How to Keep a Tab Active in Chrome

Have you ever wanted to keep a tab active in Google Chrome, even while working on other things? Typically, Chrome may suspend inactive tabs to conserve memory. However, there are several ways to maintain a tab’s activity in the background in Chrome, even when not in use. This can be particularly useful when monitoring a website, tracking a live event, watching a live stream, or keeping a static web page handy for reference.

This article will guide you through the process of keeping a tab active in Chrome. We’ll discuss three different methods, each with detailed steps.

Also see: How to Cycle Through Tabs in Chrome

Option 1: Disabling Chrome’s “Memory Saver” feature

Chrome’s “Memory Saver” feature is designed to free up your computer’s memory by making inactive tabs less resource-intensive. But if you need a specific tab to remain active, you may want to consider disabling this feature.

1. Begin by launching your Chrome browser. On the top right corner, you’ll notice three vertically aligned dots. This is your access point to Chrome’s main menu. Click on it to reveal a dropdown menu.
2. In the dropdown menu, select the “Settings” option. This will open Chrome’s settings tab, giving you access to a variety of configurations.
3. In the settings tab, select “Performance” from the left pane.
4. In this panel, you’ll see the “Memory Saver” feature. When enabled, this feature tries to save your computer’s memory by making inactive tabs less active. If you wish to prevent Chrome from marking any tab inactive and keep all tabs active at all times, simply click on the switch next to this feature to disable it.

With “Memory Saver” disabled, Chrome will no longer strive to save memory by deactivating your tabs. However, if you want to keep only specific tabs active while also saving memory, you can consider enabling “Memory Saver” and use the next option to choose specific sites that should always remain active.

Useful tip: How to Bookmark All Tabs in Chrome

Option 2: Utilizing the “Always Keep These Sites Active” option

The “Always keep these sites active” option is a component of the “Memory Saver” feature. It enables you to specify certain websites that should always stay active, even if you’re not currently using them.

1. Follow the steps above to navigate to Chrome’s “Performance” settings.
2. Under the “Memory Saver” option, you’ll find the “Always keep these sites active” feature.
3. Beside this option, click on the “Add” button. A dialog box will pop up prompting you to type in the URL of the website you wish to keep active.
4. Enter the URL of your desired website into the field provided in the dialog box, then click “Add”. This website will now be added to a list under “Always keep these sites active” and will always remain active regardless of your “Memory Saver” settings.
5. Should you ever decide to remove a website from this list, simply click on the “Remove” button located next to the website’s URL.

By using this option, you can specify which tabs should always remain active while still using “Memory Saver” to optimize memory usage for other tabs.

Linked issue: Chrome keeps opening new tabs on its own

Option 3: Using Chrome extensions like “The Great Suspender”

While Chrome itself provides built-in settings to keep tabs active, sometimes you may need more specialized tools to manage your browsing experience. This is where third-party extensions like “The Great Suspender” can be of great help. Though primarily designed to suspend inactive tabs to save memory, this extension allows users to whitelist specific sites, ensuring they remain active regardless of their usage.

1. To start, open your Chrome browser and direct your navigation to the “Chrome Web Store”. This is a marketplace for Chrome extensions, where you can find and install a variety of tools to enhance your browsing experience.
2. At the top of the page, you’ll notice a search bar. Click on it and type “The Great Suspender”. Press Enter to execute your search. From the search results, select the “The Great Suspender” extension.
3. Click on the “Add to Chrome” button to install it. Be sure to read the extension’s description and understand its functionalities, as well as the permissions it requires. Always remember, when installing third-party extensions, it’s important to understand the potential risks associated with them, and proceed only if you’re comfortable with these conditions.
4. After successful installation, you’ll notice a new icon for “The Great Suspender” on the top-right corner of your Chrome browser, alongside other installed extensions. Click on this icon to open a dropdown menu, and select the “Settings” option.
5. Within the settings panel, you’ll find various options allowing you to customize the extension’s behavior. One key feature here is the ability to define a list of websites to whitelist. By adding websites to this list, they are excluded from automatic suspension, and hence will always remain active, irrespective of their idle status.

By employing this extension, you can have more granular control over which tabs remain active and which ones get suspended, thereby achieving a balance between your active browsing needs and your computer’s memory usage.

Summing up

Navigating your way through a multitude of tabs and managing them effectively is an essential aspect of a productive online experience. Chrome offers an array of built-in features like the “Memory Saver” and “Always keep these sites active”, which provide the flexibility to manage your tabs according to your needs.

Furthermore, extensions like “The Great Suspender” give you additional control to further customize your tab management. It’s important to note that when using third-party extensions, you should take an extra step to understand what the extension does and the permissions it requires.

By employing these methods, you can prioritize critical tabs to remain active for uninterrupted access while efficiently managing less important tabs to conserve system resources.