What is TabMagnet

TabMagnet is a free Chrome extension that gives you control over two small but frequently annoying browser behaviors: where new tabs open, and which tab becomes active after you close one.

The problem it solves

By default, Chrome opens new tabs at the far right of the tab bar — far away from whatever you were working on. And when you close a tab, Chrome activates the tab to the right, which is often unrelated to your current context.

If you open a lot of tabs while researching, reading docs, or comparing options, this adds up to a lot of unnecessary mouse travel and context switching every day.

What TabMagnet does

New tab position — choose where new tabs open:

• Right of current tab (recommended) — new tabs open immediately next to what you're working on
• Left of current tab — opens to the left instead
• Far left — always opens at the beginning of the tab bar
• Far right — the browser default

Tab close behavior — choose which tab activates after you close one:

• Left (recommended) — returns you to the tab you were on before
• Right — the browser default
• Smart — tries the parent tab first, then left, then right

How to use it

1. Install from the Chrome Web Store — no account required
2. Click the extension icon to open the options popup
3. Select your preferred tab position and close behavior
4. Settings sync automatically via Chrome storage

That's it. TabMagnet runs silently in the background and applies your preferences to every new tab and every tab close.

Privacy

TabMagnet only uses the tabs and storage Chrome permissions. It does not read page content, track browsing history, or send any data to external servers. Your preferences are stored locally via Chrome's built-in sync storage.

Languages

The extension interface is available in English, Simplified Chinese (中文), and Japanese (日本語). Switch language from the options popup — the UI updates immediately.