How many tabs are open in your browser? Do you get upset if they close accidentally? Read on to learn about managing tabs in a browser.
Many people keep lots of tabs open in order to switch back and forth among web pages quickly. Unfortunately, tabs get lost when the browser restarts or crashes. Too many open tabs can bog down the browser and even the whole computer. There are better ways of managing tabs in a browser.
Managing Tabs using bookmarks
One way to manage tabs is to make better use of bookmarks. Bookmarks are a mechanism for saving a link to a web page. You can store bookmarks in a way that they will always be visible (on the bookmarks bar) or in folders for specific purposes.
Bookmarks are specific to a browser, so the bookmarks in Chrome will be different from the bookmarks in Safari or Edge. Bookmarks can be imported and exported between browsers, but they will not sync across browsers automatically.
Create a bookmark in Safari by clicking on the box with the arrow pointing up next to the web page name or URL.
Create a bookmark in Chrome by clicking on the star next to the web page name or URL.
If you create a number of bookmarks, you will likely want to edit them and delete unnecessary ones. In Safari go to the Bookmarks menu and choose Edit Bookmarks. In Chrome go to the Bookmarks menu and choose Manage Bookmarks.
Organize bookmarks into folders. Nest bookmark folders for deeper organization.
Managing Tabs Using Extensions
One example of a browser extension that will help you manage tabs in your browser is OneTab.
OneTab is available for most common browsers, like Chrome, Safari, Firefox and Edge.
With OneTab, you can save a list of all of the tabs you have open. Clicking on the OnTab funnel icon will close all of the open tabs and create a list of all of the webpages you had open in tabs.
You can also share this list as a website so that other people can access these links.
You can also open the tabs from the list individually or all at once. Opened tabs are removed from the list. For some uses this is not what you would want.
Managing Tabs with Groups in Chrome
Another option if you are using the Chrome browser is to use the new Group feature. Right click on any open tab and then select ‘Add tab to group’. You can then either create a new group, or add to an existing one. You can do the same for each tab you have open to easily group and identify tabs associated with different tasks.
Your browser tabs will then look like this, with each set of tabs identified by a name and color bar.
You can also expand and contract the group tabs by simply clicking on the tab name, providing a more distraction free look to your browser.
This method won’t yet save your tabs, should your browser unexpectedly close, but it can help you stay organized while working. An option to save groups is however on its way!
If you would like help with this process, just call or email and we’ll be happy to assist you! If you have specific questions, or if our terminology isn’t clear, please use our contact form to send us a message. Thank you!