and synced across all of your devices.

On your computer, open Chrome.
Select New tab .
Right-click a tab.
Select Add tab to group New group or an existing group.
- To edit your tab group: Right-click the coloured circle or name to the left. You can:
  - Name your group.
  - Select the tab group colour.
  - Add more tabs to the group.
  - Remove the group.
- To add a tab to an existing group: Drag the tab into the group.
- To remove a tab from a group: Right-click the tab, then select Remove from group.
- To close a tab group in the tab strip:
  1. Right-click a tab group.
  2. Select Close group.
    - A closed group isn't deleted and is saved in the bookmarks bar or in the menu. You can open a closed group again.
- To open a tab group:
  - From the bookmarks bar: Select Grid [Tab group name].
  - From the menu:
    1. Select More Tab groups.
    2. Select a tab group.

Tips:

To find tab groups in the bookmarks bar, in Settings, under 'Appearance', turn on Show tab groups in bookmarks bar.
To automatically pin new tab groups to the bookmarks bar, in Settings, under 'Appearance', turn on Automatically pin new tab groups to the bookmarks bar.
- This will also pin new tab groups created from your other devices using the same Google Account.

Delete a tab group

Important: When you delete a tab group, it'll be removed on your device and other devices that use the same Google Account.

On your computer, open Chrome.
Right-click a tab group.
Select Delete group.
Confirm Delete group.

Tip: You can also delete a tab group:

From the bookmarks bar: Select Grid [Tab group name] Delete group.
From the menu:
1. Select More Tab groups.
2. Right-click a tab group.
3. Select Delete group.

Ungroup your tabs

Important: When you ungroup tabs, it'll leave the tabs open on your device. However, it'll also delete the group on your device and other devices that use the same Google Account.

On your computer, open Chrome.
Right-click a tab group.
Select Ungroup.
Confirm Ungroup.

Collapse and expand tab groups

You can collapse your tab groups so only the group's name or coloured circle shows in your tab strip.

Create a tab group.
To expand or collapse the group, select its name or coloured circle.

Search open tabs with tab search

When you have multiple tabs open in Chrome, you can find the specific tab that you want.

On your computer, open Chrome.
At the top left, select Tab search .
- If you have Chrome open on a Mac, at the top right, select Tab search .
Enter keywords for the site that you want to find.
In the list of open tabs:
- To open a tab, find the tab that you want and select it.
- To close a tab, find the tab that you want and on the right, select Close .

Search open tabs from the address bar

On your computer, open Chrome.
In the address bar, enter @tabs.
Press tab or space. You can also select Search tabs in the suggestions.
Enter keywords for the tab that you want to find.
Select the tab from the list.

Organise your windows

To organise your open windows, you can name each one. Your computer displays this name when you:

Point to the minimised window with your cursor.
Press Alt + Tab to move between windows.
Right-click on a tab and select Move tab to another window.

To name a window:

Go to the window that you want to name or open a new window.
At the top, right-click the empty space next to New tab , then select Name window.
- Alternatively, at the top right, select More More tools Name window.
Enter a name for your window.

Show images in tab hover preview card

Important: These steps only apply for Windows, Linux and ChromeOS.

On your computer, open Chrome.
At the top right, select More Settings.
On the left, select Appearance.
Under 'Tab hover preview card', turn Show tab preview images on or off.

Highlight and perform bulk actions on multiple tabs

To organise your tabs, you can highlight multiple tabs to group, move, drag to a new window or close as one:

On your computer, open Chrome.
To highlight multiple tabs:
- If you have a mouse:
  - To select specific tabs: Press Ctrl and select each tab that you want to add.
  - To select a range of tabs: Select the first tab, press shift and select the last tab. This highlights the entire range, along with the active tab.
- If you don't have a mouse: Press F6 twice Ctrl + shift + H.
To perform bulk actions, right-click any of the highlighted tabs.
Select an action:
- Add tabs to group
- Move tabs to another window
- Pin or Unpin
- Mute or Unmute
- Close

Tip: If you encounter any issues when you highlight multiple tabs, deselect and select them again.

Close a tab or window

Close a tab

At the top right of the tab, click Close . Or, use a keyboard shortcut:

Windows and Linux: Ctrl + w
Mac: Command ⌘ + w

Close a window

Close all tabs in the window.
At the top corner of the window, click Close .
- Windows and Linux: At the top right.
- Mac: At the top left.
You can also use the keyboard shortcuts to close a window:
- Windows and Linux: Alt + F4
- Mac: Command ⌘ + shift + w

Close Google Chrome

You can close Google Chrome entirely.

Open the Chrome menu.
- Windows and Linux: On the top menu bar, click More .
- Mac: On the top menu bar, click Chrome.

Close Google Chrome.

Windows and Linux: Click Exit.
Mac: Click Quit Google Chrome.

You can also use the keyboard shortcut to close Google Chrome:

Windows and Linux: Alt + f then x
Mac: Command ⌘ + q

Bring back a tab or window

If you accidentally close a tab or window, you can open it again using a keyboard shortcut:

Windows and Linux: Ctrl + shift + t
Mac: Command ⌘ + shift + t

Force a page or app to close

If a tab, window or extension doesn't work, you can force it closed with Chrome's task manager.

At the top right, click More .
Click More tools Task manager.
Select the page, extension or app that you'd like to close.
Click End process.

Related resources

To reopen a closed tab, press Ctrl + Shift + T (Windows) or Command + Shift + T (Mac). Chrome will restore the last closed tab.

In summary, Chrome provides several tools such as tab switching, grouping, pinning, and search to help you manage tabs effectively and keep your browsing organized.

How can I manage tabs in Chrome on a computer?

Open a new tab or window

Organise your tabs and windows

Close a tab or window

Related resources

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