Ctrl+Tab MRU

Switch between tabs in the most recently used order, can be configured to use Ctrl+Tab as a shortcut

What is Ctrl+Tab MRU?

'Ctrl+Tab MRU' is a powerful Chrome extension that enhances your browsing experience by allowing you to navigate through tabs in the order you have visited them last. By customizing key combinations, you can easily switch between pages, even if they are on special pages like Chrome Web Store, PDFs, and XML files. However, there might be a minor drawback with the need for a temporary tab and occasional issues if the control key is released quickly. This extension requires certain permissions for full functionality, but ensures smooth tab management. Regular updates have been provided to keep this extension in line with the latest demands and developments.

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Extension stats

By: Daniel Calliess

View on Chrome Web Store

Users: 2,000+

Rating: 3.45 (116)

Version: 0.9 (Last updated: 2023-10-12)

Creation date: 2016-03-22

Risk impact: High risk impact

Risk likelihood: Very low risk likelihood

Manifest version: 3

Permissions:

tabs
scripting
storage

Host permissions:

<all_urls>

Size: 15.56K

Email: su*****@flansch.at

Ranking

# 19670 ▼ 80

Other rankings

#4117 in Workflow & Planning ▼ 7 #159 in tab keyword 77 ▼ 19 #162 in detect keyword 15 ▼ 7 #200 in switch keyword 16 ▼ 3

Other platforms

Not available on Firefox

Not available on Edge

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Extension summary

Analyze keywords

'Ctrl+Tab MRU' allows switching through tabs in the order they were visited before. By default this happens by pressing Ctrl+Y for going back in time and Ctrl+Shift+Y for the other way round.

*** IMPORTANT TO KNOW *** Unfortunately Chrome doesn't drectly allow users to set Ctr+Tab as shortcut keys. So I suggest using the following trick to circumvent this: https://superuser.com/a/1326712.

Tab switching also works on special pages (like chrome://), Chrome Web Store URLs, PDFs, XMLs or when the address bar is focused. In this case a temporary tab is opened to show the menu. To directly jump to a tab listed on the switcher menu, click on its title or icon.

Drawbacks:

At the moment I don't have an idea how to avoid the temporary tab. It's required because I otherwise could not detect the release of the ctrl key (=end of the switching action) on special pages.
If you release the ctrl key too fast while the temporary tab is loaded I am unable to detect the key-up event, therefore the menu gets stuck. Please hit the ctrl key again to finish switching.
Recent tab order is not preserved when closing and restoring a window.

Permissions:

User reviews

These summaries are automatically generated weekly using AI based on recent user reviews. Chrome Web Store does not verify user reviews, so some user reviews may be inaccurate, spammy, or outdated.

Pros

Useful extension with unique features
Works well with customized keyboard shortcuts
Effective in cycling through recently used tabs
Has comprehensive instructions for functionality
Valuable functionality not natively provided by Chrome

Cons

Unstable performance and minor glitches
Does not work reliably on Mac or certain local files
Inability to override Ctrl+Tab shortcut
Issues with certain localhost and PDF pages
Not all open tabs are listed in the menu

Most mentioned

Useful extension with minor glitches
Not working reliably on Mac
Issues with local files
Custom shortcuts improving usability
Valuable feature absent in default Chrome

Recent reviews

unstable performance

aki play, 2024-09-30

Nie ma możliwości nadpisania skrótu Ctrl+tab.

Krzysztof Adam Kozłowski, 2024-08-04

Works great. For ease of use I set my keyboard shortcuts to Ctrl + Q and Ctrl + Shift + Q. Also, enabled in Incognito and in file URLs. EDIT: Somehow, not all open tabs are listed in its menu. Have to downgrade my rating, unfortunately.