[Tip] Enable “Tab Groups” Feature in Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge
UPDATE: This tutorial to enable Tab Groups feature works in both Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge web browsers.
The newer versions of Google Chrome web browser such as Chrome 73 and later, come with a hidden secret feature called “Tab Groups“. This feature is not enabled by default and we need to activate and enable it manually using Chrome’s advanced configuration page i.e. chrome://flags page.
When we enable this feature, we can right-click on a tab and select “Add to new group” option. It’ll create a new tab group named “Group 0” and will add the selected tab to this group. Now you can add multiple tabs to this group by right-clicking on a tab and selecting “Add to existing group” option. You can create multiple and separate tab groups for desired tabs. If you want to remove a tab from a tab group, you can right-click on the tab and select “Remove from group” option. You can set desired names to the tab groups and set colored headers or labels to easily distinguish them.
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According to Chrome team, the new tab group feature allows users to organize tabs into visually distinct groups, e.g. to separate tabs associated with different tasks.
Currently this feature is under development and testing, that’s why it has not been enabled for all users and we need to turn on it manually. We told you about this feature in UPDATE 103 in our exclusive Chrome Canary Updates topic when this feature was under development and testing.
UPDATE: In newer versions of Chrome and Edge, Tab Groups feature comes enabled by default. If you want to disable it, following tutorials will help you:
[Tip] How to Disable Tab Groups Feature in Google Chrome
How to Disable and Remove Tab Groups Feature in Microsoft Edge
If you also want to enable this interesting feature, following steps will help you:
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1. Open Google Chrome web browser and type chrome://flags/ in addressbar and press Enter. It’ll open the advanced configuration page.
2. Now type tab group in the “Search flags” box.
It’ll directly go to following option:
Tab Groups
Allows users to organize tabs into visually distinct groups, e.g. to separate tabs associated with different tasks. – Mac, Windows, Linux, Chrome OS
#tab-groups
3. To enable the tab groups feature, select Enabled from the drop-down box.
4. You can also enable the other available option “Tab Groups Collapse“. It allows a tab group to be collapsible and expandable, if tab groups are enabled. You just need to left-click on desired tab label or header to collapse or expand the tab group.
5. Google Chrome will ask you to restart the browser. Click on “Relaunch now” button to restart Google Chrome.
That’s it. You have successfully activated and enabled tab grouping feature in Google Chrome.
PS: If you want to disable this feature in future, select “Default” option from the drop-down box and restart the browser.
Also Check:
[Tip] Enable New “Tab Hover Cards” Feature in Google Chrome
[Tip] Enable Hidden Secret and Built-in Dark Theme Mode in Google Chrome
[Tip] Enable “Navigation Suggestions for Lookalike URLs” in Google Chrome
[Tip] Show Number of Incognito Windows in Google Chrome Toolbar
What “Tab groups” did is unclear, I got my finger stuck in my car’s exhaust.
Tabs do not become ‘visually distinct’, at least not on my PC, but they do lump together into groups.
Would be nice if we could save ‘Groups’ as a shortcut!
Currently this feature is under development and we’ll see many changes and improvements to this feature in upcoming versions of Chrome.
Latest Chrome Canary now showing Tab Hover Cards.
On my system, this feature currently just crashes and closes Chrome
75.0.3770.100 (Official Build) (64-bit) (cohort: Stable)
Revision
cd0b15c8b6a4e70c44e27f35c37a4029bad3e3b0-refs/branch-heads/3770@{#1033}
OS
Windows 10 OS Version 1803 (Build 17134.885)
I have the same issue as Sean. Adding a Tab to an Existing Group just crashes and closes Chrome.
Version 77.0.3865.75 (Official Build) (64-bit)
Windows 10 Version 1709
These groups don’t really help, they should form a new row of tabs above the existing tabs. The top row of tabs will then be different groups. Then when changing between the groups we should see the set of tabs for that group only. We should be able to name/rename groups and drag a drop tabs between the groups. Then we have a game changer!
Groups won’t pin (to save space) so it’s useless. Takes up more space with them as you now have an additional “tab” which is the group name. Also, when you add pined tabs into groups they become unpinned. When you try to pin them again, they jump out of the group. The only way to keep a pinned tab in a group is to drag the pinned tab to the group.
Be nice if you could collapse and expand the groups to compact the tabs.
Also be good if we could save them and be able to open them later or when required.
Nice idea and it could work well with the right implementation.
Is there a way to save tab groups and restore them in later sessions, even after quitting chrome completely? Or just closing the group?
Sounds like a good idea at first. It’s not the solution to everything, like Forbes’ hailed it the other day. Needs watching. At first use (build 80) it crashed chrome. After that I could start a group, move 3 tabs into it (what happend to pinned tabs?), named and coloredit – and closed the group. Poof.
Ok. I’ll wait.
Voting up both of Dave’s comments. Necessary.