Tab Manager Pro - Chrome and Firefox Tab Manager Extension

Tab Manager Pro is a free, open-source Manifest V3 browser extension and tab manager for Chrome, Edge, Brave, and Firefox. It groups tabs by domain, closes duplicate tabs, saves workspace sessions, snoozes distracting tabs, and auto-hibernates inactive tabs to reduce memory usage. Everything runs locally inside your browser: no accounts, analytics, or remote requests.

If you are searching for a Chrome tab manager, a duplicate tab closer, a tab session manager, or a lightweight memory saver extension, Tab Manager Pro covers those workflows in one popup.

Choose your path:

I want to...	Start here
Install and use the extension	Quick start · Installation · FAQ
Understand how it works	Architecture · Project structure
Change or test the code	Development · Manual test checklist · Contributing

At a glance


Product	Free, open-source tab manager browser extension
Browsers	Chrome, Edge, Brave (service worker), and Firefox 142+ (event page)
Core jobs	Group tabs, close duplicate tabs, save tab sessions, snooze tabs, hibernate idle tabs
Storage	Synced settings; local workspaces, undo history, and snooze queue
Permissions	`tabs`, `tabGroups`, `storage`, `alarms`, `contextMenus`; no host permissions
Network	Fully offline; no telemetry, accounts, analytics, or remote assets
License	MIT

Quick start

1. Install the extension

Follow Installation. Chrome, Edge, and Brave load the folder as an unpacked extension; Firefox loads manifest.json as a temporary add-on.

2. Pin it and open the popup

Click the extensions puzzle piece, pin Tab Manager Pro, then open it. The popup shows every open tab in the current window or across all windows, depending on your scope setting.

3. Clean up duplicates safely

Click Clean Duplicates. The extension keeps the tab selected by your preservation rule, closes the rest, and records the batch. Click Undo in the popup to restore up to 30 cleanup batches.

4. Save your current session

Open Settings > Workspaces, name the session, and click Save. The workspace stores every eligible tab so you can close the window and restore the set later.

5. Tune automation once

In Settings > Automation & Cleanup, choose a duplicate matching rule, enable the smart cleanup badge, set an idle threshold for auto-hibernation, and optionally enable workspace auto-backup.

Why Tab Manager Pro

Too many open tabs slow down your browser, hide the tab you actually need, and consume memory. Tab Manager Pro gives you one place to group tabs, remove duplicate tabs safely (with undo), save a workspace before closing a project, snooze a tab until later, and put idle tabs to sleep through the browser's native discard API.

The extension is built with vanilla JavaScript and no runtime build step. Settings sync through your browser profile, while workspaces and undo history stay in local storage.

Who it is for

Developers juggling pull requests, API docs, localhost previews, and issue trackers can group tabs by domain and snapshot the whole set as a workspace before switching projects.
Students and researchers can save a reading session, close it, and restore it later without losing sources.
Remote workers can use Zen Mode to stash every background tab before a call and restore the session afterward.
Low-memory laptops and Chromebooks can enable auto-hibernation so inactive tabs release RAM while staying in the tab bar.
Privacy-conscious users get a tab manager that works fully offline with no host permissions and no page-content access.

How it compares

Task	Manual browser tabs	Tab Manager Pro
Group similar tabs	Drag tabs into groups one by one	One click by domain, subdomain, or custom rules
Find duplicate tabs	Inspect every URL manually	Configurable matching, preview count, and toolbar badge
Undo a cleanup	Reopen closed tabs from history	Up to 30 undo batches
Save a project	Bookmarks or scattered notes	Named workspace with JSON export and import
Defer a tab	Leave it open	Snooze with automatic restore
Free memory	Close tabs and lose state	Discard idle tabs that reload on click
Protect important tabs	Remember not to touch them	Pinned, muted, audible, and domain exclusions

Screenshots

Popup: light mode	Popup: dark mode

General settings

Automation and memory saver

Workspace sessions

Advanced grouping and exclusions

Features

Smart tab grouping

Group tabs by base domain, subdomain, or custom domain-to-label rules such as github.com => Work.
Collapse or expand every group in the current scope from the settings page.
Groups are created with native browser tab groups and stable colors.

Try it: open the popup and click Group. Change the strategy in Settings > Advanced.

Duplicate tab cleanup with undo

Four matching modes: exact URL, ignore hash, ignore query parameters, or domain plus path only.
Preservation rules: keep the active tab, a pinned tab, or the most recently used tab.
Right-click a page and choose Close all duplicates of this tab.
Respects the current operation scope and every exclusion rule (pinned, muted, audible, ignored domains).
Up to 30 undo batches; restore closed tabs from the popup Undo button.
Optional toolbar badge that counts duplicates in the current scope.

Try it: click Clean Duplicates in the popup, then click Undo to restore the batch.

Zen Mode

Stash every eligible background tab into a dedicated workspace and close it in one click.
Tabs excluded by your rules are left untouched.
Restore the stash later from Settings > Workspaces.

Try it: click Zen Mode in the popup before a meeting, then restore the workspace afterward.

Workspace sessions and backups

Save open tabs from the current window or all windows as a named workspace.
Restore a session into the current window, or delete sessions you no longer need.
Export all workspaces to a JSON file and import them on another machine.
Optional auto-backup snapshots every 15 minutes; the three newest snapshots are retained.

Try it: Settings > Workspaces, enter a name, and click Save.

Memory saver and auto-hibernation

Discard inactive tabs after a configurable idle threshold using the browser's native tab discard API.
Hibernated tabs stay in the tab bar and reload when selected.
Pinned and audible tabs are skipped.

Try it: Settings > Automation & Cleanup, enable Auto-Hibernation, and set the idle threshold.

Tab snooze

Snooze any tab from the popup with the configured default duration (minutes or hours).
The tab closes immediately and reopens automatically when the alarm fires, even after a browser restart.

Try it: click the clock icon on any popup row.

Search, sorting, and tab indicators

Debounced search across tab titles and URLs.
Sort by domain, title, last active time, or pinned-first using your configured default.
Audible and discarded indicators, plus per-tab Focus, Snooze, and Close actions.

Privacy and exclusions

Skip pinned, muted, or audible tabs during automated actions.
Maintain a domain blocklist for sites the extension must never touch.
Fully offline: styles, icons, and scripts are bundled locally. No telemetry, tracking, or network calls.

Keyboard shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
`Ctrl + Shift + G`	Group tabs using the current grouping strategy
`Ctrl + Shift + D`	Close duplicate tabs using the current rules
`Ctrl + Shift + U`	Undo the last duplicate cleanup

You can remap shortcuts in your browser:

Chrome, Brave, Edge: chrome://extensions/shortcuts
Firefox: about:addons > gear icon > Manage Extension Shortcuts

Installation

Chrome, Edge, or Brave

Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/sandeshPatel06/tab-manager-pro.git

Open your browser's extensions page:
- Chrome or Brave: chrome://extensions
- Edge: edge://extensions
Enable Developer mode.
Click Load unpacked and select the cloned tab-manager-pro directory.
Pin Tab Manager Pro to the toolbar and open the popup.

After changing source files, click the reload icon on the extension card. If the popup reports that it could not load tabs, reload the extension and reopen the popup so the service worker starts again.

Firefox

Requires Firefox 142 or newer because the manifest targets Manifest V3 with the Firefox event-page fallback.

Open about:debugging#/runtime/this-firefox.
Click Load Temporary Add-on.
Select manifest.json inside the project directory.

For a permanent install, package the directory and load it through about:addons or publish it on addons.mozilla.org.

Options and configuration

Open the settings page from the gear icon in the popup, or right-click the extension icon and choose Options.

General: default sort order, operation scope (current window or all windows), tab group visibility, and default snooze duration.
Automation & Cleanup: duplicate matching rule, preservation rule, smart cleanup badge, scan interval, auto-hibernation threshold, and workspace auto-backup.
Workspaces: create, restore, delete, export, and import workspace sessions.
Advanced Logic: grouping strategy, custom grouping rules, exclusions (pinned, muted, audible), and ignored domains.

Duplicate cleanup, Zen Mode, and the toolbar badge all follow the configured operation scope and exclusion rules.

Architecture

The extension has no runtime dependencies and no build step. Popup and settings pages are plain HTML and CSS with ES2022 JavaScript loaded as classic scripts.

popup.html + popup.js ──────┐
options.html + options.js ──┴── runtime.sendMessage ──> background.js
                                                         ├── tabs / tabGroups
                                                         ├── storage.sync / storage.local
                                                         └── alarms / contextMenus

background.js owns the message router, alarms, context menus, storage, tab grouping, duplicate planning, workspaces, snooze, and discard.
The popup and options pages only render state and send messages; the background enforces scope and exclusion rules.
Cross-browser access goes through a small browserAPI wrapper that prefers the promise-based browser namespace and falls back to chrome.
The manifest declares both background.scripts and background.service_worker, so Chrome uses a service worker while Firefox runs an event page.

Data model

Storage area	Key	Contents
`storage.sync`	`settings`	Sort order, scope, matching rules, exclusions, automation preferences
`storage.local`	`workspaces`	Named session snapshots with tab URLs and titles
`storage.local`	`undoStack`	Up to 30 duplicate-cleanup batches
`storage.local`	`snoozedTabs`	Pending snooze entries and restore timestamps

Project structure

Path	Purpose
`manifest.json`	Manifest V3 definition, permissions, commands, and dual background declaration
`background.js`	Service worker / event page: messaging, tab operations, storage, alarms
`popup.html`, `popup.js`, `styles.css`	Toolbar popup UI and interaction logic
`options.html`, `options.js`, `options.css`	Full-page settings dashboard
`icons/`	Toolbar and store icons
`screenshots/`	README screenshots captured from the real UI
`scripts/capture-screenshots.mjs`	Playwright script that regenerates the screenshots
`package.json`	Dev-only tooling; the extension itself has no runtime dependencies
`LICENSE`	MIT license text

Development

Prerequisites

A Chromium browser (Chrome, Edge, Brave, Chromium) or Firefox 142+.
Node.js 18+ for syntax checks and the optional screenshot tooling.
No bundler, package manager, or compile step is required to run the extension.

Edit and reload

Open chrome://extensions and enable Developer mode.
Click Load unpacked and select this directory.
Edit the source files.
Click the reload icon on the Tab Manager Pro card, then reopen the popup.

Debugging tips:

Inspect the service worker from the service worker link on the extension card.
Right-click the popup and choose Inspect to open DevTools for the popup page.
Run chrome.storage.sync.clear() and chrome.storage.local.clear() in the service worker console to reset settings and saved sessions.
On Firefox, inspect the background event page from about:debugging.

Syntax checks

node --check background.js
node --check popup.js
node --check options.js
node --check scripts/capture-screenshots.mjs

Regenerating screenshots

The screenshots in this README are generated from the actual extension UI with Playwright:

npm install
npx playwright install chromium
npm run screenshots

The script launches Chromium with the unpacked extension, opens demo tabs, seeds settings and workspaces into a temporary browser profile, captures the popup and each settings page, and deletes the temporary profile afterward. It does not touch your daily browser profile. Set HEADED=1 to watch the capture:

HEADED=1 npm run screenshots

Output files are written to screenshots/:

File	View
`popup.png`	Popup in light mode
`popup-dark.png`	Popup in dark mode
`options.png`	General settings
`automation.png`	Automation and memory saver
`workspaces.png`	Workspace manager
`advanced.png`	Advanced grouping and exclusions

Manual test checklist

Area	What to verify
Grouping	Group by domain, subdomain, and custom rule; collapse and expand from Settings
Duplicates	Each matching mode, each preservation rule, and exclusion rules leave protected tabs open
Undo	Cleanup batches restore tab URLs, pinned state, and reach the 30-batch limit correctly
Workspaces	Save from current and all-window scope; restore, delete, export, and import JSON
Snooze	Snoozed tab closes immediately and reopens when the alarm fires; queue survives restart
Auto-hibernation	Idle tabs discard, remain in the tab bar, and reload on selection; pinned and audible tabs stay active
Scope	Current-window and all-window actions touch only the expected tabs
Firefox	Temporary add-on loads, promise-based APIs resolve, and the background event page stays alive

Packaging and release

Bump the version in manifest.json and package.json.

Create a zip containing only runtime files:

zip -r tab-manager-pro-2.1.0.zip manifest.json background.js popup.html popup.js options.html options.js styles.css icons LICENSE README.md

Upload the zip to the Chrome Web Store and/or addons.mozilla.org, or keep loading the unpacked folder for local use.

Do not include node_modules/, .git/, or local browser profiles in the package. The screenshot script is development tooling and is not required at runtime.

Permissions

Permission	Why it is needed
`tabs`	Query, move, group, discard, snooze, and close tabs.
`tabGroups`	Create tab groups, set titles and colors, and collapse or expand them.
`storage`	Sync settings and store workspaces, undo history, and snoozed tabs locally.
`alarms`	Schedule snooze reminders, auto-hibernation scans, cleanup badge scans, and optional backups.
`contextMenus`	Add the right-click duplicate cleanup action.

Tab Manager Pro requests no host permissions and does not read page content.

FAQ

How do I close duplicate tabs in Chrome?

Open the Tab Manager Pro popup and click Clean Duplicates, or right-click a page and choose Close all duplicates of this tab. Choose a matching rule and preservation rule in Settings first. Every cleanup can be undone for up to 30 batches.

Does it work in Firefox?

Yes. The manifest includes a Firefox event-page fallback and the code uses the promise-based WebExtension API. Firefox 142 or newer is required by the included manifest settings.

Does Tab Manager Pro work offline?

Yes. Styles, icons, and scripts ship with the extension, and the interface uses your system font. There are no analytics, remote fonts, CDN assets, or network requests.

How do I reduce Chrome memory usage with tabs?

Enable Auto-Hibernation under Automation & Cleanup and set an idle threshold. Inactive tabs are discarded using the browser's native discard API; they remain visible in the tab bar and reload when selected.

Where are my workspaces and settings stored?

Settings use synchronized browser storage. Workspaces, snoozed tabs, and undo history use local storage. Use Export All on the Workspaces page to create a JSON backup you can import elsewhere.

The popup says it could not load tabs. What should I do?

Reload the extension from chrome://extensions (or about:debugging in Firefox) and reopen the popup. This restarts the background service worker. If it persists, inspect the service worker console for errors before opening an issue.

Is it free and open source?

Yes. Tab Manager Pro is released under the MIT License.

What is a tab manager extension?

A tab manager extension is a browser add-on that helps you organize, search, and clean up open tabs. Tab Manager Pro combines tab grouping, duplicate tab removal, workspace sessions, tab snooze, and memory-saving tab hibernation in a single extension instead of five separate tools.

Can I group tabs automatically in Chrome or Firefox?

Yes. Choose a grouping strategy by base domain, subdomain, or custom domain-to-label rules, then click Group in the popup. Tab Manager Pro creates native browser tab groups and can collapse or expand them from the settings page.

How is this different from built-in tab groups?

Built-in browser tab groups only organize tabs. Tab Manager Pro adds duplicate detection with undo, saved workspace sessions with JSON import/export, tab snooze, idle-tab hibernation, exclusion rules, and a duplicate-count badge while still using native tab groups.

Does it read page content or browsing history?

No. Tab Manager Pro requests no host permissions and injects no content scripts. It uses the tabs permission for open-tab metadata such as title and URL, and all data stays in your browser.

Privacy

Tab Manager Pro does not collect, transmit, sell, or share data. It has no server component, no analytics, and no advertising. All tab data stays inside your browser profile. The only optional network-adjacent behavior is your browser's own sync service for synchronized settings.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome.

Fork the repository and create a branch for your change.
Keep the extension dependency-free at runtime and use the existing browserAPI wrapper for cross-browser calls.
Render tab data with textContent or DOM APIs rather than string-built HTML.
Run the syntax checks and the manual test checklist.
Regenerate screenshots if you change the popup or settings UI.
Open a pull request with the browser and version you tested.

For bug reports, include your browser version, reproduction steps, and any service worker or popup console errors.

License

MIT License. See LICENSE for the full text.

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
icons		icons
screenshots		screenshots
scripts		scripts
.gitignore		.gitignore
LICENSE		LICENSE
README.md		README.md
background.js		background.js
manifest.json		manifest.json
options.css		options.css
options.html		options.html
options.js		options.js
package.json		package.json
popup.html		popup.html
popup.js		popup.js
styles.css		styles.css

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