If you regularly find your Google Chrome window cluttered with dozens of open tabs, it becomes nearly impossible to find the specific page you need. The text on the tabs shrinks until you can only see the website icons, leading to a frustrating, disorganised browsing experience.
To solve this, Google Chrome includes a feature called Tab Groups. This allows you to visually organise related tabs together, assign them custom colours and labels, and collapse them to free up valuable space on your screen.
How to Create a Tab Group
Creating a group is simple and helps immediately declutter your workspace.
- Right-click on any open tab in your Chrome browser window.
- Select Add tab to new group from the context menu.
- A small dialogue box will pop up. Type a name for your new group (for example, “Work Research” or “Shopping”).
- Select a colour for the group. This colour will outline all tabs belonging to this group, making them easy to identify.
- Press Enter or click anywhere outside the box to save.
You will now see a coloured pill-shaped label sitting on the left side of your tab.
How to Add Tabs to an Existing Group
Once a group exists, there are two ways to add more tabs to it:
- Drag and Drop: Simply click and drag any other tab along the top bar until it touches the coloured outline of your group. When you release the mouse button, the tab will snap into the group.
- Right-Click Menu: Right-click on a tab, hover over Add tab to group, and select the name of your existing group from the list.
How to Collapse and Expand Groups
The biggest advantage of Tab Groups is the ability to hide tabs you are not actively using without closing them entirely.
- To collapse: Click the coloured name label of the group. All the tabs inside it will instantly slide out of view, leaving only the label visible and freeing up massive amounts of space on your tab bar.
- To expand: Click the coloured label again. The tabs will instantly slide back out, ready for use.
How to Remove Tabs or Close a Group
If you have finished your project and no longer need the organisation:
- Remove a single tab: Right-click the tab and select Remove from group, or click and drag the tab outside of the coloured outline.
- Ungroup all tabs: Right-click the coloured group label and select Ungroup. This will delete the group structure but keep all the tabs open individually.
- Close all tabs at once: Right-click the coloured group label and select Close group. This will instantly close every tab inside the group, which is a great way to rapidly clean up after finishing a project.