Remove duplicate Chrome tabs in 1 click.
Tab Vacuum dedupes tabs across all your Chrome windows, merges what's left into one window, and groups them by website. Free, private, open source.
Add to Chrome — Free Star on GitHubEdge, Brave, Vivaldi, Arc, and other Chromium browsers can install the Chrome version today. Native Microsoft Edge Add-ons listing coming soon.
Why people install it
Instant
Runs in under a second, even with 200+ tabs. One click. One optional setting. No dialog.
100% local
Your tab URLs never leave the browser. No server, no analytics, no tracking.
Tiny & auditable
~50 lines of code. No dependencies. Read every line on GitHub before you install.
Free forever
No ads. No premium tier. No upsell. MIT licensed.
How it works
How it compares
| Feature | Tab Vacuum | OneTab | Workona | Toby |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Removes duplicates across windows | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Groups remaining tabs by site | ✅ | ❌ | Manual | Manual |
| 1-click action | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Free, no account | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Source code auditable | ✅ (50 lines) | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Sends any data anywhere | ❌ Never | ❌ | ✅ Cloud | ✅ Cloud |
FAQ
How do I remove duplicate tabs in Chrome?
Install Tab Vacuum from the Chrome Web Store, click its toolbar icon, and every duplicate tab across all your windows is removed instantly.
Does it work across multiple Chrome windows?
Yes — that's the whole point. Tab Vacuum dedupes across every window, then merges the survivors into the window where you clicked the icon.
How do I group Chrome tabs by website?
Tab Vacuum does it automatically. After deduplication it groups remaining tabs by hostname and collapses each group so your tab bar stays clean.
Will it close my pinned tabs?
Pinned tabs are kept. Duplicates of pinned tabs in other windows are removed.
Can I limit Tab Vacuum to only the current window?
Yes. Right-click the Tab Vacuum icon → Options, then enable Current window only. Default behavior dedupes and groups across every open Chrome window; with the toggle on, only the window you click in is affected. The setting is stored locally — nothing syncs.
Does it work in Edge, Brave, Arc, or other Chromium browsers?
Yes. All Chromium-based browsers — Microsoft Edge, Brave, Arc, Vivaldi, Opera — can install the Chrome Web Store version directly. Edge shows an "Allow extensions from other stores" prompt the first time. A native Microsoft Edge Add-ons listing is in submission. Firefox is not supported yet but a port is straightforward (the extension is 50 lines).
Why does Tab Vacuum add entries to my bookmarks bar?
It doesn't. Tab Vacuum doesn't request the bookmarks permission and the source code never calls the bookmarks API. What you're seeing is Chrome's Saved Tab Groups feature (default-on since Chrome 126), which surfaces every tab group as a bookmarks-bar entry. Disable it at chrome://settings → search "tab groups" → turn off Show saved tab groups in bookmarks bar. Or per-group: right-click the colored group label and uncheck Save group.
Does it sync, save, or back up my tabs?
No. Tab Vacuum doesn't store anything. For session backup, use Chrome's built-in History.
Is it really free?
Yes — free forever, no ads, no premium tier, no upsell. The source code is MIT-licensed on GitHub.
How is Tab Vacuum different from OneTab or Workona?
OneTab and Workona save tabs to lists or cloud workspaces. Tab Vacuum does one thing: dedupes and groups tabs in place, in one click, with no account and no cloud sync.
Install from source (Developer Mode)
git clone https://github.com/mayhsundar/tab-vacuum.gitchrome://extensions in Chrome