How can we help?

Find answers, troubleshoot issues, and get the most out of TabQuell.

Getting Started

Installation

  1. 1
    Add to Chrome

    Visit the Chrome Web Store and click "Add to Chrome".

  2. 2
    Pin the Extension

    Click the puzzle icon in Chrome's toolbar, then pin TabQuell for easy access.

  3. 3
    Start Your Trial

    TabQuell works immediately with a 30-day free trial of all Pro features.

First Steps

After installation, TabQuell runs automatically in the background. By default:

  • Tabs are auto-frozen after 10 minutes of inactivity
  • Pinned tabs, tabs playing audio, and tabs with forms are protected
  • Sessions are backed up every 60 seconds

Click the TabQuell icon to see your memory savings and manage tabs.

How It Works

Invisible Tab Freezing

TabQuell uses Chrome's native chrome.tabs.discard() API to suspend inactive tabs. This is the same technology Chrome uses internally for memory management.

❌ Other Extensions

  • Close tabs and save URLs
  • Replace tabs with placeholder pages
  • Move tabs to a "suspended" list
  • Visible change to tab bar

✅ TabQuell

  • Tabs stay exactly where they are
  • No visible change to tab bar
  • Click to instantly restore
  • Scroll position preserved

Memory Savings

When a tab is frozen (discarded), its page content is removed from memory while Chrome keeps track of its URL, title, and favicon. This typically saves:

  • 200-500MB per tab for content-heavy sites
  • 50-200MB per tab for simple sites
  • 60-80% total memory for users with 20+ tabs

Frequently Asked Questions

No — TabQuell has multiple safeguards to protect your work:

Form Protection: TabQuell automatically detects tabs with unsaved form data. Any tab containing text inputs, textareas, or contenteditable fields that have been modified will be marked as "protected" and won't be auto-frozen. This includes email drafts, document editors, social media post composers, and any web forms.

Whitelist Protection: You can add specific websites to your "Never Freeze" list in settings. Sites like Google Docs, Notion, your company's internal tools, or any site where you frequently work can be permanently protected from freezing.

Auto-Backup System: TabQuell Pro automatically saves your complete session (all open tabs, their URLs, positions, and scroll locations) every 60 seconds. If anything unexpected happens — a crash, accidental closure, or power outage — you can restore your entire session from the backup.

What happens when a tab IS frozen: When you click on a frozen tab, it reloads from the server. For most websites, this is seamless. However, some sites with complex state (like half-completed checkouts or multi-step wizards) may lose progress. For these, use the whitelist feature.

Pro tip: Enable "Protect tabs with active media" in settings to also protect tabs playing audio or video, even if they're in the background.

By design, frozen tabs look identical to active tabs — that's what makes TabQuell "invisible".

However, there are several ways to check the status of your tabs:

1. TabQuell Popup Panel: Click the TabQuell icon in your toolbar to open the main panel. Here you'll see a complete list of all your tabs organised by window. Frozen tabs display a subtle snowflake (❄️) icon next to their title, while active tabs show a green dot.

2. Badge Counter: The TabQuell extension icon shows a small badge number indicating how many tabs are currently frozen. If you see "12" on the icon, you have 12 frozen tabs saving memory right now.

3. Memory Stats: The popup shows real-time memory statistics — you can see exactly how much RAM you're saving. A higher savings number means more tabs are frozen.

4. Right-Click Menu: Right-click on any tab and look at the TabQuell submenu. It will show "Freeze Tab" if the tab is active, or "Unfreeze Tab" if it's already frozen.

5. Click Test: Simply click on a tab. If it's frozen, you'll see a brief reload as the page restores. Active tabs respond instantly without reloading.

Why invisible freezing matters: Unlike other extensions that replace tabs with placeholder pages or move them to lists, TabQuell keeps your tab bar exactly as you organised it. Your muscle memory stays intact — tab #5 is still tab #5, with the same favicon and title.

When a tab is frozen, all JavaScript execution and background processes in that tab are completely suspended.

What stops running:

  • JavaScript timers: All setTimeout and setInterval functions pause
  • Real-time connections: WebSocket connections are closed, so live chat, notifications, and real-time updates stop
  • Service Workers: Background sync and push notifications from that tab are suspended
  • Media playback: Any audio or video stops (though TabQuell protects playing media by default)
  • Animations: CSS animations and JavaScript-driven animations freeze
  • Network requests: Pending AJAX/fetch requests are cancelled

What this means for common apps:

  • Slack/Discord/Teams: You won't receive message notifications from a frozen tab. Add these to your whitelist if you need real-time alerts.
  • Gmail: New email notifications won't appear until you click the tab. However, emails still arrive — you just won't see the notification badge update.
  • Google Docs: Auto-save stops while frozen. The document is safe, but add it to your whitelist if you're actively editing.
  • Music/Video streaming: TabQuell automatically protects tabs playing audio, so Spotify Web Player, YouTube Music, etc. won't be frozen while playing.
  • Stock tickers/Dashboards: Real-time data feeds pause. Whitelist these if you need live updates.

When you restore the tab: The page reloads fresh from the server. WebSocket connections reconnect, timers restart, and everything resumes normally. For most apps, this is seamless and takes 1-3 seconds.

Yes! TabQuell offers multiple ways to manually freeze tabs, giving you complete control:

Method 1 — Right-Click Context Menu:

  • Right-click on any tab in your tab bar
  • Select "TabQuell" from the context menu
  • Click "Freeze Tab" (or "Freeze All Other Tabs" to freeze everything except the current tab)

Method 2 — Keyboard Shortcuts:

  • Alt + Shift + F — Freeze/unfreeze the current tab
  • Alt + Shift + A — Freeze all other tabs (keep current tab active)

Method 3 — TabQuell Popup:

  • Click the TabQuell icon in your toolbar
  • Find the tab in the list
  • Click the snowflake icon next to any tab to freeze it
  • Or use the "Freeze All" button at the top

Method 4 — Bulk Actions:

  • In the popup, you can select multiple tabs using checkboxes
  • Then use "Freeze Selected" to freeze them all at once
  • Great for quickly clearing memory before a video call or heavy task

Pro tip: Customise shortcuts at chrome://extensions/shortcuts — you can change them to any key combination you prefer.

Yes! TabQuell works perfectly with Chrome's multi-profile feature, with each profile operating completely independently.

What's separate per profile:

  • Settings & Preferences: Your auto-freeze timer, whitelist, and all other settings are stored per-profile. Your work profile can have different settings than your personal profile.
  • Saved Sessions: Sessions and workspaces are unique to each profile. Your "Work Projects" workspace won't appear in your personal profile.
  • Statistics: Memory savings and usage stats are tracked separately.
  • License Activation: If you have TabQuell Pro, you'll need to activate your license in each profile where you want Pro features. One license key can be used across multiple profiles on the same computer.

How tabs are managed:

  • Each Chrome profile runs as a separate browser instance
  • TabQuell only sees and manages tabs within its own profile
  • Freezing tabs in Profile A has no effect on Profile B
  • Memory savings are per-profile (though they benefit your whole system)

Best practices for multiple profiles:

  • Set up different whitelists for work vs. personal (e.g., work tools always active in work profile)
  • Use shorter auto-freeze timers in profiles you use less frequently
  • Create profile-specific workspaces to match your contexts

TabQuell offers a generous free tier, with Pro unlocking advanced automation and unlimited features.

Free (Forever):

  • ✓ Manual tab freezing — freeze any tab on demand
  • ✓ Memory statistics — see your RAM savings in real-time
  • ✓ 3 saved sessions — save and restore tab collections
  • ✓ Basic duplicate detection — find and close duplicate tabs
  • ✓ Right-click menu integration
  • ✓ Keyboard shortcuts

Pro (£1.99 one-time payment):

  • ✓ Everything in Free, plus:
  • Auto-freeze: Automatically freeze tabs after customisable inactivity period (1 min to 2 hours)
  • Unlimited sessions: Save as many tab collections as you need
  • Unlimited workspaces: Create separate tab environments for different projects
  • Auto-backup: Your session is automatically saved every 60 seconds
  • Crash recovery: Restore all tabs after a browser crash or unexpected shutdown
  • Memory-based freezing: Automatically freeze tabs when system memory runs low
  • Advanced whitelist: Use URL patterns and wildcards (e.g., *.google.com)
  • Tab notes: Add notes to any tab for context
  • Export/Import: Backup and transfer your settings and sessions
  • Priority email support: Get help within 24 hours

Trial: New users get a 30-day free trial of all Pro features. No credit card required — just install and start using.

Why one-time pricing: We believe software you buy should be yours forever. No subscriptions, no annual renewals, no surprise charges. Pay once, use forever, including all future updates.

Upgrading to TabQuell Pro is quick and straightforward:

Option 1 — From the Extension:

  1. Click the TabQuell icon in your Chrome toolbar
  2. Click the "Upgrade to Pro" button (or go to Settings → License)
  3. You'll be taken to the secure checkout page
  4. Enter your email and payment details
  5. Your license key is activated automatically

Option 2 — Direct Purchase:

  1. Visit tabquell.com/buy
  2. Complete the checkout process
  3. Copy your license key from the confirmation email
  4. In TabQuell, go to Settings → License → Enter Key
  5. Paste your key and click Activate

Payment details:

  • Secure payment processing via Stripe
  • Accepts all major credit/debit cards
  • Apple Pay and Google Pay supported
  • Instant delivery — your key arrives in seconds
  • VAT included for UK/EU customers

Money-back guarantee: Not satisfied? Contact us within 30 days for a full refund, no questions asked.

License terms: Your license key works on unlimited Chrome profiles on your personal devices. It's tied to your email address, not a specific computer, so you can use it on your desktop, laptop, and work machine.

Memory savings vary based on the types of sites you visit, but most users see 60-80% reduction in browser memory usage.

Typical savings per tab type:

  • Heavy web apps (Gmail, Slack, Notion): 200-500MB saved per tab
  • Social media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn): 150-400MB saved per tab
  • News sites with ads: 100-300MB saved per tab
  • Simple articles/blogs: 50-150MB saved per tab
  • Static pages: 20-80MB saved per tab

Real-world example: A user with 30 tabs open might be using 4-6GB of RAM. After TabQuell freezes 25 inactive tabs, that could drop to 1-2GB — freeing up 3-4GB for other applications.

What affects savings:

  • Number of tabs you typically have open
  • How long tabs stay inactive
  • Types of websites (web apps use more than static pages)
  • Your whitelist settings

Track your savings: Click the TabQuell icon to see real-time statistics showing your current memory savings and historical trends.

No — freezing tabs has absolutely no effect on your browsing history, bookmarks, or any other Chrome data.

What freezing does: It tells Chrome to release the memory used by that tab's page content while keeping the tab's URL, title, and favicon. It's the same as if Chrome decided to do this automatically (which it sometimes does under memory pressure).

What's preserved:

  • ✓ Complete browsing history
  • ✓ All bookmarks
  • ✓ Cookies and login sessions
  • ✓ Saved passwords
  • ✓ Tab position in your tab bar
  • ✓ Tab favicon and title
  • ✓ Chrome sync data

What's released (and restored on click):

  • Page DOM content
  • JavaScript memory
  • Image caches for that tab
  • WebSocket connections

Think of it like closing a book but keeping your bookmark in place — you haven't lost anything, you just need to open the page again to read it.

Yes, TabQuell is completely safe. We take privacy seriously and follow strict data minimisation principles.

What TabQuell accesses:

  • Tab metadata: URLs, titles, and favicons — required to display your tabs and manage freezing
  • Tab state: Whether tabs are active, frozen, playing audio, etc.
  • Form field presence: We detect IF a form exists (to protect unsaved work), not WHAT you've typed

What TabQuell NEVER accesses:

  • ✗ Page content or text you're reading
  • ✗ Form data or anything you type
  • ✗ Passwords or login credentials
  • ✗ Cookies or authentication tokens
  • ✗ Files or downloads
  • ✗ Browsing history beyond current session

Data storage:

  • All data is stored locally in your browser using Chrome's storage API
  • Nothing is sent to external servers (except license validation for Pro)
  • Sessions and settings stay on your device
  • If you uninstall, all TabQuell data is removed

Open permissions: You can review exactly what permissions TabQuell requests in the Chrome Web Store listing or in chrome://extensions. We only request what's necessary for the extension to function.

Yes! Your TabQuell Pro license works on all your personal devices.

License terms:

  • Use on unlimited personal computers (desktop, laptop, work machine)
  • Use across all Chrome profiles on each computer
  • Tied to your email address, not hardware
  • One person, unlimited devices

How to activate on a new computer:

  1. Install TabQuell from the Chrome Web Store
  2. Go to Settings → License
  3. Enter the same license key (from your purchase confirmation email)
  4. Click Activate — you're done!

What syncs (and doesn't):

  • License status syncs automatically via our server
  • Settings and preferences do NOT sync between computers
  • Sessions and workspaces are local to each device

Pro tip: Use TabQuell's export feature to backup your settings, then import on another computer if you want matching configurations.

When you click a frozen tab, it needs to reload from the website's server — the speed depends on several factors:

Factors affecting reload speed:

  • Your internet connection: Faster connection = faster reloads
  • Website server speed: Some sites are slower than others
  • Page complexity: Heavy web apps take longer than simple articles
  • Browser cache: If resources are cached, reloads are faster
  • Number of tabs reloading: Restoring many tabs at once shares bandwidth

Typical reload times:

  • Simple websites: 0.5-2 seconds
  • Web apps (Gmail, etc.): 2-5 seconds
  • Heavy SPAs: 3-8 seconds

Tips for faster restores:

  • Keep frequently-used tabs in your whitelist so they stay active
  • Restore tabs one at a time rather than bulk-unfreezing many at once
  • Close truly unnecessary tabs instead of just freezing them

Note: The initial reload is the trade-off for memory savings. For most users, the RAM freed up is worth the occasional 2-second reload.

Yes! TabQuell is designed to coexist peacefully with other Chrome extensions.

Works great with:

  • Ad blockers (uBlock Origin, AdBlock): No conflicts — they work normally on unfrozen tabs
  • Password managers (1Password, Bitwarden, LastPass): Fully compatible
  • Productivity tools (Todoist, Momentum): No issues
  • Tab management tools: Works alongside tab groups and basic organisers
  • Dark mode extensions: Compatible

Potential considerations:

  • Other tab suspenders: We don't recommend running multiple tab suspenders simultaneously — they may conflict. Choose one and stick with it.
  • Session managers: TabQuell's built-in session management may overlap with dedicated session managers. Consider using one or the other.
  • Extensions that modify all tabs: Some extensions inject code into every tab — these need to re-inject when a frozen tab reloads, which usually happens automatically.

Extension memory: Remember that each extension uses its own memory. If you have many extensions, consider auditing which ones you actually use. TabQuell can help your tab memory, but extension memory is separate.

We're here to help! There are several ways to get support:

Email Support:

  • Send questions to support@tabquell.com
  • Pro users: Priority response within 24 hours
  • Free users: Response within 48-72 hours

When contacting support, please include:

  • Your TabQuell version (visible in extension popup → Settings)
  • Your Chrome version (visible at chrome://version)
  • Your operating system (Windows, Mac, Linux, ChromeOS)
  • A description of the issue or question
  • Screenshots if relevant

Common quick fixes before contacting support:

  • Try disabling and re-enabling the extension
  • Check if Chrome needs an update
  • Try in a fresh Chrome profile to rule out conflicts
  • Check this FAQ and the troubleshooting section below

Feature requests: We love hearing ideas! Email us with the subject "Feature Request" and describe what you'd like to see.

Keyboard Shortcuts

TabQuell includes keyboard shortcuts for power users. These can be customized in Chrome's extension settings.

Freeze/Unfreeze Current Tab Toggle freeze state of the active tab
Alt + Shift + F
Freeze All Other Tabs Freeze all tabs except the current one
Alt + Shift + A
Quick Save Session Save current session immediately
Alt + Shift + S
💡 Customize Shortcuts: Go to chrome://extensions/shortcuts to change these to your preferred key combinations.

Settings Guide

Auto-Freeze Settings

Auto-freeze delay Time before inactive tabs are frozen (5-120 minutes, default: 10)
Freeze on low memory Automatically freeze tabs when system memory exceeds threshold
Memory threshold Percentage of RAM usage that triggers memory-based freezing (default: 80%)

Protection Settings

Never freeze pinned tabs Pinned tabs are always kept active
Never freeze tabs playing audio Tabs with active audio/video are protected
Never freeze tabs with forms Tabs with unsaved text input are protected
Whitelist Add domains that should never be frozen

Backup Settings

Auto-backup interval How often to save session backups (default: 60 seconds)
Max backups Number of backup snapshots to keep (default: 10)

Troubleshooting

🔴 Tabs aren't being frozen automatically

Check these settings:

  1. Open TabQuell settings (click icon → ⚙️)
  2. Ensure "Auto-freeze enabled" is turned on
  3. Check the freeze delay isn't set too high
  4. Make sure the tab isn't protected (pinned, playing audio, has forms)
  5. Check if the domain is in your whitelist

🔴 Extension icon not appearing

  1. Click the puzzle icon in Chrome's toolbar
  2. Find TabQuell in the list
  3. Click the pin icon to make it visible

🔴 License key not working

  1. Check for typos — copy/paste from your confirmation email
  2. Make sure you're entering the key without extra spaces
  3. Try the verification again after a few minutes
  4. If issues persist, email support@tabquell.com

🔴 High memory usage despite TabQuell

TabQuell freezes inactive tabs, but some factors can affect memory:

  • Active tabs still use memory normally
  • Protected tabs (pinned, audio, forms) aren't frozen
  • Whitelisted domains aren't frozen
  • Chrome itself uses baseline memory

Try clicking "Freeze Others" in the popup to immediately freeze all inactive tabs.

License & Upgrade

Trial Information

TabQuell includes a 30-day free trial of all Pro features. No credit card required. After the trial:

  • Continue using Free features forever
  • Or upgrade to Pro for £1.99 (one-time payment)

How to Activate Pro

  1. 1
    Purchase TabQuell Pro

    Get lifetime access for just £1.99 — one-time payment, no subscription.

    🛒 Buy TabQuell Pro — £1.99
  2. 2
    Receive your license key via email instantly
  3. 3
    Open TabQuell settings → License
  4. 4
    Paste your license key and click Activate

Money-Back Guarantee

Not happy with TabQuell Pro? Get a full refund within 30 days, no questions asked. Email support@tabquell.com with your order details.

Contact Support

📧

Email Support

Get help from our team

support@tabquell.com

We typically respond within 24 hours on business days. Pro users receive priority support.