Chrome productivity guide · 2026

How to Make Tab Groups in Chrome

Tab groups let you bundle related tabs into a named, color-coded cluster on the tab strip. This guide walks you through creating, naming, coloring, saving and troubleshooting them — on Windows and Mac.

30-second answer

Right-click any tab → choose "Add tab to new group" → type a name and pick a color → drag other tabs into the colored group. Click the group bubble to collapse or expand it. That is the entire core flow.

Opens tabbit.ai or tabbit.com based on your language.

The full flow

Right-click

Tab strip → any tab

Add to new group

Context menu

Name + color

Group bubble

Drag more tabs in

Tab strip

Collapse & save

Group bubble / bookmarks bar

Step by step

Create your first tab group in 4 steps

The whole flow takes about ten seconds once you know where to click.

01Step

Right-click any open tab

On Windows right-click the tab itself. On Mac hold Control and click (or enable right-click in System Settings → Trackpad/Mouse).

02Step

Choose "Add tab to new group"

In the menu that appears, select "Add tab to new group". A small colored bubble appears next to your tab.

03Step

Name the group and pick a color

Type a name like "Research" or "Shopping", then click a color dot. Every tab in the group inherits the same color stripe.

04Step

Drag more tabs into the group

Grab another tab and drag it onto the colored group bubble, or right-click a tab → "Add tab to group" → pick your group.

Level up

What to do after you create a group

Groups are easy to edit once created.

Rename or recolor

Click the group bubble and edit the name or pick a new color from the palette.

Collapse and expand

Click the group bubble to collapse all tabs into one; click again to expand them.

Reorder the whole group

Click and drag the group bubble to move all its tabs together on the tab strip.

Save for later

Right-click the group bubble → "Save group" to pin it to the bookmarks bar so it survives a restart.

Move a tab in or out

Drag a tab onto the bubble to join the group; drag a tab out of the colored strip to leave it.

Ungroup or close

Right-click the group bubble → "Ungroup" to remove the color and name, or "Close group" to close all its tabs at once.

Keyboard & platform

Shortcuts and Mac vs Windows differences

Tab groups are mouse-first, but these keyboard moves help.

	Windows	macOS
Open the right-click menu on a tab	Right-click	Control-click
Open context menu with keyboard	Tab to tab → Shift + F10	Tab to tab → Shift + F10
Jump between open tabs	Ctrl + Tab	⌘ + Option + →
Reopen last closed tab	Ctrl + Shift + T	⌘ + Shift + T

On your phone

Can you make tab groups on Chrome mobile?

Not the same way. Here is what works on Android and iOS.

Android / iOS tab switcher

Chrome mobile has a tab switcher grid, but it does not expose desktop-style named, colored tab groups.

Tab group sync

Groups you create on desktop do not sync to the phone app as interactive groups. Manage expectations: groups are mostly a desktop feature.

Cross-device workaround

If you regularly jump between desktop and phone, a workspace-style browser that restores whole sessions can feel closer to what you want.

Fixes

Tab group not showing? 4 quick checks

Groups are stable in current Chrome, but these four issues are the usual culprits.

1
Chrome is outdated
Open chrome://settings/help and let Chrome update. Tab-group UI changes shipped over time; an old build can miss them.
2
The group is collapsed
A collapsed group looks like a single bubble. Click it to expand and the tabs reappear.
3
Incognito or managed policy
Some enterprise policies or incognito profiles disable group features. Check with your admin or try a normal profile.
4
An extension or flag changed behavior
Third-party tab extensions or experimental flags can override grouping. Try disabling tab-related extensions or resetting chrome://flags.

The next step

From Chrome tab groups to an AI-native workspace

Manual color groups are great for a dozen tabs. When you live in 30+ tabs across projects, the ceiling shows.

Manual

Chrome-native color groups

Right-click grouping, names, colors, collapse. Familiar, local-first, and free — but every group is just paint. No memory of why the tabs matter.

Right-click + drag
Great for quick tidy-ups
No cross-group search

Extended

Auto-group extensions

Extensions like Tab Groups Extension apply matching rules, save snapshots, and auto-group new tabs. A helpful power-up, still visual-only organization.

Rule-based auto grouping
Save / restore snapshots
Still no AI understanding

AI-native

Workspace + AI context (Tabbit)

Tabbit pairs vertical tabs with topic-based auto grouping and an omnibox that can @-reference a whole group as AI context. Agent mode runs in its own tab group.

@-reference a tab group
Vertical tabs + auto groups
Agent runs in a separate group

Why Tabbit

Make your tab groups actually work for you

Chrome tab groups organize what is on screen. Tabbit goes one step further: your groups become the context your AI works with.

Tabbit is a free AI-native browser for macOS and Windows that imports your Chrome bookmarks, history, passwords and extensions — so you keep your setup and gain a workspace that understands your tabs.

Vertical tabs with topic-based auto grouping into workspaces
Type @ in the omnibox to reference a whole tab group as AI context
Agent Mode runs in its own tab group, in parallel with your browsing
Knowledge-base bookmarks that keep full-text even if a page goes offline

FAQ

Tab groups in Chrome: FAQ

How do I make tab groups in Chrome without right-clicking?+

Chrome has no dedicated shortcut. Focus the tab with Ctrl + Tab (⌘ + Option + → on Mac), then press Shift + F10 (Windows) or Control-click to open the context menu and choose "Add tab to new group".

How do I make a group with many tabs at once?+

Chrome creates one group at a time — create the group, then drag each tab into it, or right-click each tab and pick "Add tab to group". Extensions can auto-group by rules.

What happened to Chrome tab groups?+

They are still a core desktop Chrome feature, rolled out in 2020. Auto-tab-grouping remains experimental (flags/extensions) rather than a default.

Why can't I see my tab groups?+

Update Chrome, expand any collapsed group bubble, exit incognito/managed profiles, and disable conflicting tab extensions or chrome://flags experiments.

Can I make tab groups in Chrome on a Mac?+

Yes. Control-click a tab (or enable right-click in System Settings), choose "Add tab to new group", name it, pick a color, and drag more tabs in.

Do Chrome tab groups work on mobile?+

Not as interactive groups. Android/iOS Chrome have a tab switcher grid but no desktop-style named/colored groups, and desktop groups do not sync as groups to mobile.

How do I save a tab group in Chrome?+

Right-click the group bubble → "Save group" pins it to the bookmarks bar so it stays after you close Chrome. You can also just leave it open; Chrome restores groups by default.

When tab groups are not enough, try Tabbit

Free for macOS and Windows. Import your Chrome data in one click and let AI organize, summarize and act on your tabs.