It’s almost impossible to imagine web browser without tab. There must be a weird desktop look filled by windows of browser. However, the concept of multi tab in each web browser isn’t always good. First, it sometimes leads us to be less focused. Second, opening many tabs at the same time meaning that it consumes more resources of your computer, which is not too good for low-spec computers.

In case you didn’t know, Google Chrome treat each tab you open as a separated task. Each tab has a different memory consumption depends on what kind of website you are opening. To check this you can go to the Chrome task manager (CTRL+Esc for Windows and Linux).

Two reasons above are enough to encourage you to install a Chrome tab manager extension. Chrome tab manager is a handy tool to help you manage the open tabs. Some of them will be automatically disabling the inactive tabs to save your memory. Here are some Chrome tab manager extensions to prevent your computer from getting hang.

1. The Great Suspender

The first Chrome tab manager extension you can try to save Chrome memory consumption is The Great Suspender. The way this extension works is pretty simple. It will automatically disable the inactive tabs in a certain interval which you can set. To re-enable the suspended tabs you can just visit the tab you want to open, there is a reload button you will see there. Or, you can also reload all the suspended tabs using a Unsuspend all tabs button. There are also shortcuts to make everything quicker.

The Great Suspender itself is released as an open source project. You can follow its development cycle on Github.

Download: The Great Suspender

2. Tabli

Tabli is the kind of Chrome extension that can help you to boost your productivity. This extension uses the different approach in helping you manage your Chrome tabs. Instead of disabling the unused tabs like The Great Suspender, Tabli works by helping you to switch from one tab to another more quickly. Not only in the current window but also other window.

Tabli will be helpful if you are a sorts of super busy person who have to work with multiple Chrome windows in your daily basis. For instance, if you have a lot of work-themed tabs open in one window and all your social media open in another, you can jump between them while keeping the tabs themselves compartmentalized. In addition to it, you can also save the tab sessions to be restored later at once to save you time.

Download: Tabli

3. Tabs Outliner

Tabs Outliner also uses the different approach in helping manage your Chrome tabs. Tabs Outliner is quite similar to pstree in Linux which will display all the current tabs as a tree. If you open a link (which mean will open as a new tab) from a certain tab, it will be put under the the current tab. And so on. You can also drag tabs between different trees. In order to help you recall why you open those tabs you can also add some texts. You can also close the open tabs directly from the Tabs Outliner window.

Download: Tabs Outliner

4. Tab Hibernation

Just like the name suggests, Tab Hibernation will be disabeling the inactive tabs within the current window. This Chrome tab manager is quite similar to The Great Suspender which acts as a memory saver. Unlike The Great Suspender, Tab Hibernation comes with a very minimum feature. This extension only has one purpose. You need to click the Tab Hibernation icon every time you want to disable the inactive tabs. No automatic suspension offered. A big Wake up button will appear on each suspended tab. This button also locks the reload button of Chrome.

Download: Tab Hibernation

5. Hide Tabs Button

Hide Tabs Button is basically nothing but a tab sessions saver. For example, you can use this extension to save all of the open tabs in the current window and restore those tabs later. You can basically do this kind of task without any help from extension (we have covered in this post). It’s just, Hide Tabs Button can save all of the tabs in a single click. Plus, you can also protect the saved tabs with a password to prevent someone else from accessing them.

Download: Hide Tabs Button

6. TooManyTabs

The way Hide Tabs Button works is quite similar to Tabli. It helps you to easily switch from the current tab to another. The difference is, Hide Tabs Button gives a preview of the tab you are going to switch to. The preview is displayed in a handy thumbnail. Additionally, TooManyTabs also makes it possible if you want to save the open tabs to Google Drive. To suspend a certain tab just click the arrow button at the top-right corner of each thumbnail. There is also a search feature to help you find certain tab in case you open too many tabs in the current window.

Download: TooManyTabs

7. Quick Tab

Quick Tab uses the same approach as TooManyTabs to help you manage your Chrome tabs. This extension is also a great tool to help you switch from one tab to another if you have too many open tabs. Instead of giving thumbnails like TooManyTabs does, Quick Tab offers a drop-down menu to select a certain tab. This method is more memory friendly in case you are working with a lower-spec computer. Quick Tab also features a search box.

Download: Quick Tab

8. TabJump

TabJump comes with three columns which have the different functions, respectively. The left most column gathers all the recently closed tabs, the middle one gathers all of the tabs you are opening from the same site, and the right most column gathers all other open tabs. Generally, the main idea of TabJump is not different to Quick Tab and TooManyTabs which helps you switching from one tab to another more easily and quickly. It’s just, this Chrome tab manager comes with a more organized interface. TabJump itself is under the same umbrella as TooManyTabs. They both were created by the same community.

Download: TabJump

9. TabCloud

TabCloud is a really helpful Chrome tab management if you frequently work from different machines. It helps you to take all of the open tabs with the current computer to another one. In order before being able to do that you have to login with your Google account. TabCloud also features a tab selector. Not as fancy as TabJump but it’s useful enough to ease you in switching from one tab to another.

Download: TabCloud