Operating manual · revision 1.3.6
Press Alt+Q
Tabatha shows a preview of every open tab. That is the whole product.
On a Mac, Alt is the Option key. Free for Chrome. Nothing leaves your computer.
That’s it.
The rest is optional.
What it does
Move
Arrow keys or the mouse pick a tab. Enter opens it. Esc, or a click outside, leaves.
3Find anything
Just type. Tabatha searches titles and addresses of your open tabs, and of tabs you closed in the last 7 days.
4Bring tabs back
Recently closed tabs and windows sit under the open ones. Enter reopens them where you are.
5Many windows
Every window’s tabs in one view. Alt + W, or the chips at the top, show one window at a time.
6Tab groups
Turn on tab groups from the switcher’s footer. Groups become sections. Close a group, or its window, and Tabatha keeps it until you remove it.
7Capture all previews
Chrome only lets extensions photograph the tab on screen. The footer button flips through your tabs for a few seconds, then puts you back.
Keys
| Key | Does | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Alt + Q | Open Tabatha. Press Q again (Alt still down) for the next tab. | Option + Q |
| Alt + Shift + Q | Previous tab. | Option + Shift + Q |
| ← → ↑ ↓ | Move between tabs. | same |
| Enter | Open the selected tab, or reopen a closed one. | same |
| Del | Close the selected tab. | Cmd + Backspace |
Private, by design
Previews, titles and addresses stay on your computer. No account, no analytics, no ads. The extension is blocked from making network requests.
Not to the cloud. Not to us. Not to a very small cloud.
Questions we get
Does Tabatha send my tabs or screenshots anywhere?
No. Previews, titles and addresses stay on your computer. The extension is blocked from making network requests at all.
Why does it need access to all sites? (Chrome says “Read and change all your data on all websites”)
Chrome words it that way for any extension that has access to every site. Tabatha needs that access for two things: taking a small screenshot of each tab for its preview, and drawing the switcher on top of the page. It does not read or change your pages, and it makes no network requests at all, so nothing leaves your computer. The code is public, so you can check: https://github.com/Vajrayu/tabatha
Chrome says “Proceed with caution” when I install it
Chrome shows “This extension is not trusted by Enhanced Safe Browsing” for extensions from newer developers, during their first months, and only to people who have Enhanced protection turned on. It is about how long the developer has been on the store, not about what the extension does. Tabatha makes no network requests and its code is public. “Continue to install” is safe.
Why does a tab say “No preview yet”?
Chrome only allows screenshots of the tab on screen, so a tab gets its preview the first time you look at it. Click “Capture all previews” in the switcher to fill in the rest.
Questions we also get
Will Tabatha get my ex back?
No. It can find the tab where you drafted the apology.
Will Tabatha make me the person at work who seems to have it together?
Yes. This is a documented side effect.
Does it work with 94 tabs?
Yes. We are not here to judge. Mostly.
Is there a cloud?
No. Not a big one, not a small one.
Something off? Tell me.
If Tabatha breaks, misbehaves, or is missing the one thing you need, I’ll fix it.