Chrome tab groups: how to make, save and reopen them
Updated 2 November 2026. 2 minute read.
Right-click a tab, choose Add tab to group, then New group. Give it a name and colour. Select the group’s name to collapse it. When you close a group, Chrome keeps it in your bookmarks bar or menu, so you can reopen it later.
Make a group
- Right-click a tab.
- Choose Add tab to group, then New group.
- Type a name and pick a colour.
To add more, drag tabs into the group, or right-click a tab and choose the group’s name. To take one out, right-click it and choose Remove from group.
Name, colour and collapse
Right-click the group’s name or coloured circle to rename it, change its colour, add tabs, or remove the group. Select the name or circle once to collapse the group, and again to expand it. Collapsing is the best part: it turns twelve tiny tabs into one label.
Close a group and reopen it
Right-click the group and choose Close group. The tabs close, but Chrome keeps the group. To bring it back, use the Grid icon in the bookmarks bar and choose the group’s name. Or open the three-dot menu, then Tab groups.
Do tab groups save when you close Chrome?
A group you close yourself is saved as above. If you sync your browsing history and tabs with your Google Account, changes to groups sync across your devices too.
How to use them well
- Name groups by job, not by site: “Lisbon trip” beats “Travel sites”.
- Keep them few. Four or five collapsed groups are easy to scan. Fifteen aren’t.
- Close finished groups rather than leaving them open and collapsed. Open tabs still use memory.
When you have too many tabs to drag
Dragging tabs one at a time gets slow, and tiny tabs are hard to hit. TabOverview shows every tab in one grid. Drag across the ones you want, press Group, type a name and press Return.
- Group similar tabs in Tidy up suggests groups from your sites and shared title words. You review them first. It’s all done on your computer, with no AI.
- Collapse groups in the grid, and they collapse in Chrome’s tab strip too. Collapse all groups is in each window’s menu.
- Search still finds tabs inside collapsed groups, and opens the group when you pick one.
- Save a group as a bookmarks folder, and Open all brings it back as a group.
Questions
Do tab groups save when you close Chrome?
A group you close with Close group stays in your bookmarks bar or menu, so you can reopen it. Changes sync across devices if you sync your browsing history and tabs.
How do I save a group of tabs in Chrome?
Right-click the group and choose Close group. Chrome keeps it. Reopen it from the Grid icon in the bookmarks bar, or from the three-dot menu under Tab groups.
Can a tab group span two windows?
No. A tab group belongs to one Chrome window.
Read next
- How to choose a tab manager for Chrome: 7 things to check
- How to restore tabs in Chrome: closed, crashed or gone
