Tab Activate icon

Tab Activate

by Tab Activate · Functionality & UI
Manifest V3 Free
View in Chrome Web Store Data as of 15 Oct 2026

New tabs open immediately instead of in the background

Users
50K
0 in 30 days
Rating
4.1 / 5
+0.07 in 30 days
Ratings
278
0 in 30 days
Store rank
#3,396
#2,964 among extensions
Version
4.0.0
updated 13 Jul 2026

Users

monthly, 3 years
10K30K50KAug 2023Apr 2025Oct 2026
Latest, 15 Oct 2026: 50,000 usersMove the mouse over the chart for any month

Ratings count

monthly, 3 years
80179278Aug 2023Apr 2025Oct 2026
Latest, 15 Oct 2026: 278 ratingsMove the mouse over the chart for any month

The Chrome Web Store rounds user counts down to the leading digit, so the user line moves in steps. The ratings count is exact and is the better signal of real adoption.

About Tab Activate

Opening a link in a new tab can happen several ways: - Middle-click - Control + click - Right-click > Open link in new tab - Website design - and more Chrome opens these new tabs in the background and provides no option to switch to them immediately. With Tab Activate, new tabs open immediately instead of in the background. To override Tab Activate and open a new tab in the background, press the Shift key while opening the new tab. Tab Activate effectively reverses Chrome's new tab focus behavior. In other browsers, this setting is called: "When you open a link in a new tab, switch to it immediately." ---------------------------------------- Required Permissions Read and change all your data on the websites you visit: Required to detect when the Shift key is pressed (no website data is read or changed). Due to limitations in the Chrome extension API, the only way to detect if the Shift key is being pressed is with the required permissions. Absolutely no data is changed or collected. ---------------------------------------- Changes Version 4.0 Updated code for current API. Improved startup behavior with saved tabs. Version 3.2 Refactored code. No longer requires bookmarks permission (bookmarks still work). Version 3.1 Improved Shift key detection when the window loses focus. Improved error handling. Fixed a console error. Version 3.0 Updated to Chrome Manifest V3. Version 2.1 New icon. Fixed issues created by Chrome 79 extension API changes. Version 2.0 As requested, bookmarks are now supported. Version 1.2 New tabs open to the right of the previous tab and new background tabs open at the end. Version 1.1 Shift key overrides Tab Activate and opens new tabs in the background. Version 1.0 Initial release.

Growth

WindowUsersChangeRatingsRating
7 days0+0.0%0+0.07
30 days0+0.0%0+0.07
6 months0+0.0%+4+0.07
1 year0+0.0%+9+0.04

Chrome Web Store search rankings

Where Tab Activate appears when people search the store, with the 30 day change
Search phrasePosition30 days
tab#12−1
new tabs#18−3
new tab#250
switch#34+4
no code required#44+8
override#51−1
version#66+22
error#95new

Version history

8 versions recorded
4.0.04 Jul 2026
3.2.119 May 2022
3.2.017 May 2022
3.1.217 May 2022
3.1.19 May 2022
3.1.07 May 2022
3.0.05 May 2022
2.1.015 Jan 2020

Details

Category
Functionality & UI
First seen
15 Jan 2020
Size
6 KB
Languages
en-US
Pricing
Free
Extension ID
jlmadbnpnnolpaljadgakjilggigioaj

Permissions and risk

Moderate riskimpact 3, likelihood 2
Permissions
tabs

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