Tab Auto Closer

About

Tab Auto Closer helps you reduce tab clutter, improve browser performance, and maintain focus by automatically closing tabs that have been inactive for a time period you choose. Configure a single inactivity timeout (hours + minutes) from the extension popup. The extension runs in the background and safely closes only tabs that meet your inactivity criteria while respecting pinned tabs and keeping at least one tab open per window.

Key features

Configurable inactivity timeout: set hours and minutes to define the inactivity period before a tab is closed.
Safe defaults and protections:
Pinned tabs are never closed.
The last non-pinned tab in a window is never closed.
Timer resets when you switch to a tab or when a tab finishes loading.
Lightweight background service worker: monitors tab events (activation, updates, creation, removal) and checks tabs at short intervals for responsive closing.
Persistent settings: your chosen hours and minutes are saved locally and reapplied on browser restart.
Simple, minimal popup UI: confirm and edit modes make configuration straightforward.
Transparent logging (during development): logs actions to the extension console to help debug behavior.
How this helps users

Reduce cognitive overload: automatically remove tabs you aren't actively using so your tab bar stays focused.
Improve browser responsiveness: fewer open tabs can lower memory and CPU usage.
Prevent accidental loss of important tabs: pinned tabs and the last tab in each window are preserved.
Faster recovery of workflow: automatic clean-up removes forgotten tabs, making it easier to find and return to important ones.
Works for multitaskers: keep many windows open without long-forgotten tabs piling up in each.

How to use

Click the extension icon to open the popup.
Enter the desired Hours and Minutes for inactivity (0 hours and 0 minutes is invalid).
Click Confirm to start monitoring. The status box will show the active timeout and lock the inputs.
To change the timeout, click Edit, update values, then Confirm again.
To stop monitoring, disable the extension from the browser’s toolbar or uninstall it (future updates may add an explicit Stop button).