Vertical Tabs Chrome Extension: Workspaces, Free
Vertical tabs Chrome extension: side-panel or in-page-rail tab list, plus workspaces, session snapshots, Alt+K search. Free, zero telemetry.
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Weather Chrome now has its own vertical tabs, but the native sidebar has no workspaces, session recovery, or keyboard search, and SuperchargeNavigation adds those on top of a vertical tab list.
SuperchargeNavigation shows your open tabs as a vertical list in the side panel, or as a slim rail floating inside the page. On top of the list it adds named workspaces, automatic session snapshots, and the Alt+K command bar. For the full field of options, see the best vertical tab managers for Chrome.
What Vertical Tabs Do
Vertical tabs ship in the SuperchargeNavigation extension, which is free: every feature is included, with no PRO tier, subscription, or upsell. The extension shows your open tabs as a vertical list in the side panel, or as an in-page rail that floats inside the page.
Setup in Three Steps
- Install SuperchargeNavigation from the Chrome Web Store.
- Open the panel: press Alt+B, or click the toolbar button. The button has no popup, and with the in-page rail selected it opens the sidebar directly. On a normal web page the in-page rail opens at the right edge. On Chrome’s own pages (chrome://, the Web Store, the PDF viewer) where injection is blocked, it opens a helper tab at superchargebrowser.com/in-page-sidebar/, reusing the one already open if there is one.
- Start shaping your session. Group tabs by domain with Alt+G, search everything with Alt+K, and let the extension keep automatic session snapshots.
What It Controls
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Vertical tab list | Side panel or in-page rail; the rail shows on the right edge by default and can be docked left |
| Rail width | Opens at 300 px, below Chrome’s ~320 px side-panel minimum, and resizes up to 640 px |
| Smart grouping | Alt+G groups open tabs by domain; Alt+Shift+G ungroups every unlocked tab |
| Quick search | Alt+K opens a command bar over tabs, commands, and bookmarks |
| Tab cycling | Alt+Scroll moves between tabs (on by default) |
| Link preview | Alt+Click previews a link inline (on by default) |
| Session snapshots | Time-travel tab snapshots in a ring buffer capped at 50 (on by default) |
| Duplicate tabs | Fresh duplicate tabs under 6 seconds old close automatically |
| Workspace sync | On by default, rides your browser account; capped at 13 workspace chunks and 100 sync writes per minute |
| Header search bar | Off by default; Alt+K opens Tab Search regardless |
| Live list updates | The list updates as tabs open, close, change title, move, or change groups |
How It Differs From Chrome’s Built-in Vertical Tabs
Chrome 146 (March 2026) shipped its own vertical tabs: a resizable left sidebar you open by right-clicking a tab and choosing Show Tabs Vertically, or via Settings, Appearance, Tab position. The rollout finished in April 2026, so no flag is needed. The sidebar keeps your tab-group names and colors and resizes down to an icon rail.
What it does not include is where the extension earns its place:
| Chrome built-in | SuperchargeNavigation | |
|---|---|---|
| Collapsible vertical sidebar | Yes | Yes |
| Tab-group colors and names | Yes | Yes |
| Named workspaces | No | Yes |
| Session snapshots / recovery | No | Yes (50 snapshots) |
| Keyboard command search | No | Yes (Alt+K) |
| Peek a link without switching | No | Yes (Alt+Click) |
| Auto-group tabs by domain | No | Yes (Alt+G) |
| Cross-device workspace sync | No | On by default, rides your browser account |
They do not conflict: SuperchargeNavigation runs through the side panel API and an in-page rail, so you can keep Chrome’s sidebar open and use the extension alongside it.
What the Vertical Tab List Adds
| SuperchargeNavigation | |
|---|---|
| Drag-to-reorder | Yes (drop commits the move) |
| Pinned tabs | At the top of the list, separate from unpinned tabs |
| Compact favicon strip | Yes (56 px, peeks to full width on hover) |
| Auto-hide | Yes (parks off-screen, reveals at the screen edge) |
Sidebar Resting States
The in-page rail has no minimum-width floor imposed by the browser; it defines its own (280 px expanded, 56 px compact). You can choose one of three resting states:
- Full keeps it open at your chosen width.
- Collapse shrinks it to a 56 px favicon-only strip that peeks to full width when you hover.
- Hide tucks it off-screen and reveals it when you slide your mouse to the screen edge.
Collapse and Hide are set under “Sidebar resting state” in Options and default to Full.
Multi-Select and Bulk Actions
Hold the standard OS modifier key and click tabs to build a selection. Bulk actions (close, move to group, pin, mute) apply to the entire selection at once.
Permissions, Privacy and Edge
SuperchargeNavigation asks for tabs, tabGroups, sidePanel, storage, unlimitedStorage, alarms, scripting, declarativeNetRequest, and related permissions, plus host access to all URLs.
The extension sends no telemetry. Nothing about your browsing activity reaches SuperchargeBrowser’s servers or any third-party analytics service. Workspace sync is on by default and rides your own browser account (Chrome to Chrome, or Edge to Edge); it never touches our servers. Uninstalling opens a feedback page on superchargebrowser.com that carries no tab data.
Questions? Reach out at support@superchargebrowser.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does it replace Chrome's default tab bar?
Can I use it with Chrome's built-in vertical tabs?
Does it work with the tab groups I already have?
Is it free?
Do my workspaces sync across devices?
Related Features
Smart Tab Grouping — Auto-Group by Domain
Press Alt+G to group open tabs by domain, leaving pinned tabs alone. Groups stay expanded unless auto-collapse is on in Settings. Undo with Alt+Shift+G.
Tab Deduplication — No More Duplicate Tabs
A duplicate tab detector catches pages you already have open: navigate to one and you're prompted to switch to the existing tab instead.
Tab Search — Command Palette for Chrome
Press Alt+K for a full-page search across open tabs, bookmarks, and history. Falls through to web search if nothing matches.
Browser Workspaces — Save and Switch Tab Sessions
Save named sets of tabs, switch between them instantly. Preserves tab groups, pinned tabs, mute states, and group colors — stored locally, no account needed.
From the Library
Chrome Vertical Tabs: 5 Options Ranked by Capability (2026)
Chrome vertical tabs are built in, but the flat sidebar skips workspaces, session recovery, and tab search. Five ranked options, verified August 2026.
Workona vs SuperchargeNavigation: Which Do You Actually Need? (2026)
Workona limits workspaces on the free tier and requires an account. SuperchargeNavigation gives unlimited workspaces with 50 auto-snapshots, free, no account.