Secrets to Searching Tabs on Chrome (It’s Time to Get Organized!)

Written by Marcel Manning on August 14, 2019 Under Who can you trust with your business technology?

Save Time and Headaches by Searching Your Open Tabs Instantly

It is easy to lose track of which open tab contains the information you need when you are researching.

Use this Chrome tool to instantly find the right tab.  

Do you do a lot of research online for work or school? Then you know that It isn’t uncommon to have 6, 7, or even more tabs open on your internet browser at the same when you are working on a large project. But with that many tabs open, you can easily forget which tab contains the information now. But don’t worry, Google Chrome has your back.

With Google Chrome, you will never again have to feel frustrated or waste your time clicking randomly on multiple tabs trying to find the one you want. You can just use the URL box, or what Google Chrome calls it’s Omnibox, to search your open tabs for the one you need. You may already be aware of some of the most useful tasks you can access directly from Chrome’s Omnibox such as solving mathematical calculations, checking the local weather or even finding files on your Google Drive, but did you know you can use it to search through your open tabs?

How to Use the Omnibox to Search Open Tabs

1. Enable the Omnibox search mode. The ability to search your open tabs is disabled by default. Before you can use it, you will need to enable the capability. You can do this by opening a new tab in your Chrome browser. Then in the Omnibox at the top of the page, type or paste Chrome://flags/#omnibox-tab-switch-suggestions. Hit enter on your keyboard. This will take you to a long list of options with Omnibox tab switch suggestions highlighted in yellow. Select Enabled from the dropdown menu just to the right.
2. Restart your browser. You will need to restart your browser to complete the process. If you are in the middle of a project, you may want to use the Relaunch Now button to remember your open tabs after restarting. Otherwise, close and restart your browser in the normal way.
3. Conduct your first search. After Chrome restarts, and you have at least two tabs open, it is time for a quick test. Enter text from the title of any of your open tabs into the Omnibox. As you type, you will see several suggestions popup under the Omnibox. If you want to jump to one of the open tabs, click on the Switch to this tab button next to the suggestion. This will open the tab immediately in the browser.

Everyone is looking for ways to streamline their workflow. This small tip will definitely save you a few seconds several times throughout your day, and significantly add to your productivity.