How to Use TidyTab: Automatic Chrome Tab Groups, Window Stash, and Rule Sync

TidyTab is built for the moment when Chrome stops feeling like a browser and starts feeling like a pile of half-finished work. Instead of manually dragging tabs into groups every day, you create a few rules once and let TidyTab handle the repetitive cleanup.

This guide walks through the first setup: pinning the extension, creating a grouping rule, applying rules to tabs that are already open, using automatic grouping for new tabs, stashing a whole window, and syncing rules so your setup is recoverable.

1. Pin TidyTab to the Chrome toolbar

Start by keeping TidyTab within reach.

Open Chrome’s extensions menu, find TidyTab, and pin it to the toolbar. Once it is pinned, the popup is one click away whenever you need to apply rules, stash the current window, open settings, or launch the guide again.

This small step matters because tab cleanup should be quick. If the extension is hidden behind a menu, you will use it less often.

2. Create your first grouping rule

Open TidyTab settings and go to the rules page. Create one rule for a tab pattern you see every day.

Good first rules are simple:

• Docs: match domains like documentation sites, API references, or product help centers.
• Work: match your project management tool, admin dashboard, or internal workspace.
• Reading: match newsletters, articles, and long-form reference pages.
• Shopping: match product comparison sites, carts, and order pages.

Each rule should have a clear group name, a color, and one or more match conditions. TidyTab can match by domain, page title, URL text, or pattern. Start with domain matching when possible, because it is usually easier to reason about than broad keywords.

3. Apply rules once to clean up existing tabs

There is one important first-run detail: automatic grouping watches new page loads. Tabs that were already open before you created a rule need one manual cleanup pass.

After saving your first rule, click Apply rules from the popup, settings page, or command palette. TidyTab will scan matching ungrouped tabs in the current browser session and move them into the right Chrome native tab groups.

After that first manual pass, new matching tabs can be grouped automatically as they load.

4. Let automatic grouping handle new tabs

Once rules exist, keep browsing normally. When a matching page finishes loading, TidyTab can move it into the group you defined.

The best rules are specific enough to avoid surprises. If a rule catches too many tabs, narrow the condition. If it misses tabs, add another condition for the same group. A small set of reliable rules is better than a large set you do not trust.

5. Stash a window when a project can wait

Grouping helps with tabs you still need today. Stash helps with windows you do not need right now.

Use Stash window when a project, research trail, shopping comparison, or dashboard set can wait. TidyTab saves the window’s tabs and groups, closes the window noise, and lets you restore that context later.

Stash is different from bookmarks. Bookmarks save individual links. Stash saves the shape of a working window, including grouped context, so it is better for temporary projects and unfinished browsing sessions.

6. Use the command palette for fast actions

TidyTab includes a command palette for repeat actions. Open it with Cmd/Ctrl+K, then search for tabs or run commands such as:

• Apply rules
• Stash window
• Open settings

This is useful when your hands are already on the keyboard. Instead of opening the popup, switching pages, and finding the right button, you can run the action directly.

7. Sync and restore your rules

Rules are the part of TidyTab you will probably want to keep across devices. Once you have a useful setup, open the account area, sign in, and use rule sync to back up or restore your rules.

Window stash data stays local. That keeps temporary browsing context on the device where it was created, while your reusable rule system can be recovered when needed.

If you want an extra local backup, use export rules from the rules page. You can import that file later if you want to move or recover the rule set manually.

A good first setup

If you are not sure where to begin, create three rules:

• Work: your daily tools, admin pages, dashboards, and inboxes.
• Docs: documentation, API references, and help centers.
• Reading: articles, research pages, and saved references.

Then open the popup and run Apply rules once. Continue browsing for a day and adjust only the rules that feel noisy or incomplete.

That is the TidyTab rhythm: make one small rule, apply it once, let automatic grouping handle the future, stash windows when context can wait, and keep your rules recoverable.

Troubleshooting

If a tab did not move, check whether the rule is enabled and whether the tab actually matches the domain, title, URL text, or pattern you entered.

If old tabs did not group automatically, run Apply rules once. Automatic grouping is designed for new page loads; existing tabs need that first manual pass.

If a rule catches too much, make it narrower. Use a domain instead of a generic word, or split one broad rule into two smaller rules with clearer names.