Google Chrome provides a native feature to restore tabs from previous session. You can also restore tabs if the browser crashes. But what if you want to save tabs from your current Chrome session so you can visit again in a week? Sure, you can bookmark all tabs, but that’s not efficient if you tend to save sessions frequently. In such cases, Chrome session manager extensions fit the requirements.
Chrome session manager extensions save your selected tabs on your computer indefinitely. When you want to open tabs, click session to launch all tabs with one click.
Let’s see how to backup all open tabs in Chrome by saving the current session.
1. Session Manager
Session Manager is a great choice if you’re looking for a simple extension that saves all open tabs. Click on the extension icon and it will save the tabs. You can then name your tab group for better identification. When you need the tabs later, click Open next to the session name.
Fly: Hover your mouse over the tab text to view the websites in it.
You cannot move tabs from one group to another. Also, the extension cannot open selected tabs outside of the saved session. On a brighter side, the extension allows you to add a new tab to the existing group. While the extension lets you import and export sessions, it does not offer a cloud sync feature.
2nd Session Fellow
Session Buddy is one of the most popular session manager extensions for Chrome. The extension is loaded in a separate window each time you need to save the session. Some may like it, while others prefer to save the session from the top toolbar, as with some of the extensions mentioned in this list. However, there are advantages to installing it in a separate window as you get a lot of features.
For example, you can search for sessions, name your sessions, check the number of tabs in each session, and open each tab separately. You can even sort tabs within a session by their title or URL. You can even make a duplicate copy of a saved session.
3. Cluster – Window and Tab Manager
Another powerful extension for recording sessions is Cluster. It’s a bit like Session Buddy. You can search your tabs in sessions, open a single tab and remove a tab. Cluster refers to saved sessions as Windows. You can move tabs between various windows (or sessions) with drag and drop.
While this extension also opens in a separate tab, you can use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + M to launch the extension tab. Other features include the ability to suspend tabs and sort tabs to keep similar tabs together.
4. Better-Onetab
If you are looking for an extension that offers an easy way to hide individual and all tabs in Chrome, you should check out Better-Onetab. It offers multiple ways to hide your open tabs. You can hide all tabs, selected or unselected tabs, and tabs to the right or left of the currently active tab.
While the ability to hide tabs is available from the toolbar itself, you have to launch the extension in a separate window to open the tabs. By default, when you open a saved session, it removes that session from the list. You can change this behavior in the extension settings. Other features include dark mode, pinned lists, search and import/export. The cloud sync facility is currently in beta.
Interestingly, you can also save a session or tab from the right-click menu. Check out similar Chrome extensions to save a set of open tabs.
5. Tab Session Manager
Next on the list, we have the Tab Session Manager extension. Similar to the Session Manager mentioned above, this one opens when you click on the extension icon in the toolbar, making it easy to access.
You will see the list of previously created sessions. Clicking the Save button at the bottom saves the current session. You cannot select the tabs you want to save. However, once you save, you can delete individual tabs from the session. If you want, you can expand the extension and view it in a separate tab.
You can sort sessions using the local sorting feature. The extension offers a cloud sync feature using Google Drive.
6. Save for Later
If you’re overwhelmed by too many features in a service, take a look at the Save Later extension. The extension takes a minimalist approach to recording sessions. Click the ‘Save this window’ button to save all tabs in the current tab session.
When you need to log in later, simply click on the login name. You cannot name your sessions or remove individual tabs from a session in this extension. You can’t even add individual tabs. All or nothing.
7. Web Squirrel: Session Manager
Whether you want to save the entire session or a few tabs from the current session, the Web squirrel extension offers both options. Clicking on the extension will show a list of open tabs with all selected. Name and save the session. To save the selected tabs, uncheck the tabs you don’t want to save.
Similarly, you can open all or selected tabs whenever you want to restore a session. The theme of this extension is somewhat colorful compared to other session managers. Do you like colorful things? See our guide on how to customize Chrome on your computer.
When Is a Session Recorded?
Recording sessions is useful when you want to revisit pages you’ve discovered for your research. You can use session managers to open a series of pages for a particular task or routine. Similarly, you can group pages for your common interests, such as social pages you may have on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. Session managers can save a few clicks and the hassle of typing URL addresses.
Next: Chrome extensions can reduce our workload and make life easier. Check out 21 great Chrome extensions that will help you increase your productivity.
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