Google is powering up tab groups with new options in Chrome

The Canary builds of Google Chrome continue to be an incredible breeding ground for innovation, and the latest preview version of the web browser demonstrates this perfectly.

Not content with making tabs pinnable, freezable and groupable, Chrome developers have now implemented a feature that makes it possible to save a group of tabs. The latest addition to this roster of features is called 'Tab Groups Save'.

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The name of the feature is fairly self-explanatory, but for the sake of clarity Google gives it the following helpful description: "Enables users to explicitly save and recall tab groups". It is, essentially, a new quick and easy way to bookmark a number of tabs that you have added to a group. It both builds on and serves as an alternative to existing features.

If you want to try out this new tab group feature, you need to be running at least Chrome Canary 95 or higher. You can download this preview build here if you've not yet got a copy of Chrome Canary, or you can update your currently installed version.

Try it out

Pay a visit to chrome://flags/#tab-groups-save and use the drop-down menu to enable the Tab Groups Save setting. After you restart Chrome, the new option will be available for you to try out. Create a group containing two or more tabs, right click its header and then toggle the switch next to the new Save group option in the context menu,

As this is currently a feature that is only available in the unstable Canary builds, there is not only the chance that it will be problematic, but also the risk that it may not make its way to the stable builds. With tabs and related options being such a beloved feature, however, Google is unlikely to kill of Tab Groups Save, but the final version that is released to the masses could end up looking rather different to what you see now.

Analysis: tab evolution

When browser tabs were first introduced, they were revolutionary. But the fact that they completely changed the way we browse the web did not mean that development stopped. Different browsers have their own take on tabs, each offering its own unique look and set of options, but it is almost always Chrome that is pushing things forward in terms of innovation.

With the arrival of tab groups, Chrome took things a step further, and now Google has progressed things even more in a move that will help to make life easier for users. For anyone who frequently multitasks or works across several projects at once, tabs have become absolutely essential, and the ability to group tabs together is quickly becoming a similarly vital browser feature. Depending on what Google has in mind for the future development of Tab Groups Save, this is a feature that could have the same destiny.

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Via Techdows