Google is giving Chrome users a way out of tab overload hell

Tab grouping makes it easier to stay organized

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GoogleChrome can now collect related tabs together in groups, making it easier to manage your browsing.

The arrival of tabs in web browsers was both a blessing and a curse. While on the one hand it made it easier to manage multiple sites without having to have multiple windows open at the same time, on the other it also introduced people to the concept of having dozens of sites open at once.

For some people, having a huge number of tabs open has become second nature and proved to be a productivity booster. For others, however, it means wasting time scrambling to find a site you know you opened, but can’t locate in a sea of tabs. Now, Google is bringing a solution.

Google has been testing tab grouping for a little while now. As you might guess from the name, this feature makes it possible to group together tabs that are related for one reason or another. A group can contain tabs relating to a particular project you are working on or, as Google suggests grouping tabs by the priority with which you need to deal with them.

This isn’t the first we’ve heard about tab grouping in Chrome; just a month agowe wrote about the arrival of the featurein Chrome 81, but as a hidden setting. Now Google is getting ready to bring the feature to the masses as an option that is available by default – so there’s no need to tinker with anything.

Get your tabs in order

If you would like to experience Chrome’s new tab grouping, you can download the latest beta version of the browser. You can get started with grouping by right clicking a tab and selecting the ‘Add to new group’ option or ‘Add to existing group’. Groups can be named, or assigned emoji to make them easier to identify.

Google says that if you don’t see tab groups just yet, you should simply try restarting Chrome.

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But if you’re not happy running pre-release software, the feature will be making its way to next version of Chrome which is due for release next week, so you can just sit tight and wait for it to arrive.

ViaGoogle

Sofia is a tech journalist who’s been writing about software, hardware and the web for nearly 25 years – but still looks as youthful as ever! After years writing for magazines, her life moved online and remains fueled by technology, music and nature.

Having written for websites and magazines since 2000, producing a wide range of reviews, guides, tutorials, brochures, newsletters and more, she continues to write for diverse audiences, from computing newbies to advanced users and business clients. Always willing to try something new, she loves sharing new discoveries with others.

Sofia lives and breathes Windows, Android, iOS, macOS and just about anything with a power button, but her particular areas of interest include security, tweaking and privacy. Her other loves include walking, music, her two Malamutes and, of course, her wife and daughter.

You can find her onTwitterandMastodon.

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