Description

Use the chrome.tabs API to interact with the browser's tab system. You can use this API to create, modify, and rearrange tabs in the browser.

The Tabs API not only offers features for manipulating and managing tabs, but can also detect the language of the tab, take a screenshot , and communicate with a tab's content scripts.

Permissions

Most features don't require any permissions to use. For example: creating a new tab, reloading a tab, navigating to another URL, etc.

There are three permissions developers should be aware of when working with the Tabs API.

The "tabs" permission

This permission does not give access to the chrome.tabs namespace. Instead, it grants an extension the ability to call tabs.query() against four sensitive properties on tabs.Tab instances: url , pendingUrl , title , and favIconUrl .

"name" : "My extension" , "permissions" : [ "tabs"
Host permissions

Host permissions allow an extension to read and query a matching tab's four sensitive tabs.Tab properties. They can also interact directly with the matching tabs using methods such as tabs.captureVisibleTab() , scripting.executeScript() , scripting.insertCSS() , and scripting.removeCSS() .

"name" : "My extension" , "host_permissions" : [ "http://*/*" , "https://*/*"
The "activeTab" permission

activeTab grants an extension temporary host permission for the current tab in response to a user invocation. Unlike host permissions, activeTab does not trigger any warnings.

"name" : "My extension" , "permissions" : [ "activeTab"

The following sections demonstrate some common use cases.

Open an extension page in a new tab

A common pattern for extensions is to open an onboarding page in a new tab when the extension is installed. The following example shows how to do this.

background.js:

chrome.runtime.onInstalled.addListener(({reason}) => {
  if (reason === 'install') {
    chrome.tabs.create({
      url: "onboarding.html"

Get the current tab

This example demonstrates how an extension's service worker can retrieve the active tab from the currently-focused window (or most recently-focused window, if no Chrome windows are focused). This can usually be thought of as the user's current tab.

  async function getCurrentTab() {
    let queryOptions = { active: true, lastFocusedWindow: true };
    // `tab` will either be a `tabs.Tab` instance or `undefined`.
    let [tab] = await chrome.tabs.query(queryOptions);
    return tab;
  function getCurrentTab(callback) {
    let queryOptions = { active: true, lastFocusedWindow: true };
    chrome.tabs.query(queryOptions, ([tab]) => {
      if (chrome.runtime.lastError)
      console.error(chrome.runtime.lastError);
      // `tab` will either be a `tabs.Tab` instance or `undefined`.
      callback(tab);
  async function toggleMuteState(tabId) {
    const tab = await chrome.tabs.get(tabId);
    const muted = !tab.mutedInfo.muted;
    await chrome.tabs.update(tabId, {muted});
    console.log(`Tab ${tab.id} is ${muted ? "muted" : "unmuted"}`);
  function toggleMuteState(tabId) {
    chrome.tabs.get(tabId, 




    
async (tab) => {
      let muted = !tab.mutedInfo.muted;
      await chrome.tabs.update(tabId, { muted });
      console.log(`Tab ${tab.id} is ${ muted ? "muted" : "unmuted" }`);

Move the current tab to the first position when clicked

This example shows how to move a tab while a drag may or may not be in progress. While this example uses chrome.tabs.move, you can use the same waiting pattern for other calls that modify tabs while a drag is in progress.

  chrome.tabs.onActivated.addListener(moveToFirstPosition);
  async function moveToFirstPosition(activeInfo) {
    try {
      await chrome.tabs.move(activeInfo.tabId, {index: 0});
      console.log("Success.");
    } catch (error) {
      if (error == "Error: Tabs cannot be edited right now (user may be dragging a tab).") {
        setTimeout(() => moveToFirstPosition(activeInfo), 50);
      } else {
        console.error(error);

  chrome.tabs.onActivated.addListener(moveToFirstPositionMV2);
  function moveToFirstPositionMV2(activeInfo) {
    chrome.tabs.move(activeInfo.tabId, { index: 0 }, () => {
      if (chrome.runtime.lastError) {
        const error = chrome.runtime.lastError;
        if (error == "Error: Tabs cannot be edited right now (user may be dragging a tab).") {
          setTimeout(() => moveToFirstPositionMV2(activeInfo), 50);
        } else {
          console.error(error);
      } else {
        console.log("Success.");

Pass a message to a selected tab's content script

This example demonstrates how an extension's service worker can communicate with content scripts in specific browser tabs using tabs.sendMessage().

function sendMessageToActiveTab(message) {
  const [tab] = await chrome.tabs.query({ active: true, lastFocusedWindow: true });
  const response = await chrome.tabs.sendMessage(tab.id, message);
  // TODO: Do something with the response.

Extension examples

For more Tabs API extensions demos, explore any of the following:

  • Manifest V2 - Tabs API extensions.
  • Manifest V3 - Tabs Manager.
  • Types

    MutedInfo

    Chrome 46+

    The tab's muted state and the reason for the last state change.

    Properties

    • extensionId

      string optional

    The ID of the extension that changed the muted state. Not set if an extension was not the reason the muted state last changed.

    muted

    boolean

    Whether the tab is muted (prevented from playing sound). The tab may be muted even if it has not played or is not currently playing sound. Equivalent to whether the 'muted' audio indicator is showing.

    reason

    MutedInfoReason optional

    The reason the tab was muted or unmuted. Not set if the tab's mute state has never been changed.

    MutedInfoReason

    Chrome 46+

    An event that caused a muted state change.

    "user"
    A user input action set the muted state.

    "capture"
    Tab capture was started, forcing a muted state change.

    "extension"
    An extension, identified by the extensionId field, set the muted state.

    Properties

    • active

      boolean

    Whether the tab is active in its window. Does not necessarily mean the window is focused.

    audible

    boolean optional

    Chrome 45+

    Whether the tab has produced sound over the past couple of seconds (but it might not be heard if also muted). Equivalent to whether the 'speaker audio' indicator is showing.

    autoDiscardable

    boolean

    Chrome 54+

    Whether the tab can be discarded automatically by the browser when resources are low.

    discarded

    boolean

    Chrome 54+

    Whether the tab is discarded. A discarded tab is one whose content has been unloaded from memory, but is still visible in the tab strip. Its content is reloaded the next time it is activated.

    favIconUrl

    string optional

    The URL of the tab's favicon. This property is only present if the extension has the "tabs" permission or has host permissions for the page. It may also be an empty string if the tab is loading.

    frozen

    boolean

    Chrome 132+

    Whether the tab is frozen. A frozen tab cannot execute tasks, including event handlers or timers. It is visible in the tab strip and its content is loaded in memory. It is unfrozen on activation.

    groupId

    number

    Chrome 88+

    The ID of the group that the tab belongs to.

    height

    number optional

    The height of the tab in pixels.

    highlighted

    boolean

    Whether the tab is highlighted.

    number optional

    The ID of the tab. Tab IDs are unique within a browser session. Under some circumstances a tab may not be assigned an ID; for example, when querying foreign tabs using the sessions API, in which case a session ID may be present. Tab ID can also be set to chrome.tabs.TAB_ID_NONE for apps and devtools windows.

    incognito

    boolean

    Whether the tab is in an incognito window.

    index

    number

    The zero-based index of the tab within its window.

    lastAccessed

    number

    Chrome 121+

    The last time the tab became active in its window as the number of milliseconds since epoch.

    mutedInfo

    MutedInfo optional

    Chrome 46+

    The tab's muted state and the reason for the last state change.

    openerTabId

    number optional

    The ID of the tab that opened this tab, if any. This property is only present if the opener tab still exists.

    pendingUrl

    string optional

    Chrome 79+

    The URL the tab is navigating to, before it has committed. This property is only present if the extension has the "tabs" permission or has host permissions for the page and there is a pending navigation.

    pinned

    boolean

    Whether the tab is pinned.

    selected

    boolean

    Deprecated

    Please use tabs.Tab.highlighted .

    Whether the tab is selected.

    sessionId

    string optional

    The session ID used to uniquely identify a tab obtained from the sessions API.

    status

    TabStatus optional

    The tab's loading status.

    title

    string optional

    The title of the tab. This property is only present if the extension has the "tabs" permission or has host permissions for the page.

    string optional

    The last committed URL of the main frame of the tab. This property is only present if the extension has the "tabs" permission or has host permissions for the page. May be an empty string if the tab has not yet committed. See also Tab.pendingUrl .

    width

    number optional

    The width of the tab in pixels.

    windowId

    number

    The ID of the window that contains the tab.

    TabStatus

    Chrome 44+

    The tab's loading status.

    "unloaded"

    "loading"

    "complete"

    WindowType

    Chrome 44+

    The type of window.

    "normal"

    "popup"

    "panel"

    "app"

    "devtools"

    ZoomSettings

    Defines how zoom changes in a tab are handled and at what scope.

    Properties

    • defaultZoomFactor

      number optional

      Chrome 43+

      Used to return the default zoom level for the current tab in calls to tabs.getZoomSettings.

      ZoomSettingsMode optional

    Defines how zoom changes are handled, i.e., which entity is responsible for the actual scaling of the page; defaults to automatic .

    scope

    Defines whether zoom changes persist for the page's origin, or only take effect in this tab; defaults to per-origin when in automatic mode, and per-tab otherwise.

    ZoomSettingsMode

    Chrome 44+

    Defines how zoom changes are handled, i.e., which entity is responsible for the actual scaling of the page; defaults to automatic .

    "automatic"
    Zoom changes are handled automatically by the browser.

    "manual"
    Overrides the automatic handling of zoom changes. The onZoomChange event will still be dispatched, and it is the extension's responsibility to listen for this event and manually scale the page. This mode does not support per-origin zooming, and thus ignores the scope zoom setting and assumes per-tab .

    "disabled"
    Disables all zooming in the tab. The tab reverts to the default zoom level, and all attempted zoom changes are ignored.

    ZoomSettingsScope

    Chrome 44+

    Defines whether zoom changes persist for the page's origin, or only take effect in this tab; defaults to per-origin when in automatic mode, and per-tab otherwise.

    "per-origin"
    Zoom changes persist in the zoomed page's origin, i.e., all other tabs navigated to that same origin are zoomed as well. Moreover, per-origin zoom changes are saved with the origin, meaning that when navigating to other pages in the same origin, they are all zoomed to the same zoom factor. The per-origin scope is only available in the automatic mode.

    "per-tab"
    Zoom changes only take effect in this tab, and zoom changes in other tabs do not affect the zooming of this tab. Also, per-tab zoom changes are reset on navigation; navigating a tab always loads pages with their per-origin zoom factors.

    Properties

    MAX_CAPTURE_VISIBLE_TAB_CALLS_PER_SECOND

    Chrome 92+

    The maximum number of times that captureVisibleTab can be called per second. captureVisibleTab is expensive and should not be called too often.

    Value

    TAB_ID_NONE

    Chrome 46+

    An ID that represents the absence of a browser tab.

    Value

    TAB_INDEX_NONE

    Chrome 123+

    An index that represents the absence of a tab index in a tab_strip.

    Value

    Methods

    captureVisibleTab()

    Promise
    chrome.tabs.captureVisibleTab(
      windowId?: number,
      options?: ImageDetails,
      callback?: function,
    )

    Captures the visible area of the currently active tab in the specified window. In order to call this method, the extension must have either the <all_urls> permission or the activeTab permission. In addition to sites that extensions can normally access, this method allows extensions to capture sensitive sites that are otherwise restricted, including chrome:-scheme pages, other extensions' pages, and data: URLs. These sensitive sites can only be captured with the activeTab permission. File URLs may be captured only if the extension has been granted file access.

    Parameters

    • windowId

      number optional

    The target window. Defaults to the current window .

    options
    callback

    function optional

    The callback parameter looks like:
    (dataUrl: string) => void
    dataUrl

    string

    A data URL that encodes an image of the visible area of the captured tab. May be assigned to the 'src' property of an HTML img element for display.

    Returns

      Promise<string>

      Chrome 88+ Promises are supported in Manifest V3 and later, but callbacks are provided for backward compatibility. You cannot use both on the same function call. The promise resolves with the same type that is passed to the callback.
      chrome.tabs.connect(
        tabId: number,
        connectInfo?: object,
      )

      Connects to the content script(s) in the specified tab. The runtime.onConnect event is fired in each content script running in the specified tab for the current extension. For more details, see Content Script Messaging .

      Parameters

      • tabId

        number

        connectInfo

        object optional

        documentId

        string optional

        Chrome 106+

        Open a port to a specific document identified by documentId instead of all frames in the tab.

        frameId

        number optional

      Open a port to a specific frame identified by frameId instead of all frames in the tab.

      string optional

      Is passed into onConnect for content scripts that are listening for the connection event.

      Returns

        runtime.Port

        A port that can be used to communicate with the content scripts running in the specified tab. The port's runtime.Port event is fired if the tab closes or does not exist.

        chrome.tabs.create(
          createProperties: object,
          callback?: function,
        )

        Creates a new tab.

        Parameters

        • createProperties

          object

          active

          boolean optional

        Whether the tab should become the active tab in the window. Does not affect whether the window is focused (see windows.update ). Defaults to true .

        index

        number optional

      The position the tab should take in the window. The provided value is clamped to between zero and the number of tabs in the window.

      openerTabId

      number optional

    The ID of the tab that opened this tab. If specified, the opener tab must be in the same window as the newly created tab.

    pinned

    boolean optional

    Whether the tab should be pinned. Defaults to false

    selected

    boolean optional

    Deprecated

    Please use active .

    Whether the tab should become the selected tab in the window. Defaults to true

    string optional

    The URL to initially navigate the tab to. Fully-qualified URLs must include a scheme (i.e., 'http://www.google.com', not 'www.google.com'). Relative URLs are relative to the current page within the extension. Defaults to the New Tab Page.

    windowId

    number optional

    The window in which to create the new tab. Defaults to the current window .

    callback

    function optional

    The callback parameter looks like:
    (tab: Tab) => void

    The created tab.

    Returns

      Promise< Tab >

      Chrome 88+ Promises are supported in Manifest V3 and later, but callbacks are provided for backward compatibility. You cannot use both on the same function call. The promise resolves with the same type that is passed to the callback.
      chrome.tabs.detectLanguage(
        tabId?: number,
        callback?: function,
      )

      Detects the primary language of the content in a tab.

      Parameters

      • tabId

        number optional

      Defaults to the active tab of the current window .

      callback

      function optional

      The callback parameter looks like:
      (language: string) => void
      language

      string

      An ISO language code such as en or fr . For a complete list of languages supported by this method, see kLanguageInfoTable . The second to fourth columns are checked and the first non-NULL value is returned, except for Simplified Chinese for which zh-CN is returned. For an unknown/undefined language, und is returned.

      Returns

        Promise<string>

        Chrome 88+ Promises are supported in Manifest V3 and later, but callbacks are provided for backward compatibility. You cannot use both on the same function call. The promise resolves with the same type that is passed to the callback.
        chrome.tabs.discard(
          tabId?: number,
          callback?: function,
        )

        Discards a tab from memory. Discarded tabs are still visible on the tab strip and are reloaded when activated.

        Parameters

        • tabId

          number optional

        The ID of the tab to be discarded. If specified, the tab is discarded unless it is active or already discarded. If omitted, the browser discards the least important tab. This can fail if no discardable tabs exist.

        callback

        function optional

        The callback parameter looks like:
        (tab?: Tab) => void

        Tab optional

        The discarded tab, if it was successfully discarded; undefined otherwise.

        Returns

          Promise< Tab | undefined>

          Chrome 88+ Promises are supported in Manifest V3 and later, but callbacks are provided for backward compatibility. You cannot use both on the same function call. The promise resolves with the same type that is passed to the callback.
          chrome.tabs.duplicate(
            tabId: number,
            callback?: function,
          )

          Duplicates a tab.

          Parameters

          • tabId

            number

          The ID of the tab to duplicate.

          callback

          function optional

          The callback parameter looks like:
          (tab?: Tab) => void

          Tab optional

          Details about the duplicated tab. The url , pendingUrl , title and favIconUrl properties are only included on the tabs.Tab object if the extension has the "tabs" permission or has host permissions for the page.

          Returns

            Promise< Tab | undefined>

            Chrome 88+ Promises are supported in Manifest V3 and later, but callbacks are provided for backward compatibility. You cannot use both on the same function call. The promise resolves with the same type that is passed to the callback.
            chrome.tabs.get(
              tabId: number,
              callback?: function,
            )

            Retrieves details about the specified tab.

            Parameters

            • tabId

              number

              callback

              function optional

              The callback parameter looks like:
              (tab: Tab) => void

              Returns

                Promise< Tab >

                Chrome 88+ Promises are supported in Manifest V3 and later, but callbacks are provided for backward compatibility. You cannot use both on the same function call. The promise resolves with the same type that is passed to the callback.
                chrome.tabs.getCurrent(
                  callback?: function,
                )

                Gets the tab that this script call is being made from. Returns undefined if called from a non-tab context (for example, a background page or popup view).

                Parameters

                • callback

                  function optional

                  The callback parameter looks like:
                  (tab?: Tab) => void

                  Tab optional

                  Returns

                    Promise< Tab | undefined>

                    Chrome 88+ Promises are supported in Manifest V3 and later, but callbacks are provided for backward compatibility. You cannot use both on the same function call. The promise resolves with the same type that is passed to the callback.
                    chrome.tabs.getZoom(
                      tabId?: number,
                      callback?: function,
                    )

                    Gets the current zoom factor of a specified tab.

                    Parameters

                    • tabId

                      number optional

                    The ID of the tab to get the current zoom factor from; defaults to the active tab of the current window.

                    callback

                    function optional

                    The callback parameter looks like:
                    (zoomFactor: number) => void
                    zoomFactor

                    number

                    The tab's current zoom factor.

                    Returns

                      Promise<number>

                      Chrome 88+ Promises are supported in Manifest V3 and later, but callbacks are provided for backward compatibility. You cannot use both on the same function call. The promise resolves with the same type that is passed to the callback.
                      chrome.tabs.getZoomSettings(
                        tabId?: number,
                        callback?: function,
                      )

                      Gets the current zoom settings of a specified tab.

                      Parameters

                      • tabId

                        number optional

                      The ID of the tab to get the current zoom settings from; defaults to the active tab of the current window.

                      callback

                      function optional

                      The callback parameter looks like:
                      (zoomSettings: ZoomSettings) => void
                      zoomSettings

                      The tab's current zoom settings.

                      Returns

                        Promise< ZoomSettings >

                        Chrome 88+ Promises are supported in Manifest V3 and later, but callbacks are provided for backward compatibility. You cannot use both on the same function call. The promise resolves with the same type that is passed to the callback.
                        chrome.tabs.goBack(
                          tabId?: number,
                          callback?: function,
                        )

                        Go back to the previous page, if one is available.

                        Parameters

                        • tabId

                          number optional

                        The ID of the tab to navigate back; defaults to the selected tab of the current window.

                        callback

                        function optional

                        The callback parameter looks like:
                        () => void

                        Returns

                          Promise<void>

                          Chrome 88+ Promises are supported in Manifest V3 and later, but callbacks are provided for backward compatibility. You cannot use both on the same function call. The promise resolves with the same type that is passed to the callback.
                          chrome.tabs.goForward(
                            tabId?: number,
                            callback?: function,
                          )

                          Go foward to the next page, if one is available.

                          Parameters

                          • tabId

                            number optional

                          The ID of the tab to navigate forward; defaults to the selected tab of the current window.

                          callback

                          function optional

                          The callback parameter looks like:
                          () =>
                          
                          
                          
                          
                              
                           void

                          Returns

                            Promise<void>

                            Chrome 88+ Promises are supported in Manifest V3 and later, but callbacks are provided for backward compatibility. You cannot use both on the same function call. The promise resolves with the same type that is passed to the callback.
                            chrome.tabs.group(
                              options: object,
                              callback?: function,
                            )

                            Adds one or more tabs to a specified group, or if no group is specified, adds the given tabs to a newly created group.

                            Parameters

                            • options

                              object

                              createProperties

                              object optional

                            Configurations for creating a group. Cannot be used if groupId is already specified.

                            windowId

                            number optional

                            The window of the new group. Defaults to the current window.

                            groupId

                            number optional

                            The ID of the group to add the tabs to. If not specified, a new group will be created.

                            tabIds

                            number | [number, ...number[]]

                          The tab ID or list of tab IDs to add to the specified group.

                          callback

                          function optional

                          The callback parameter looks like:
                          (groupId: number) => void
                          groupId

                          number

                          The ID of the group that the tabs were added to.

                          Returns

                            Promise<number>

                            Promises are supported in Manifest V3 and later, but callbacks are provided for backward compatibility. You cannot use both on the same function call. The promise resolves with the same type that is passed to the callback.
                            chrome.tabs.highlight(
                              highlightInfo: object,
                              callback?: function,
                            )

                            Highlights the given tabs and focuses on the first of group. Will appear to do nothing if the specified tab is currently active.

                            Parameters

                            • highlightInfo

                              object

                              number | number[]

                            One or more tab indices to highlight.

                            windowId

                            number optional

                            The window that contains the tabs.

                            callback

                            function optional

                            The callback parameter looks like:
                            (
                            
                            
                            
                            
                                
                            window: Window) => void
                            window

                            Contains details about the window whose tabs were highlighted.

                          Returns

                            Promise< windows.Window >

                            Chrome 88+ Promises are supported in Manifest V3 and later, but callbacks are provided for backward compatibility. You cannot use both on the same function call. The promise resolves with the same type that is passed to the callback.
                            chrome.tabs.move(
                              tabIds: number | number[],
                              moveProperties: object,
                              callback?: function,
                            )

                            Moves one or more tabs to a new position within its window, or to a new window. Note that tabs can only be moved to and from normal (window.type === "normal") windows.

                            Parameters

                            • tabIds

                              number | number[]

                            The tab ID or list of tab IDs to move.

                            moveProperties

                            object

                            index

                            number

                            The position to move the window to. Use -1 to place the tab at the end of the window.

                            windowId

                            number optional

                            Defaults to the window the tab is currently in.

                            callback

                            function optional

                            The callback parameter looks like:
                            (tabs: Tab | Tab[]) => void

                            Details about the moved tabs.

                          Returns

                            Promise< Tab | Tab []>

                            Chrome 88+ Promises are supported in Manifest V3 and later, but callbacks are provided for backward compatibility. You cannot use both on the same function call. The promise resolves with the same type that is passed to the callback.
                            chrome.tabs.query(
                              queryInfo: object,
                              callback?: function,
                            )

                            Gets all tabs that have the specified properties, or all tabs if no properties are specified.

                            Parameters

                            • queryInfo

                              object

                              active

                              boolean optional

                            Whether the tabs are active in their windows.

                            audible

                            boolean optional

                            Chrome 45+

                            Whether the tabs are audible.

                            autoDiscardable

                            boolean optional

                            Chrome 54+

                            Whether the tabs can be discarded automatically by the browser when resources are low.

                            currentWindow

                            boolean optional

                            Whether the tabs are in the current window .

                            discarded

                            boolean optional

                            Chrome 54+

                            Whether the tabs are discarded. A discarded tab is one whose content has been unloaded from memory, but is still visible in the tab strip. Its content is reloaded the next time it is activated.

                            frozen

                            boolean optional

                            Chrome 132+

                            Whether the tabs are frozen. A frozen tab cannot execute tasks, including event handlers or timers. It is visible in the tab strip and its content is loaded in memory. It is unfrozen on activation.

                            groupId

                            number optional

                            Chrome 88+

                            The ID of the group that the tabs are in, or tabGroups.TAB_GROUP_ID_NONE for ungrouped tabs.

                            highlighted

                            boolean optional

                            Whether the tabs are highlighted.

                            index

                            number optional

                          The position of the tabs within their windows.

                          lastFocusedWindow

                          boolean optional

                          Whether the tabs are in the last focused window.

                          muted

                          boolean optional

                          Chrome 45+

                          Whether the tabs are muted.

                          pinned

                          boolean optional

                        Whether the tabs are pinned.

                        status

                        TabStatus optional

                        The tab loading status.

                        title

                        string optional

                        Match page titles against a pattern. This property is ignored if the extension does not have the "tabs" permission or host permissions for the page.

                        string | string[] optional

                      Match tabs against one or more URL patterns . Fragment identifiers are not matched. This property is ignored if the extension does not have the "tabs" permission or host permissions for the page.

                      windowId

                      number optional

                      The ID of the parent window, or windows.WINDOW_ID_CURRENT for the current window .

                      windowType

                      WindowType optional

                    The type of window the tabs are in.

                    callback

                    function optional

                    The callback parameter looks like:
                    (result: Tab[]) => void
                    result

                    Returns

                      Promise< Tab []>

                      Chrome 88+ Promises are supported in Manifest V3 and later, but callbacks are provided for backward compatibility. You cannot use both on the same function call. The promise resolves with the same type that is passed to the callback.
                      chrome.tabs.reload(
                        tabId?: number,
                        reloadProperties?: object,
                        callback?: function,
                      )

                      Reload a tab.

                      Parameters

                      • tabId

                        number optional

                      The ID of the tab to reload; defaults to the selected tab of the current window.

                      reloadProperties

                      object optional

                      bypassCache

                      boolean optional

                      Whether to bypass local caching. Defaults to false .

                      callback

                      function optional

                      The callback parameter looks like:
                      () => void

                      Returns

                        Promise<void>

                        Chrome 88+ Promises are supported in Manifest V3 and later, but callbacks are provided for backward compatibility. You cannot use both on the same function call. The promise resolves with the same type that is passed to the callback.
                        chrome.tabs.remove(
                          tabIds: number | number[],
                          callback?: function,
                        )

                        Closes one or more tabs.

                        Parameters

                        • tabIds

                          number | number[]

                        The tab ID or list of tab IDs to close.

                        callback

                        function optional

                        The callback parameter looks like:
                        () => void

                        Returns

                          Promise<void>

                          Chrome 88+ Promises are supported in Manifest V3 and later, but callbacks are provided for backward compatibility. You cannot use both on the same function call. The promise resolves with the same type that is passed to the callback.
                          chrome.tabs.sendMessage(
                            tabId: number,
                            message: any,
                            options?: object,
                            callback?: function,
                          )

                          Sends a single message to the content script(s) in the specified tab, with an optional callback to run when a response is sent back. The runtime.onMessage event is fired in each content script running in the specified tab for the current extension.

                          Parameters

                          • tabId

                            number

                            message

                          The message to send. This message should be a JSON-ifiable object.

                          options

                          object optional

                          documentId

                          string optional

                          Chrome 106+

                          Send a message to a specific document identified by documentId instead of all frames in the tab.

                          frameId

                          number optional

                          Send a message to a specific frame identified by frameId instead of all frames in the tab.

                          callback

                          function optional

                          Chrome 99+ The callback parameter looks like:
                          (response: any) => void
                          response

                          The JSON response object sent by the handler of the message. If an error occurs while connecting to the specified tab, the callback is called with no arguments and runtime.lastError is set to the error message.

                          Returns

                            Promise<any>

                            Chrome 99+ Promises are supported in Manifest V3 and later, but callbacks are provided for backward compatibility. You cannot use both on the same function call. The promise resolves with the same type that is passed to the callback.
                            chrome.tabs.setZoom(
                              tabId?: number,
                              zoomFactor: number,
                              callback?: function,
                            )

                            Zooms a specified tab.

                            Parameters

                            • tabId

                              number optional

                            The ID of the tab to zoom; defaults to the active tab of the current window.

                            zoomFactor

                            number

                            The new zoom factor. A value of 0 sets the tab to its current default zoom factor. Values greater than 0 specify a (possibly non-default) zoom factor for the tab.

                            callback

                            function optional

                            The callback parameter looks like:
                            () => void

                            Returns

                              Promise<void>

                              Chrome 88+ Promises are supported in Manifest V3 and later, but callbacks are provided for backward compatibility. You cannot use both on the same function call. The promise resolves with the same type that is passed to the callback.
                              chrome.tabs.setZoomSettings(
                                tabId?: number,
                                zoomSettings: ZoomSettings,
                                callback?: function,
                              )

                              Sets the zoom settings for a specified tab, which define how zoom changes are handled. These settings are reset to defaults upon navigating the tab.

                              Parameters

                              • tabId

                                number optional

                              The ID of the tab to change the zoom settings for; defaults to the active tab of the current window.

                              zoomSettings

                              Defines how zoom changes are handled and at what scope.

                              callback

                              function optional

                              The callback parameter looks like:
                              () => void

                              Returns

                                Promise<void>

                                Chrome 88+ Promises are supported in Manifest V3 and later, but callbacks are provided for backward compatibility. You cannot use both on the same function call. The promise resolves with the same type that is passed to the callback.
                                chrome.tabs.ungroup(
                                  tabIds: number | [number, ...number[]],
                                  callback?: function,
                                )

                                Removes one or more tabs from their respective groups. If any groups become empty, they are deleted.

                                Parameters

                                • tabIds

                                  number | [number, ...number[]]

                                The tab ID or list of tab IDs to remove from their respective groups.

                                callback

                                function optional

                                The callback parameter looks like:
                                () => void

                                Returns

                                  Promise<void>

                                  Promises are supported in Manifest V3 and later, but callbacks are provided for backward compatibility. You cannot use both on the same function call. The promise resolves with the same type that is passed to the callback.
                                  chrome.tabs.update(
                                    tabId?: number,
                                    updateProperties: object,
                                    callback?: function,
                                  )

                                  Modifies the properties of a tab. Properties that are not specified in updateProperties are not modified.

                                  Parameters

                                  • tabId

                                    number optional

                                  Defaults to the selected tab of the current window .

                                  updateProperties

                                  object

                                  active

                                  boolean optional

                                  Whether the tab should be active. Does not affect whether the window is focused (see windows.update ).

                                  autoDiscardable

                                  boolean optional

                                  Chrome 54+

                                  Whether the tab should be discarded automatically by the browser when resources are low.

                                  highlighted

                                  boolean optional

                                Adds or removes the tab from the current selection.

                                muted

                                boolean optional

                                Chrome 45+

                                Whether the tab should be muted.

                                openerTabId

                                number optional

                                The ID of the tab that opened this tab. If specified, the opener tab must be in the same window as this tab.

                                pinned

                                boolean optional

                                Whether the tab should be pinned.

                                selected

                                boolean optional

                                Deprecated

                              Please use highlighted .

                              Whether the tab should be selected.

                              string optional

                            A URL to navigate the tab to. JavaScript URLs are not supported; use scripting.executeScript instead.

                            callback

                            function optional

                            The callback parameter looks like:
                            (tab?: Tab) => void

                            Tab optional

                            Details about the updated tab. The url , pendingUrl , title and favIconUrl properties are only included on the tabs.Tab object if the extension has the "tabs" permission or has host permissions for the page.

                            Returns

                              Promise< Tab | undefined>

                              Chrome 88+ Promises are supported in Manifest V3 and later, but callbacks are provided for backward compatibility. You cannot use both on the same function call. The promise resolves with the same type that is passed to the callback.

                              Events

                              onActivated

                              chrome.tabs.onActivated.addListener(
                                callback: function,
                              )

                              Fires when the active tab in a window changes. Note that the tab's URL may not be set at the time this event fired, but you can listen to onUpdated events so as to be notified when a URL is set.

                              Parameters

                              • callback

                                function

                                The callback parameter looks like:
                                (activeInfo: object) => void
                                activeInfo

                                object

                                tabId

                                number

                                The ID of the tab that has become active.

                                windowId

                                number

                              The ID of the window the active tab changed inside of.

                              chrome.tabs.onAttached.addListener(
                                callback: function,
                              )

                              Fired when a tab is attached to a window; for example, because it was moved between windows.

                              Parameters

                              • callback

                                function

                                The callback parameter looks like:
                                (tabId: number, attachInfo: object) => void
                                tabId

                                number

                                attachInfo

                                object

                                newPosition

                                number

                                newWindowId

                                number

                                chrome.tabs.onCreated.addListener(
                                  callback: function,
                                )

                                Fired when a tab is created. Note that the tab's URL and tab group membership may not be set at the time this event is fired, but you can listen to onUpdated events so as to be notified when a URL is set or the tab is added to a tab group.

                                Parameters

                                • callback

                                  function

                                  The callback parameter looks like:
                                  (tab: Tab) => void
                                  chrome.tabs.onDetached.addListener(
                                    callback: function,
                                  )

                                  Fired when a tab is detached from a window; for example, because it was moved between windows.

                                  Parameters

                                  • callback

                                    function

                                    The callback parameter looks like:
                                    (tabId: number, detachInfo: object) => void
                                    tabId

                                    number

                                    detachInfo

                                    object

                                    oldPosition

                                    number

                                    oldWindowId

                                    number

                                    chrome.tabs.onHighlighted.addListener(
                                      callback: function,
                                    )

                                    Fired when the highlighted or selected tabs in a window changes.

                                    Parameters

                                    • callback

                                      function

                                      The callback parameter looks like:
                                      (highlightInfo: object) => void
                                      highlightInfo

                                      object

                                      tabIds

                                      number[]

                                      All highlighted tabs in the window.

                                      windowId

                                      number

                                    The window whose tabs changed.

                                    chrome.tabs.onMoved.addListener(
                                      callback: function,
                                    )

                                    Fired when a tab is moved within a window. Only one move event is fired, representing the tab the user directly moved. Move events are not fired for the other tabs that must move in response to the manually-moved tab. This event is not fired when a tab is moved between windows; for details, see tabs.onDetached .

                                    Parameters

                                    • callback

                                      function

                                      The callback parameter looks like:
                                      (tabId: number, moveInfo: object) => void
                                      tabId

                                      number

                                      moveInfo

                                      object

                                      fromIndex

                                      number

                                      toIndex

                                      number

                                      windowId

                                      number

                                      chrome.tabs.onRemoved.addListener(
                                        callback: function,
                                      )

                                      Fired when a tab is closed.

                                      Parameters

                                      • callback

                                        function

                                        The callback parameter looks like:
                                        (tabId: number, removeInfo: object) => void
                                        tabId

                                        number

                                        removeInfo

                                        object

                                        isWindowClosing

                                        boolean

                                        True when the tab was closed because its parent window was closed.

                                        windowId

                                        number

                                      The window whose tab is closed.

                                      chrome.tabs.onReplaced.addListener(
                                        callback: function,
                                      )

                                      Fired when a tab is replaced with another tab due to prerendering or instant.

                                      Parameters

                                      • callback

                                        function

                                        The callback parameter looks like:
                                        (addedTabId: number, removedTabId: number) => void
                                        addedTabId

                                        number

                                        removedTabId

                                        number

                                        chrome.tabs.onUpdated.addListener(
                                          callback: function,
                                        )

                                        Fired when a tab is updated.

                                        Parameters

                                        • callback

                                          function

                                          The callback parameter looks like:
                                          (tabId: number, changeInfo: object, tab: Tab) => void
                                          tabId

                                          number

                                          changeInfo

                                          object

                                          audible

                                          boolean optional

                                          Chrome 45+

                                          The tab's new audible state.

                                          autoDiscardable

                                          boolean optional

                                          Chrome 54+

                                          The tab's new auto-discardable state.

                                          discarded

                                          boolean optional

                                          Chrome 54+

                                          The tab's new discarded state.

                                          favIconUrl

                                          string optional

                                          The tab's new favicon URL.

                                          frozen

                                          boolean optional

                                          Chrome 132+

                                          The tab's new frozen state.

                                          groupId

                                          number optional

                                          Chrome 88+

                                          The tab's new group.

                                          mutedInfo

                                          MutedInfo optional

                                          Chrome 46+

                                          The tab's new muted state and the reason for the change.

                                          pinned

                                          boolean optional

                                        The tab's new pinned state.

                                        status

                                        TabStatus optional

                                        The tab's loading status.

                                        title

                                        string optional

                                        Chrome 48+

                                        The tab's new title.

                                        string optional

                                      The tab's URL if it has changed.

                                      chrome.tabs.onZoomChange.addListener(
                                        callback: function,
                                      )

                                      Fired when a tab is zoomed.

                                      Parameters

                                      • callback

                                        function

                                        The callback parameter looks like:
                                        (ZoomChangeInfo: object) => void
                                        ZoomChangeInfo

                                        object

                                        newZoomFactor

                                        number

                                        oldZoomFactor

                                        number

                                        tabId

                                        number

                                        zoomSettings

                                        Except as otherwise noted, the content of this page is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License , and code samples are licensed under the Apache 2.0 License . For details, see the Google Developers Site Policies . Java is a registered trademark of Oracle and/or its affiliates.

                                        Last updated 2025-01-13 UTC.

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