New users: thank you for installing the Tabberwocky Tab Defenestrator, your stalwart ally against the chaos of too many tabs in too many windows. This walkthrough will help you get started.
How to open the Tabberwocky sidepanel
There are two ways to summon Tabberwocky: the keyboard and the toolbar icon. To use the toolbar icon, you'll need to "pin" it first.
Pin the Tabberwocky icon for quick access
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Click the Extensions button in your Chrome toolbar.
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In the dropdown menu that appears, click the pin icon to the right of Tabberwocky Tab Defenestrator.
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The Tabberwocky icon now appears in your toolbar. Click it to open and close the Tabberwocky sidepanel.
Keyboard Shortcut to Open / Close Tabberwocky Side Panel
To access the Tabberwocky sidepanel via your keyboard, use Option + T on Mac or Alt + T on Windows.
Using Tabberwocky
The Tabberwocky core features are as follows:
- Close all duplicate tabs across all windows
- Close all tabs by domain
- Merge all Windows
- Combined Actions
- Sort by Domain
- Sort by Most Recent
- Toggle window view
The extension uses a sidepanel interface. I chose it over a popup in part because it provides a persistent, easy‑to‑close view of all open tabs. This is especially helpful when tab titles get truncated by too many open tabs.
The sidepanel updates in real time when tabs are opened, closed, or moved. The badges display relevant counts for respective operations. For example, if there are 8 additional Chrome windows, then the Merge Windows button will display an 8.
Close all Duplicate Tabs in all Windows
Click Close Duplicates to remove, in a single glorious sweep, all duplicate tabs from all windows.
- Hover your mouse over the button to preview the titles of the doppelganger tabs.
- The duplicates sweep keeps the most recently accessed tab and closes other duplicates.
- Treats Google Workspace documents as unique by document ID.
Domain Grid (close by site)
The Domain Grid, located at the bottom of the sidepanel, is a visual interface for single-click closing of all tabs for respective websites.
How the Domain Grid Works
Each icon represents a different website or, for some sites, distinct products. For example, if you had multiple Gmail and Google Docs tabs open, you could close all your Gmail tabs without closing the docs that you're working on.
- Depending on the window view toggle, the badge count will be for your current window or all windows.
- The grid updates in real-time as you open and close tabs.
- Google Workspace products, along with select Google products, are treated as separate sites.
Remember
Clicking an icon immediately closes all tabs from that domain. To undo, use Command + Shift + T (Mac) or Ctrl + Shift + T (Windows/Linux).Merge all Windows
Click Merge Windows to consolidate everything from everywhere all at once.
- The badge number indicates the number of windows that can be merged into your current window.
- Tabs keep their original order
- The active tab in your current window remains selected through the merge
Combined Actions
Click to activate both actions: Close Duplicates and Merge Windows.
- Badge count shows total number of available actions (duplicates + windows).
- Upcoming feature: customizable combinations (e.g., merge + sort by last accessed).
Sort by Domain
Click Domains A-Z to sort your tabs alphabetically by domain name.
- Sorting applies to either the current window or all windows, depending on the Window View toggle.
Sort by Most Recent
Click Sort by Most Recent to reorder tabs based on the time you last accessed them.
- Sorts tabs in descending order, most recent tabs first
- Helpful for finding your way back after sidequests or climbing out of rabbit holes
- As with Sort by Domain, the sorting applies to either the current window or all windows, depending on the Window View toggle.
Window View Toggle
Populate the sidepanel with the tabs from your current window or all windows.
- Current Window: Shows only tabs in the currently focused window
- All Windows: Shows tabs from every open Chrome window
- The toggle also sets the scope for the sort buttons and the domain grid.
Keyboard Shortcuts
Tabberwocky provides keyboard shortcuts for quick access to main functions.
| Shortcut | Action | Description |
|---|---|---|
Alt + T |
Toggle Side Panel | Opens the Tabberwocky side panel if closed, or closes it if open |
Alt + Shift + C |
Combined Actions | Performs close duplicates and merge windows in sequence |