If your tab bar has shrunk down to a row of unreadable icons, Tab Groups are the built-in Chrome feature that fixes it. They let you cluster related tabs together, collapse them out of the way, and even save entire sets of tabs to reopen later — all without any extensions.
Quick answer: Right-click any tab and select Add tab to a new group. Name the group and pick a color from the popup that appears. Drag other tabs into the colored group to add them, and click the colored label to collapse or expand the whole group. To make a group permanent, right-click its label and choose Save group — it’ll then appear on your bookmarks bar even after closing the window.
How to Create a Tab Group
- Right-click any open tab.
- Select Add tab to a new group (or Add tab to group > New group).
- A small colored bubble appears — type a name for the group and pick one of the 8 available colors.
- Press Enter or click outside the bubble to confirm.
You can also drag one tab directly on top of another to instantly create a group containing both, or select multiple tabs at once with Ctrl + click, then right-click and group them together.
Add or Remove Tabs from a Group
- Add a tab: drag it into the colored section of the tab bar, or right-click the tab and choose Add tab to group > select the group name
- Remove a tab: drag it out of the colored section, or right-click it and choose Remove from group
Collapse a Group to Save Space
Click the colored label of a group to collapse it down to just the label — all tabs inside are hidden but still open in the background. Click the label again to expand it back out. This is the fastest way to declutter a tab bar without closing anything.
Save a Group So It Survives a Restart
- Right-click the colored group label.
- Select Save group.
- The group now appears as a colored pill on your bookmarks bar.
An unsaved group only exists for as long as the window stays open — close the window and it’s gone. A saved group is stored with your bookmarks, so it survives closing the browser, restarting the Chromebook, and even shows up again after a while if you enable Show tab groups in bookmarks bar under Settings > Appearance.
Saved groups can also sync to your other devices if you’re signed in with sync enabled across devices.
A Few Ways to Use Tab Groups
- Group all tabs for a specific project or class, name it accordingly, and collapse it until you need it
- Keep a “reference” group of tabs you check periodically without letting them clutter your main browsing
- Save a group of frequently used work tools as a saved group you reopen with one click each morning
If you’re running low on memory with a lot of tabs open regardless of grouping, check the Diagnostics app or consider Battery Saver mode, which also limits background tab activity through Chrome’s Energy Saver.
FAQ
Do tab groups sync across my devices?
Saved tab groups can sync if you’re signed into Chrome with sync turned on. Unsaved (temporary) groups exist only in the current window on the current device.
What happens to a tab group if I close the tab bar entirely?
An unsaved group disappears along with its tabs when the window closes. A saved group persists in your bookmarks and can be reopened anytime by clicking its pill on the bookmarks bar.
Can I have more than one tab group open at once?
Yes, you can create as many groups as you want in the same window, each with its own name and color, alongside ungrouped tabs.
How do I delete a tab group entirely?
Right-click the group label and select Close group to close all tabs in it, or if it’s a saved group, right-click its bookmarks bar pill and choose Delete to remove it permanently.
