Auto Suspend/Close Tabs FAQ

Auto Suspend/Close Tabs FAQ

General Questions

What’s the difference between suspend and close?

Suspend (Discard): Terminates tabs but keeps them visible in your tab bar. Clicking a suspended tab reloads it with preserved content and scroll position, similar to browser navigation.

Close: Completely removes tabs from your browser. Closed tabs must be manually restored from browser history, bookmarks, or tab snapshots.

Which mode should I choose?

• Choose Suspend if you want to save memory while maintaining easy access to all your tabs
• Choose Close if you need maximum memory savings and prefer a clean tab bar
• Start with Suspend as it’s safer and less disruptive to your workflow

Will I lose my work when tabs are suspended or closed?

Suspended tabs: Form content, scroll position, and page state are preserved and restored when you click the tab.

Closed tabs: Any unsaved work will be lost. However, you can protect tabs with form changes by enabling the “Skip Form Changes” option.

Configuration Questions

How do I access the settings?

1. Click the extension icon in your browser toolbar
2. Open Settings page
3. Select 【Auto Suspend/Close Tabs】 from the left menu
4. Choose your preferred mode (Suspend or Close)
5. Configure time thresholds and protection rules

What are good time threshold settings?

For Suspension: 30-60 minutes works well for most users For Closing: 60-120 minutes to avoid aggressive closing Start Conservative: Begin with longer periods and gradually reduce based on your comfort level

What does “exceed X tabs, suspend/close after N minutes” mean?

This setting is often misunderstood. Let me explain in detail:

Correct Understanding:

• X refers to the number of protected tabs (actually protects X+1 tabs)
• N refers to the time threshold
• System protects the most recently accessed X+1 tabs, while other tabs get processed if not accessed for N minutes

Specific Example: Setting “exceed 10 tabs, suspend after 30 minutes” with 30 total tabs:

1. System sorts all tabs by access time
2. Protects the most recent 11 tabs (10+1)
3. Remaining 19 tabs get suspended if not accessed for 30 minutes

Common Misconceptions: ❌ Wrong: When tabs exceed 10, all tabs will be suspended after 30 minutes ✅ Correct: Protect the most recent 11 tabs, only others meeting time criteria get suspended

How many tabs should I protect?

• Light Users: 5-10 protected tabs
• Heavy Users: 10-20 protected tabs
• Consider Your Workflow: Set based on how many tabs you actively use within your threshold period

What should I add to the whitelist?

Common candidates for whitelist protection:

• Email clients (Gmail, Outlook)
• Work applications (Slack, Teams, project management tools)
• Development environments
• Media streaming services
• Online documents or forms
• Banking or financial sites

Troubleshooting

My tabs aren’t being suspended/closed

Check these common issues:

1. Feature Disabled: Ensure you’ve selected either “Discard tabs” or “Close tabs” mode
2. Time Threshold: Verify tabs have been inactive long enough
3. Skip Rules: Check if tabs match your skip rule settings
4. Whitelist: Confirm tabs aren’t protected by whitelist entries
5. Tab Protection: Ensure tabs aren’t pinned or playing media

Important tabs keep getting suspended/closed

Solutions:

1. Pin Essential Tabs: Pin tabs you always need active
2. Add to Whitelist: Include important domains in your whitelist
3. Adjust Skip Rules: Enable relevant skip options (pinned, media, etc.)
4. Increase Protected Count: Raise the number of protected recent tabs

I lost important work

For Suspended Tabs: Click the tab to restore it with your work preserved

For Closed Tabs:

1. Check browser history (Ctrl+H)
2. Restore from tab snapshots if available
3. Use browser’s “Recently Closed” feature
4. Look in your bookmarks for the site

Form data disappeared

1. Enable Skip Rule: Turn on “Skip Form Changes” option
2. Add to Whitelist: Include form-heavy sites in your whitelist
3. Use Browser Features: Enable browser’s built-in form data saving
4. Pin Forms: Pin tabs with important forms

Tabs with audio/video are being suspended

1. Check Media Skip Rule: Ensure “Skip Playing Media” is enabled
2. Verify Media Detection: Some sites may not trigger media detection properly
3. Add to Whitelist: Include streaming sites in your whitelist as backup

Best Practices

Setting Up for Success

1. Start Conservative: Begin with longer time thresholds
2. Pin Important Tabs: Pin tabs you need permanently active
3. Build Your Whitelist: Add essential work sites gradually
4. Enable Relevant Skip Rules: Protect tabs with media, forms, notifications
5. Monitor and Adjust: Watch which tabs get affected and refine settings

Workflow Integration

1. Regular Snapshots: Create tab snapshots before enabling aggressive settings
2. Bookmark Important Pages: Create bookmarks for frequently accessed content
3. Use Pin Strategy: Pin tabs for current projects, unpin when done
4. Whitelist Management: Regularly review and update your whitelist

Performance Optimization

1. Monitor Memory Usage: Check if settings achieve desired memory savings
2. Adjust Gradually: Make small changes and observe effects
3. Seasonal Review: Periodically review settings as workflow changes
4. Balance Trade-offs: Find the sweet spot between memory savings and convenience

Technical Questions

Does this work with browser session restore?

Suspended tabs work seamlessly with session restore - they remain in your session and reload when accessed.

Closed tabs are removed from the session, but browser history and snapshots can help restore your browsing session.

Will this affect browser sync across devices?

Suspended tabs remain in your sync data and appear on other devices.

Closed tabs are removed from sync, so they won’t appear on other devices unless restored.

Can I temporarily disable the feature?

Yes, set the mode to “Disabled” in Settings page under 【Auto Suspend/Close Tabs】 from the left menu. This will stop all automatic tab management but preserve your configuration for when you re-enable it.

Does this work in private/incognito mode?

The feature works in private browsing mode, but suspended/closed tabs won’t be restored across private browsing sessions since private mode doesn’t preserve history or session data.