# Auto Tab Discard

> Increase browser speed and reduce memory load and when you have numerous open tabs.

Canonical page: [https://chrome-stats.com/d/auto-tab-discard](https://chrome-stats.com/d/auto-tab-discard)

## Overview

- **ID:** `auto-tab-discard`
- **Platform:** Firefox
- **Type:** Firefox add-on
- **Status:** Available
- **Publisher:** tlintspr
- **Category:** appearance,tabs
- **Daily users:** 92,942
- **Weekly downloads:** 2,556
- **Rating:** 4.54 / 5 (1,014 ratings)
- **Version:** 0.7.3
- **Last updated:** 2026-08-24
- **First published:** 2017-12-21
- **Size:** 170 KB
- **Data as of:** 2026-09-08
- **Store listing:** [Firefox Add-ons Store](https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/auto-tab-discard/)
- **Website:** [https://webextension.org/listing/tab-discard.html](https://webextension.org/listing/tab-discard.html)

## Description

**Auto Tab Discard** is a lightweight Chrome extension designed to enhance your browser's speed and efficiency by automatically discarding inactive tabs. It reduces memory usage by disabling JavaScript and DOM events on tabs that are not currently in use, helping conserve battery life on portable devices.

Key features include customizable options for discarding based on tab activity, exclusion lists for certain websites, preservation of tab states like scroll position and input content, and the ability to force discard specific hostnames. The extension supports pinned tabs, media playing tabs, and tabs with unsaved content, ensuring important tabs stay active. Additional plugins extend its functionality by enabling bulk discarding, timestamp storage for YouTube, and auto-discarding of new inactive tabs.

Unlike similar tools, Auto Tab Discard uses a native browser method to discard tabs, ensuring your sessions remain intact even if the extension is removed or the browser crashes. Overall, it effectively manages browser memory and battery consumption without sacrificing user experience.

## Rankings

- #229 — Overall
- #5 — Tabs
- #12 — Appearance
- #1 — auto
- #1 — card
- #2 — autogram

## Permissions and access

### Permissions

- `idle`
- `storage`
- `contextMenus`
- `notifications`
- `alarms`
- `scripting`

### Host permissions

- `*://*/*`

### Content script matches

- `<all_urls>`

## Safety

- **Risk impact:** Moderate risk impact
- **Risk likelihood:** Very low risk likelihood

### Analysis details

- Allows access to all websites, posing a significant security risk as it can monitor and modify data from any visited site.
- This extension was recently updated in the past month. New updates may not be stable or safe.

> Some risk analysis details are omitted from this free response. [Upgrade to view the full analysis](https://chrome-stats.com/pricing).

## Review summary

Reviews consistently highlight RAM/CPU savings, faster performance, and longer battery life as major benefits. Users also praise auto-sleeping of inactive tabs and preserving tab state, enabling many tabs without slowdown. Customization options are valued. A minority notes potential abandonment and some confusion over terminology, but the dominant theme is strong multitab management and performance gains.

### Pros

- Frees up RAM / reduces memory usage and CPU load, improving performance.
- Improves battery life and overall performance on devices with low RAM/CPU.
- Automatically sleeps inactive tabs while preserving tab state when you come back to them.
- Allows keeping a very large number of tabs (50+, 1000+) open without slowing the browser or losing tabs.
- Offers customizable options to tailor how and when tabs are discarded/slept.

## Similar extensions and apps

- [Trust Wallet](https://chrome-stats.com/d/auto-tabs-discard) — 19 users, 5.00 / 5
- [Automatic Tab Discarder](https://chrome-stats.com/d/automatic-tab-discarder) — 117 users, 5.00 / 5
- [Auto Tab Discard](https://chrome-stats.com/d/auto-tab-inactive) — 13 users
- [Auto Tab Discard](https://chrome-stats.com/d/automatically-discard) — 30 users
- [Tab Discard (Suspender)](https://chrome-stats.com/d/tab-discard-suspender) — 184 users, 3.92 / 5
- [Simple Discard Tab](https://chrome-stats.com/d/simple-discard-tab) — 118 users, 4.42 / 5
- [Auto Tab Discard PM](https://chrome-stats.com/d/auto-tab-discard-pm) — 10 users
- [Auto Tab Suspender](https://chrome-stats.com/d/auto-tab-suspender) — 8 users, 3.00 / 5
- [Tabinator](https://chrome-stats.com/d/sdtabinator) — 1 users
- [Auto Tab Reaper](https://chrome-stats.com/d/auto-tab-reaper) — 11 users, 4.67 / 5
- [Discard Tab](https://chrome-stats.com/d/discard) — 27 users, 4.88 / 5
- [Discard stale tabs](https://chrome-stats.com/d/discard-stale-tabs) — 1 users

---

Source: [Chrome-Stats](https://chrome-stats.com/d/auto-tab-discard)