What Chrome Groups Do and How to Start One
Chrome Groups let you bundle related tabs together, collapse them to clear your screen, and color-code them so you can find what you need without scrolling through dozens of open tabs. A group is simply a folder that holds multiple tabs in your browser bar — you can expand it, collapse it, rename it, and move tabs in and out.
To create your first group, right-click on any tab in Chrome and select "Add tab to new group" from the menu. Chrome will open a dialog asking you to name the group and pick a color. Type a name like "Work" or "Shopping" and choose a color that makes sense to you — the color appears as a dot next to the group name. Click "Create" and that tab moves into the group.
Once a group exists, you can add more tabs to it by right-clicking any other tab and selecting "Add tab to group", then choosing the group name from the list. You can also drag a tab directly onto a group name to add it without using the menu.
Key Takeaways
- Create a group by right-clicking a tab, selecting "Add tab to new group", naming it, and picking a color.
- Add more tabs to an existing group by right-clicking the tab and choosing the group name from the "Add tab to group" menu.
- Collapse a group by clicking the arrow next to its name to hide all tabs inside and free up space in your tab bar.
- Rename or change the color of a group by right-clicking the group name and selecting "Edit group".
- Save all tabs in a group as a bookmark folder by right-clicking the group name and selecting "Save group as bookmark folder".
Collapsing and Expanding Groups to Manage Your Screen
When you have several tabs in a group, you can collapse the entire group to a single line in your tab bar. Click the small arrow or chevron next to the group name — the arrow points down when the group is open and right when it is closed. Clicking it toggles between showing all the tabs inside and hiding them.
Collapsing is useful when you are working on one task but want to keep related tabs ready without them taking up space. For example, you might collapse your "Research" group while you focus on writing, then expand it again when you need to check a source. The tabs stay open in the background; collapsing just hides them from view.
You can collapse and expand groups as many times as you want during a session. Chrome remembers which groups are open and which are closed, so if you close Chrome and reopen it, your groups stay the way you left them.
Renaming Groups and Changing Their Colors
To change a group's name or color after you create it, right-click directly on the group name (the colored text in your tab bar) and select "Edit group" from the menu. A dialog opens showing the current name and color options.
Type a new name if you want to change it — group names can be as short as one word or as long as you need. The color palette shows the same options you saw when creating the group. Click the color you want, then click "Done" to save your changes. The group name and color update immediately in your tab bar.
You might rename a group if your work changes — for instance, renaming "Project A" to "Project B" when you move to a new task, or changing "Shopping" to "Holiday Gifts" to be more specific. Renaming does not affect the tabs inside; it only changes the label you see.
Moving Tabs Between Groups and Removing Them
To move a tab from one group to another, right-click the tab and select "Add tab to group", then choose a different group name. The tab leaves its current group and joins the new one. You can also drag a tab from one group to another by clicking and holding the tab, then dragging it over the target group name.
To remove a tab from a group without closing it, right-click the tab and select "Remove from group". The tab stays open in Chrome but no longer belongs to any group — it appears as a standalone tab in your tab bar. If you want to close a tab entirely, use the X button on the tab itself or right-click and select "Close tab".
If you remove all tabs from a group, the group disappears automatically. Chrome does not keep empty groups in your tab bar.
Saving Groups as Bookmarks for Later Use
Chrome lets you save all the tabs in a group as a bookmark folder, which is useful if you want to close the tabs but reopen them all at once later. Right-click the group name and select "Save group as bookmark folder". Chrome creates a new folder in your bookmarks with the group's name and stores a link to each tab inside.
Once saved, you can close the group and its tabs without losing the links. To reopen all the tabs at once, open your bookmarks menu, find the folder with the group's name, right-click it, and select "Open all bookmarks". Chrome opens every tab that was in the group in a new set of tabs.
This workflow is helpful when you finish a project or research task. Save the group as a bookmark, close the tabs to reduce clutter, and if you need to revisit that work weeks or months later, the bookmark folder is still there with all the links ready to go.
Using Groups Across Multiple Windows
Groups exist only within the Chrome window where you create them. If you open a second Chrome window, it has its own set of tabs and groups separate from the first window. You cannot move a tab from one window to another using groups.
However, you can move a tab between windows using Chrome's standard tab-dragging feature. Click and hold a tab, drag it to the other window, and release it. The tab moves to that window as a standalone tab. If you want it to join a group in the new window, you can add it to a group there using the right-click menu.
If you want the same groups in multiple windows, you can recreate them manually or use the bookmark folder method: save a group as bookmarks in one window, then open that bookmark folder in another window to recreate the tabs there.
Troubleshooting Common Group Issues
If the "Add tab to group" option does not appear when you right-click a tab, make sure you are using a recent version of Chrome. The Groups feature has been available since Chrome 88 (released in January 2021), but very old versions may not have it. Check your Chrome version by clicking the three-dot menu in the top right, selecting "Help", then "About Google Chrome". Chrome updates automatically, so if an update is available, it will install and you can try again.
If a group disappears unexpectedly, it likely happened because you closed all the tabs in that group. Chrome removes empty groups automatically. If you want to preserve the tabs, save the group as bookmarks before closing them.
Groups are stored locally on your computer, not synced across devices. If you sign into Chrome on a different computer or phone, your groups will not appear there. You can use the bookmark folder method to transfer groups between devices: save a group as bookmarks on one device, and those bookmarks will sync to your other devices if you have bookmark syncing turned on in your Chrome settings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I share a group with someone else?
No, groups are personal to your Chrome profile and cannot be shared directly. However, you can save a group as a bookmark folder and share the bookmarks file with someone, or you can send them the individual links from the group. If you want to collaborate on a list of websites, a shared bookmark service or document might work better than Chrome Groups.
Do groups sync between my computer and phone?
No, groups are stored only on the device where you create them. If you sign into Chrome on your phone, you will not see the groups from your computer. Bookmark folders do sync across devices if you have syncing enabled, so saving a group as bookmarks is one way to access those links on your phone.
What happens to a group if I close Chrome?
Your groups stay intact. When you reopen Chrome, the groups and their tabs are still there, in the same state you left them (open or collapsed). Chrome saves group information locally on your computer.
Can I set a group to open automatically when I start Chrome?
Not directly through the Groups feature. However, if you save a group as bookmarks, you can set Chrome to open that bookmark folder when it starts by going to Settings, clicking "On startup", and selecting "Open a specific page or set of pages", then adding the bookmark folder URL.
How many tabs can I put in a single group?
There is no set limit. You can add as many tabs as you want to one group, though very large groups may become harder to manage. If a group gets unwieldy, consider splitting it into two smaller groups with more specific names.