How to close empty tab groups in Chrome
Close the last real page in a tab group and Chrome often leaves the group behind with a lone New Tab inside. After a busy day the tab strip fills up with empty, coloured groups.
The built-in way
- Right-click the group’s name in the tab strip.
- Choose Close group (or Delete group on newer Chrome versions if you do not want to keep it saved).
- Repeat for every empty group.
Chrome has no setting to close empty groups by itself.
The one-click way: Tab Group Janitor
Tab Group Janitor closes groups whose tabs are only new-tab pages or about:blank, after a delay you choose from no wait up to one hour. Groups with a real page, a pinned tab or audio playing are left alone. A dry-run mode shows what would be closed first.
Add to Chrome, it’s free (opens the Chrome Web Store in a new tab)
Frequently asked questions
Will it close a group that still has a page open?
No. Only groups where every tab is a new-tab page or about:blank count as empty.
What if the group is the only thing in the window?
The group is dissolved instead of closed, so the window stays open.
Does it send my tab addresses anywhere?
No. Addresses are checked on your computer to tell a blank tab from a real one, and are not saved or sent.